Need help with Task Scheduler
Need help with Task Scheduler
I rely on Sync Toy for nightly backups of my PCs. There are three total, two with Windows 11 and one with Windows 10, all Enterprise edition. They’re configured to operate during the night using the task scheduler. One of my Windows 11 systems doesn’t have Sync Toy running via the scheduler, and I’m unsure why. The scheduler is set up identically on all three machines except for the user account it uses, which is clearly assigned to the local administrator group—just like on the other two PCs. Sync Toy functions outside the scheduler without issues. The scheduler indicates it starts the task but only runs for about a second before finishing. There must be something different in Windows that’s causing this behavior. I’m not sure where to look since I haven’t checked yet.
Here are the details:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
- Cooler: Phanteks Glacier One 240MP D-RGB AIO
- Motherboard: GIGABYTE X570S AORUS MASTER
- RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB)
- SSD/HDD: WD BLACK SN850 NVMe M.2 2280 500GB PCI-E 4.0 x4 in Raid 1 with multiple drives for storage.
- GPU: GIGABYTE RTX 3080 Ti
- Power Supply: CORSAIR GS800 800W
- PSU Purchase Date: several years ago?
- Chassis: Lian Li LANCOOL II MESH RGB BLACK Tempered Glass ATX Case
- Monitor 1: ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 1440P (VG27AQL1A) - QHD, IPS, 2560 x 1440, 1ms, 170Hz
- Monitor 2: BenQ 27" VA LCD (4ms, GTG), 1920 x 1080, GW2750HM
- Monitor 3: SAMSUNG 24" LCD (5ms, GTG), 1920 x 1080, S24A460B-1
- Monitor 4: Same as Monitor 3
That 2015 date is just when I first created the task. Originally I only set SyncToy up on one computer back in 2015. All of the TaskScheduler events Im using were exported from my original Windows Home Server 2011 File-Server build. I imported that task back on to the File Server after I rebuilt it and put Win11 Ent Ed on it and it still works. I imported that same task into my Win10 Ent Ed PC and it works there too. Its only on my other Win11 PC that its not running properly and I imported the task from the same export I used for the other PCs, of course changing the trigger time and the account that it runs the task with. That account is the main account on the PC that account is part of the Administrators group all other settings are the same. Ive also been over the task settings of the non working task vs the working ones and again they are identical except for the two aforementioned items. I even tried recreating the event from scratch following the settings of one of the working PCs and that did nothing different. I cant imagine its a problem with the task itself.
I exported all of the event viewer info so you can take a look at it but the only event that I can find that seems to coincide with the 3:30am trigger is in the Security log but it just shows two successful "logon" and then a "special logon" entry but these are basically the same when compared against the security events for one of the working computers whos trigger is at 11:30pm. Im also attaching that export as well. Task Scheduler seems to think that the event is running successfully, at least if you look at the history tab of the task. Ive exported that to a .evtx file also so you can see. It clearly thinks that it completed the task. Im just a power user though, maybe you'll see something in all of this that I dont?
Reminder if you go to look at the matching events in the two security EV logs the non working computer has a trigger time of 3:30am and the working PC has a trigger of 11:30pm.
EV Viewer Files
Just a little P.S. for clarity's sake. I do believe Win11/task scheduler believes that it is running SyncToy but it doesnt actually run. If you look at the history info I exported you'll see that it says "task completed" but the length of time it runs is 1 or 2 seconds meaning it clearly didnt run.
The EV files appear to need downloading before viewing.... Not included in my SOPs.
Re: "task completed".
Sync Toy is undergoing some testing, and possibly on the non-functioning machine it might be concluding that backups are unnecessary for whatever reason. Consequently, Sync Toy halts after a few seconds.
Three quick actions to consider:
1) Is there a "clock" on the target drive or computer for backups? Verify all devices are accessing a unified source for date and time, ensuring those timestamps are accurate in your region.
For testing purposes, adjust the trigger time of the non-working machine from 3:30 a.m. to the operational time of 11:30 p.m. used by the two functioning machines. My assumption is that something within the non-working machine’s process assumes the sync has already finished due to date/time discrepancies and stops afterward.
11:30 p.m. represents one day, while 3:30 a.m. is the following day.
2) Event Viewer might offer some insights—keep monitoring the logs. Also, utilize Process Explorer (free from Microsoft) to observe activity related to Sync Toy.
Launch the Process Explorer on both working and non-working machines, keeping it open to track what occurs when Sync Toy is activated. I expect to see brief process entries and disappearances on the non-working machine.
3) Check Reliability History/Monitor on all three computers. Reliability History is more user-friendly, and the timeline format could help identify trends.
Compare the working machine’s behavior with that of the non-working one.
Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysint...s-explorer
If a specific Event Viewer log section raises concerns, copy it into your post and note the source computer, marking the relevant lines.
I finally understood the problem. The source drives were on a different computer, and I mapped them to the PC before setting up folder pairs. That worked for SyncToy.exe but not for SyncToyCMD.exe. When I switched to using actual network paths instead of the mapped ones, it functioned properly without issues.