Show to Schedule Tasks in Windows XP?

Tasks scheduling eases the work of administrators by automatically executing pre-configured job(s) to perform specific operation(s). By scheduling task(s), an administrator can configure any script, program, document, or batch process to execute at a specific but valid time. Scheduled tasks run in the background based on defined time slot; therefore, when scheduling tasks, the administrator must consider the CPU usage. That is if the Scheduled Task uses a large extent of CPU then it can have considerable performance effect. Though, tasks scheduling is beneficial, it is not easy to schedule tasks. To schedule a task, the administrator must have good exposure on Windows operating system. If you do not know which Windows option is used to schedule tasks then how will you schedule any task?

This article contains detailed information about scheduling tasks in Windows XP; therefore, will be useful for novice system administrators and also for experienced administrators who use long and difficult commands to schedule tasks using command prompt.

Schedule a New Task:

Following steps describe the process of tasks scheduling in Windows XP:

1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Scheduled Tasks. The Scheduled Tasks window appears where you can see pre-configured tasks.

2. Double-click the Add Scheduled Task icon. The Scheduled Task Wizard dialog box appears.

3. Click Next. The Scheduled Task Wizard dialog box lists the programs installed in your computer system.

4. Now, either select a program from the list or click the Browse button to locate the program, script, or batch process that you want to run on a specific time.

5. Click Next. The Scheduled Task Wizard dialog box displays the name of the selected program along with the option to let you schedule the task. You can either continue with the default program name or can specify a new name for the task.

6. Select an option from the list and click Next.

7. Specify day, time, and date on which you want the selected program to execute.

8. Click Next.

9. Specify login credentials of the user for which you are scheduling task and click Next.

10. Click Finish to complete the new task scheduling.

A new task has been successfully scheduled. The newly scheduled task appears in the Scheduled Tasks window. This is how you can schedule a task in Windows XP. Apart from scheduling a task, you can also modify any pre-scheduled task. For example, you can anytime rename or delete a scheduled task, change the day, date, and time to execute the task, and configure the task to repeat periodically on a specific date.

Modify a Scheduled Task

Execute the following steps to modify a scheduled task:

1. Right-click the task that you want to modify and select one of the following options:

. Run: Enables you to execute the selected task

. Delete: Enables you to delete the selected task

. Rename: Enables you to rename the selected task

. Properties: Enables you to modify the location, day, date, and time related settings for the scheduled task.

2. If you want to make a task repeatable then select the Properties option. The Properties dialog box appears.

3. Select the Schedule tab and click the Advanced button. The Advanced Schedule Options dialog box appears.

4. Select Repeat task option and configure duration to repeat the task"??s execution.

5. Click OK and then click Apply.

In this way, a scheduled task can be modified. Every version of Windows operating system contains built-in native system administration tool using which tasks scheduling can be done. However, using native Windows tool to schedule and manage the scheduled jobs is not easy. Such tools make the process lengthy, clumsy, and time-consuming. And because effective time management is very important for system administrators as they have to perform various tasks on daily basis; they do not prefer using time-consuming built-in tool for scheduling and managing tasks.

In that scenario, tools for Active Directory Management and Reporting become a help for system administrators. The Active Directory Management and Reporting tool simplifies the process of scheduling new tasks and managing already scheduled tasks. The software will automatically display the pre-configured tasks attached with any software application installed on your computer system. In addition, scheduling new tasks with the tool is just a few mouse-clicks process instead of lengthy and time-consuming process of native task scheduling tool.