Scheduled Program Does Not Start in Task Scheduler

When Task Scheduler attempts to start a scheduled program, the program may not start, and Could Not Start may appear as the status of the program.

This behavior can occur if either of the following conditions exists:

• The path to the program file is incorrect.
• You specified a command-line switch for the program file, and you typed the program file's path and command-line switch within quotation marks (for example, "c:\windows\calc.exe /d").

To resolve this behavior, follow the steps in the appropriate section below:

Path to the Program File Is Incorrect

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Scheduled Tasks.
2. Right-click the program whose path you want to modify, and then click Properties.
3. On the Task tab, modify the path to the program file by using either of the following methods:
   
   
   • Type the path and the file name of the program file in the Run box.
   • Click Browse, locate and click the program file you want, click Open, and then click OK.
4. Quit Task Scheduler.

The Program File Contains a Command-Line Switch

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Scheduled Tasks.
2. Right-click the program whose command-line you want to modify, and then click Properties.
3. In the Run box, type command-line switch outside of the quotation marks (for example, "c:\windows\calc.exe" /d).
4. Click OK, and then quit Task Scheduler.

If a program does not start because the path to the program file is incorrect or because you typed a command-line switch within quotation marks, the following entry is added to the Schedlog.txt file when Task Scheduler attempts to start the program where <program name> is the name of the program (for example, ScanDisk), and <program file name> is the name of the program's executable file (for example, Scandskw.exe).

To view the Schedlog.txt file, click View Log on the Advanced menu in Task Scheduler.

For more information about how to use Task Scheduler, click Start, click Help, click the Index tab, type task, and then double-click the "Task Scheduler" topic.