I have an XP Pro gold (no service packs) Virtual PC image and an XP
Pro SP2 Virtual PC image. The XP Pro SP2 one was created by going
back and forth with the XP Pro gold one, so I know for sure that the
only difference between the two is Service Pack 2. (Plus whatever
security updates I had to install to get up to SP2.)

I am trying to debug a problem with an application that attempts to
set up a scheduled task to run as the SYSTEM user. I attempt to
create a task to run Notepad as "SYSTEM" as follows:
- Open Control Panel->Scheduled Tasks
- Right-click New->Scheduled Task. Name it "system notepad"
- Open properties. For "Run:", put "notepad" (no quotes)
- For "Run as", put "SYSTEM" (no quotes). (If you close this dialog
and re-open it, Windows will have expanded this to "NT AUTHORITY
\SYSTEM".)
- Switch to Schedule tab, and for "Start time" enter the next minute.
Then click "Advanced" and set the date to run as today. (It defaults
to running it tomorrow.)
- Click OK to close the properties. It will prompt you for a password
for the "SYSTEM" user. Leave blank and click OK.

When I do this on SP2, after the minute changes, I can bring up Task
Manager, look at Processes, check the box marked "Show processes for
all users", and I'll see an instance of Notepad, which I then kill.
The task is listed in Scheduled Tasks as "Running" until I kill it.

But when I do this on XP Pro gold, after the minute changes, the task
is listed under Scheduled Tasks with "The scheduled task did not run
because an incorrect password or user name was entered." If I look in
the c:\windows\SchedLgU.Txt log file the error says:
>>>
"system notepad.job" (notepad.exe) 1/27/2007 8:00:00 PM ** ERROR **
The attempt to log on to the account associated with the task failed,
therefore, the task did not run.
The specific error is:
0x8007052e: Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password.
Verify that the task's Run-as name and password are valid and try
again.
>>>

On both gold and SP2, if I go to Administrative Tools->Local Security
Settings->Local Policies->Security Options, the option "Limit local
account use of blank passwords to console logon only" is listed as
"Enabled". (But in any case, a blank password should be good enough
for tasks that are scheduled to run as SYSTEM.)

Can anyone suggest why this fails in XP gold, and what changed between
gold and SP2 that causes it to work? Was it just a bug fix or was it
a change to some system setting somewhere?

Scheduled Tasks Cannot Run with a Blank Password
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;310715

Visit http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_s.htm and scroll down to:
"Scheduled Tasks - Applying/Running tasks without a password*"

[Courtesy of Kelly Theriot, MS-MVP]

HOW TO: Troubleshoot Scheduled Tasks in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;308558

HOW TO: Schedule Tasks in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;308569


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"bennett" wrote:

I have an XP Pro gold (no service packs) Virtual PC image and an XP
Pro SP2 Virtual PC image. The XP Pro SP2 one was created by going
back and forth with the XP Pro gold one, so I know for sure that the
only difference between the two is Service Pack 2. (Plus whatever
security updates I had to install to get up to SP2.)

I am trying to debug a problem with an application that attempts to
set up a scheduled task to run as the SYSTEM user. I attempt to
create a task to run Notepad as "SYSTEM" as follows:
- Open Control Panel->Scheduled Tasks
- Right-click New->Scheduled Task. Name it "system notepad"
- Open properties. For "Run:", put "notepad" (no quotes)
- For "Run as", put "SYSTEM" (no quotes). (If you close this dialog
and re-open it, Windows will have expanded this to "NT AUTHORITY
\SYSTEM".)
- Switch to Schedule tab, and for "Start time" enter the next minute.
Then click "Advanced" and set the date to run as today. (It defaults
to running it tomorrow.)
- Click OK to close the properties. It will prompt you for a password
for the "SYSTEM" user. Leave blank and click OK.

When I do this on SP2, after the minute changes, I can bring up Task
Manager, look at Processes, check the box marked "Show processes for
all users", and I'll see an instance of Notepad, which I then kill.
The task is listed in Scheduled Tasks as "Running" until I kill it.

