Mstask.exe Does Not Run Scheduled Jobs (272022)

SYMPTOMS

Intermittently, the Mstask.exe process may stop running scheduled jobs. To cause Mstask.exe to run the jobs again, you must stop and restart the Task Scheduler service. Additionally, a job status may be displayed as "Running" even though the job is not run again.

CAUSE

If a job does not run for any reason, the job list is submitted to be rebuilt based on the end time of the last job list, which is generally midnight of the same day. Therefore, the new job list does not submit any new jobs until the following day. Also, there is a problem if there are two jobs scheduled to run at the same time. If the first job is submitted correctly, its status is displayed as "Running." If the second job then does not run, the post-processing of the first job is never completed. Any subsequent attempts by Mstask.exe to run the job do not work because the job status still displays "Running."

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

Windows 2000

The English version of this fix for Windows 2000 should have the following file attributes or later:

   Date        Time    Version      Size     File name 
   ----------------------------------------------------
   09/27/2000  07:42p  4.71.2195.1  118,032  Mstask.exe

Internet Explorer 5.01

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Internet Explorer version 5.01. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

267954 How to Obtain the Latest Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 2.

Internet Explorer 5.01

This problem was first corrected in Internet Explorer version 5.01 Service Pack 2.

MORE INFORMATION

A fix for Windows NT 4.0 is not available at this time. Contact PSS for a workaround that may work in your environment.

NOTE: Site Server 3.0 Content Replication depends on MSTask running successfully. This hotfix may apply if an automatic project runs once successfully after a reboot or a restart of Task Scheduler service but fails to run any other scheduled runs for the same project. Site Server 3.0 Content Replication projects run successfully if run manually at any time.