Specifying the SYSTEM user when scheduling a task using the Microsoft Schedule Task Wizard breaks the Schedule Account database. The result is that scheduled tasks on the warehouse lose their authentication, and do not run.
On Windows 2000 Server, specifying the SYSTEM user when scheduling a task using the Microsoft Schedule Task Wizard breaks the Schedule Account database. According to Microsoft, this database is stored in the secret LSA part of the registry, and contains the credentials for all tasks.
Following such corruption of the database, the following error messages may appear in the Scheduled Tasks log file when scheduled tasks attempt to run:
- 0x80041314: The task has been configured with an unsupported combination of account settings and run time options.
- Could not start.
- The attempt to log on to the account associated with the task failed, therefore, the task did not run.
- 0x80070057: The parameter is incorrect. Verify that the task's Run-as name and password are valid and try again.
You can read a description of this problem on the Microsoft website at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;223375.
The problem does not exist in Windows 2003 Server. It is fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 2.
If you cannot upgrade the operating system on the warehouse server(s), the following workaround may help with recovery:
- Remove all tasks that use the SYSTEM account.
- Move all tasks that use an account other than SYSTEM to a temporary folder.
- Reboot the server.
- Return the tasks that do not run as SYSTEM to the Scheduled Tasks folder. (Note that, for tasks that run as SYSTEM, you cannot use this technique of moving and later returning tasks to the Scheduled Tasks folder.)
- Reboot the server.
- Using only AT.exe (and not the wizard), as described in the Microsoft KB article above, recreate the tasks that run as SYSTEM.
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