Disk defragmenter was scheduled using another program

[Guest]

The subject text is the title for an alert I get when I try to run Disk
Defragmenter after I use Task Scheduler to modify the settings for the
ScheduledDefrag task. The alert body text informs me that I must remove
customized settings before I can modify the schedule. The alert presents 2
buttons - Remove Settings and Cancel. This looks like a bug. It's certainly
obnoxious behavior because it's impossible to run a manual defragement
without losing the settings changes made via Task Scheduler.

The only settings change I've made, btw, is to let the ScheduledDefrag task
wake my computer. This option (under the Conditions tab) is not set by
default. Since I leave my computer in an S3 sleep state when not in use, I
want ScheduledDefrag to wake my machine at 1AM on Wednesday (the default time
setting), get the defrag job done and be out of the way by the time I start
the machine first thing in the morning. Also the machine should put itself
back to sleep when the defrag work is done so it doesn't waste energy (I'm
pretty sure this will, but I haven't been able to verify it yet).

Granted, if automatic defrag is happening weekly, I shouldn't need to run a
manual defrag. But it's just dumb that Disk Defragmenter insists that I
remove settings changes I've made via Task Scheduler every time I try to
start it up. Besides the Manual Defrag button, the Disk Defragmenter dialog
provides information about the last time the defrag process ran successfully.
The Disk Defrag dialog basically becomes inaccessible unless I'm willing to
remove my setting changes and reapply them every time I want to view/use the
Disk Defrag dialog.

This may be a low severity bug, but it's the kind of defect that makes users
wonder whether the program managers, developers, and testers at Microsoft
really know what they are doing. You should seriously consider fixing this
one for SP1.

 

[Victoria House [MSFT]]

You should be getting an answer soon.

-Victoria

 

[Gerry Cornell]

The suspense is killing my fragmented disk<G>!

--
Gerry
~~~~
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Jill Zoeller [MSFT]]

We don’t support any modifications to the defrag scheduled task. The
thinking is that if people want to start making modifications to the task,
then they are on their own. The task scheduler is much more advanced and can
provide the user with a lot more information and control than our GUI can.
So if you are technical enough to use the task scheduler UI, you probably
don't need to use the defrag UI.

That being said, there are only some modifications to the task that we
detect and decide will invalidate the task.As you've found, modifying the
task to ‘wake the computer’ does invalidate the task. In SP1, the task is
NOT invalidated and thus you'll be able to change this setting.


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