Resolved Problem creating daily auto system restore points

On second thought,aybe it's not new info at all. I rechecked my task conditions and I see that I sdet it to stop if not completed in one hour.

That's probably nwhat's happening. The task is not completing and never will because something is blocking it. My setting a "stop after one hour" command simply gives me the timeout error.

Oy!

 

Last try ... is it possible that tiurning off user account controls would help enable task scheduler to complete?

 

Arie, here's a somewhat different approach someone on an HP user forum with the same problem mentioned. Read post #8 by Johngault:

http://www.calendarofupdates.com/updates/index.php?showtopic=25623&st=0&p=96000&#entry96000

As you'll see, this approach doesn't employ wscript.exe and uses the SYSTEM account (or location?) to run it.

Do you think it's worth a try?

If not, then I'll do a clean boot instead just to be sure the original wscript.exe based task work.

And if it does, then I'll start knocking off any other third party HP programs and services that seem like they might interfere.

If that doesn't work, then I'll resolve this thread and just set a calendar reminder to do a restore point every couple of days.

This is way beyond ridiculous already.

Thank you so much for the time you've put in trying to help me, Arie.

 

Tah-Dah!!

I finally got it to work, using the script and task recommended by johngalt in post #8 in the following thread:

http://www.calendarofupdates.com/upd...00&#entry96000

What's interesting here is that johngalt uses not a new basic task, but an additional task added on to Microsoft's pre-installed SR task.

Since MS's default SR task only creates a SR point if no other SR point has been created within the past 7 days, he shows how to create an additional add-on task within Microsoft's default SR task that does it every day regardless if there's a previous one.

To check it out, go to his post #8 in the url above and click on his second link -- "System Restore Point Shortcut" -- and download the script, unzip it, and place it in C:\Program Files.

Then you go to Task Scheduler, click on Microsoft's default SR task, and then hitn "create task" (not "create basic task ").

The only other thing of note is that this new task uses the SYSTEM user account -- why, I don't know, but it works.

One last question as I mark this thread resolved: When the Conditions are set to launch the task only if the system is idle for 10 minutes, does that mean no mouse use for 10 minutes or does the system have to be asleep for 10 minutes?

Anyway, hooray!

Thank you, Arie, (once again) for trying so hard to help me.

Btw, do you have any clue why the original script you suggested with a "basic task" wouldn't even complete when I hit "run," whereas this task using the SYSTEM account in MS's default SR task does work whether I hit "run" or let it launch automatically at the triggering time?

 

I know. They've worked on every other Win 7 system I've used, too.

But something about this HP blocks it ...

Btw, do you know this new method creates a restore point exactly at 7:37 am every day even though I have it set for first 6 AM, then 5 AM?

The conditions are to start the task only when it's been idle for ten minutes, and to wait for idle for 2 hours.

Not that I'm complained. I'm happy it's working at all (my kid just ******* up the desktop layout yesterday but I had the restore point -- yay!).