Task Scheduler wakes computer on NO TASK days

[Ron]

We have Task Scheduler set to run a task M, T, W, T at 2AM.
The "Wake the computer to run the task" is checked as the computer is
usually in hibernate at this time.

On the days that no task is scheduled (F, S, S) the computer resumes from
hibernate at 2AM.
The task DOES NOT RUN (as it is not scheduled). There is no entry in the
Task Schedule log for these days (and there shouldn't be) and the return to
hibernate after the task completes does not kick in as it does on the days
that a task is scheduled.

Why is the computer waking on the no event days (and it is not even
returning to hibernate)?

We have other computers with the same task schedule that are working as
scheduled.

I have confirmed that it is the task that is waking the computer (and not a
BIOS setting, etc). If I disable the task the computer does not wake.

I have also tried deleting and recreating the task.

The computer is running Windows XP Service Pack3.

 

[3c273]

I have noticed this also. When you check the box to wake the computer, it
sets a wake event in the real time clock (RTC) on the motherboared. I
suspect that the RTC is not capable of storing a complex schedule and that
it is merely a means to wake the computer and see if a task is supposed to
run today. Just schedule a hibernate event for 2:05AM on days that the task
is not scheduled to run. You can use "psshutdown -h" to do this.
Psshutdown.exe is available free from Microsoft as part of the PSTools
package.

Louis

 

[Ron]

Thanks for your reply.
I thought about the shut down task, but once in a while the computer
actually is in use at those times.

 

[3c273]

You could use the idle time checkbox on the settings tab if your situation
permits. Set it to hibernate at 2:30AM only if the computer has been idle
for at least 25 minutes.
Louis

 

[Ron]

Interesting idea and I probably will use it, but on the rare occasion the
computer is left on rendering I think it would show as idle and the
hibernate task would kick in and cause problems.

There probably is no great answer for this except if the computer actually
followed what it was set to do!
I just looked for a BIOS update and there is none.

 

[Ron]

I just thought of this and I dont know if it will work but something to play
with.

I think if the task is only set for one day eg Monday it wont wake the
computer on Tuesday.

I'm going to play with Mondays task "creating" Tuesdays task etc. and then
deleting itself.

 

[3c273]

Please post back. I am interested in what you discover.
Louis

 

[Ron]

Well I was wrong.
Even a task scheduled for 1 day wakes the computer every day.

What I ended up doing (to deal with the fact that the computer might already
be on) was to create a task that just writes a time stamp entry to the
registry (it does not wake the computer and it times out after 1 min). So if
the computer is on the entry writes the current date.

Then I call a task that does wake the computer a minute later. It checks if
the day of the week is Fir, Sat Sun and if it is it checks for the time
stamp in the registry with a current date (the time stamp would be out of
date if the computer were off and the previous task never ran). If there is
no current time stamp then I call my hibernate function.

Hope this helps