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Event ID 401 — Task Scheduler Service Status

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

The Task Scheduler service enables you to perform automated tasks on a local or remote computer. With this service, you can schedule any program to run at any time or when a specific event occurs.

The Task Scheduler service is automatically started by Service Control Manager (SCM). The Task Scheduler service cannot be stopped or disabled by administrators using the Services Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in user interface, unless special permissions are added to the administrator token. The Task Scheduler service uses the Component Object Model (COM) service, the Windows Event Log service, and the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service; all of these services must be started for the Task Scheduler service to run correctly.

Event Details

Product: Windows Operating System
ID: 401
Source: Microsoft-Windows-TaskScheduler
Version: 6.0
Symbolic Name: SCHEDULE_SERVICE_START_FAILED
Message: The Task Scheduler service failed to start due to an error in "%1". The error value is: %2.

Diagnose

This error might be caused by one of the following conditions:

  • The Task Scheduler service is disabled
  • The COM service is disabled
  • The Windows Event Log service is disabled
  • The RPC service is disabled
  • There is not enough free memory

To perform these procedures, you must have membership in the Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

The Task Scheduler service is disabled

To confirm that the Task Scheduler service is enabled:

1. Click the Start button and type Services in the Start Search box.

2. Select the Services program to start the Services console.

3. Find the Task Scheduler service, and verify that it is not in a Disabled state and it is marked as Automatic.

4. If the service is disabled enable the Task Scheduler service by following the steps in the Start the Task Scheduler service section and use the verifier to check whether the problem still occurs.

The COM service is disabled

To confirm that the COM service is enabled:

1. Click the Start button and type Services in the Start Search box.

2. Select the Services program to start the Services console.

3. Find the COM service, and verify that it is in a started state (not Disabled) and it is marked as Automatic.

4. If the service is disabled, start the COM service by following the steps in the Start the COMservice section and use the verifier to check whether the problem still occurs.

The Windows Event Log service is disabled

To confirm that the Windows Event Log service is enabled:

1. Click the Start button and type Services in the Start Search box.

2. Select the Services program to start the Services console.

3. Find the Windows Event Log service, and verify that it is in a started state (not Disabled) and it is marked as Automatic.

4. If the service is disabled, start the Windows Event Log service by following the steps in the Start the Windows Event Logservice section and use the verifier to check whether the problem still occurs.

The RPC service is disabled

To confirm that the RPC service is enabled:

1. Click the Start button and type Services in the Start Search box.

2. Select the Services program to start the Services console.

3. Find the RPC service, and verify that it is in a started state (not Disabled) and it is marked as Automatic.

4. If the service is disabled, start the RPC service by following the steps in the Start the RPC service section and use the verifier to check whether the problem still occurs.

There is not enough free memory

Follow the procedure in the Ensure that there is sufficient free memory section.

Resolve

To resolve this issue, use the resolution that corresponds to the cause you identified in the Diagnose section. After performing the resolution, see the Verify section to confirm that the feature is operating properly

Cause

Resolution

The Task Scheduler service is disabled

Start the Task Scheduler service

The COM service is disabled

Start the COM service

The Windows Event Log service is disabled

Start the Windows Event Log service

The RPC service is disabled

Start the RPC service

There is not enough free memory

Ensure that there is sufficient free memory

Start the Task Scheduler service

To perform this procedure, you must have membership in the Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

To start the Task Scheduler service and set the Startup Type to Automatic:

1. Click Start and type Services in the Start Search box.

2. Select the Services program to start the Services console.

3. Select Task Scheduler from the services list, right-click the service, and select Properties.

4. Set the Startup type to Automatic.

5. Click Apply.

6. Click Start to retry starting the service.

Start the COM service

To perform this procedure, you must have membership in the Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

To start the COM service and set the Startup Type to Automatic:

1. Click Start and type Services in the Start Search box.

2. Select the Services program to start the Services console.

3. Select COM+ Event System service from the services list, right-click the service, and select Properties.

4. Set the Startup type to Automatic.

5. Click OK.

6. Select Task Scheduler from the services list, right-click the service, and then click Start to retry starting the service.

Start the Windows Event Log service

To perform this procedure, you must have membership in the Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

To start the Windows Event Log service and set the Startup Type to Automatic:

1. Click Start and type Services in the Start Search box.

2. Select the Services program to start the Services console.

3. Select **Windows Event Log **from the services list, right-click the service, and select Properties.

4. Set the Startup type to Automatic.

5. Click OK.

6. Select Task Scheduler from the services list, right-click the service, and select** Start** to retry starting the service.

Start the RPC service

To perform this procedure, you must have membership in the Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

To start the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service and set the Startup Type to Automatic:

1. Click Start and type Services in the Start Search box.

2. Select the Services program to start the Services console.

3. Select **Remote Procedure Call (RPC) **from the services list, right-click the service, and select Properties.

4. Set the Startup type to Automatic.

5. Click OK.

6. Select Task Scheduler from the services list, right-click the service, and select Start to retry starting the service.

Ensure that there is sufficient free memory

To perform this procedure, you must have membership in the Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

Ensure that there is sufficient free memory on the computer and then restart the Task Scheduler service. You can close some applications to free memory. To restart the Task Scheduler service:

1. Click Start and type Services in the Start Search box.

2. Select the Services program to start the Services console.

3. Right-click the Task Scheduler service and select Restart.

Verify

Verify that the Task Scheduler service is running, by opening the Services MMC snap-in, finding the Task Scheduler service, and then verifying that the state is set to Automatic.

To verify that the Task Scheduler state is set to Automatic:

1. Click Start and type Services in the Start Search box.

2. Select the Services program to start the Services console.

3. Verify that the Task Scheduler service Startup Type is not Disabled.

Task Scheduler Service Status

Management Infrastructure