Scheduled tasks are a great way to automate Windows functions. By adding them to your taskbar, you can easily schedule them to run at specific times or days. You can also use these tasks to automate common tasks, such as checking for updates or deleting files. To add a scheduled task to your taskbar, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Task Manager and click on the Add/Remove Programs button.
  2. In the Add/Remove Programs dialog, select the program that you want to add a scheduled task to.
  3. Click on the Add button and enter a name for your new task.
  4. Click on the OK button and close the Task Manager.
  5. To start your new task, open the Start menu and type in “cmd” and hit enter. The command prompt will open automatically and you will be able to start your new task by typing “start” into the command prompt and hit enter again.

Click on Start Programs Accessories System Tools Scheduled Tasks

The Scheduled Tasks Window opens.  Just Double Click “Add Scheduled Task”/

The wizard opens telling you what it does.  Click Next.

Since the task we are scheduling is a Windows feature just scroll down until you find the built in utility.  Click Next.

Now we can type in a name for our task and schedule how often we would like it execute.  For Disk Cleanup I chose Monthly.

 

Now we choose the specific time to start the task.  Since I don’t want Disk Cleanup to run while I am on the computer I choose a time I know I won’t be on it.  Yes, 2AM … not all geeks drink Red Bull!

If needed you need to enter in your administrator user name and password. 

You’re done!  Click Finish. 

This is a very simple example of how Scheduled Tasks can be utilized.  If done right, you can really have a lot of automated processes occur while away from your PC.  In an IT environment at work I use Scheduled Tasks to run macros and other scripts on our network.  As I mentioned I will go more in depth with using this feature including Vista.  You can even create your own batch files to run on a scheduled basis.  This is a great way to take a lot of control over what Windows does to benefit your efficient system!