But when I do this on XP Pro gold, after the minute changes, the task
is listed under Scheduled Tasks with "The scheduled task did not run
because an incorrect password or user name was entered." If I look in
the c:\windows\SchedLgU.Txt log file the error says:
>>>
"system notepad.job" (notepad.exe) 1/27/2007 8:00:00 PM ** ERROR **
The attempt to log on to the account associated with the task failed,
therefore, the task did not run.
The specific error is:
0x8007052e: Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password.
Verify that the task's Run-as name and password are valid and try
again.
>>>

On both gold and SP2, if I go to Administrative Tools->Local Security
Settings->Local Policies->Security Options, the option "Limit local
account use of blank passwords to console logon only" is listed as
"Enabled". (But in any case, a blank password should be good enough
for tasks that are scheduled to run as SYSTEM.)

Can anyone suggest why this fails in XP gold, and what changed between
gold and SP2 that causes it to work? Was it just a bug fix or was it
a change to some system setting somewhere?

Thanks but my message already covered all of the things in those
links. Specifically, jobs that run as SYSTEM are supposed to run with
a blank password, whether or not you have the "Limit local account use
of blank passwords to console logon only" option set.

What I'm trying to figure out is, if I schedule a job to run as
SYSTEM, and enter a blank password, why does that work on XPSP2 but
not on XP gold -- i.e., what changed?

-Bennett

On Jan 27, 8:38 pm, "Carey Frisch [MVP]" <cnfri...@nospamgmail.com>
wrote:
> Scheduled Tasks Cannot Run with a Blank Passwordhttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310715
>
> Visithttp://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_s.htm and scroll down to:
> "Scheduled Tasks - Applying/Running tasks without a password*"
>
> [Courtesy of Kelly Theriot, MS-MVP]
>
> HOW TO: Troubleshoot Scheduled Tasks in Windows XPhttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308558
>
> HOW TO: Schedule Tasks in Windows XPhttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308569
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows Shell/User
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------*-----------
>
> "bennett" wrote:I have an XP Pro gold (no service packs) Virtual PC imageand an XP
> Pro SP2 Virtual PC image. The XP Pro SP2 one was created by going
> back and forth with the XP Pro gold one, so I know for sure that the
> only difference between the two is Service Pack 2. (Plus whatever
> security updates I had to install to get up to SP2.)
>
> I am trying to debug a problem with an application that attempts to
> set up a scheduled task to run as the SYSTEM user. I attempt to
> create a task to run Notepad as "SYSTEM" as follows:
> - Open Control Panel->Scheduled Tasks
> - Right-click New->Scheduled Task. Name it "system notepad"
> - Open properties. For "Run:", put "notepad" (no quotes)
> - For "Run as", put "SYSTEM" (no quotes). (If you close this dialog
> and re-open it, Windows will have expanded this to "NT AUTHORITY
> \SYSTEM".)
> - Switch to Schedule tab, and for "Start time" enter the next minute.
> Then click "Advanced" and set the date to run as today. (It defaults
> to running it tomorrow.)
> - Click OK to close the properties. It will prompt you for a password
> for the "SYSTEM" user. Leave blank and click OK.
>
> When I do this on SP2, after the minute changes, I can bring up Task
> Manager, look at Processes, check the box marked "Show processes for
> all users", and I'll see an instance of Notepad, which I then kill.
> The task is listed in Scheduled Tasks as "Running" until I kill it.
>
> But when I do this on XP Pro gold, after the minute changes, the task
> is listed under Scheduled Tasks with "The scheduled task did not run
> because an incorrect password or user name was entered." If I look in
> the c:\windows\SchedLgU.Txt log file the error says:"system notepad.job" (notepad.exe) 1/27/2007 8:00:00 PM ** ERROR **
> The attempt to log on to the account associated with the task failed,
> therefore, the task did not run.
> The specific error is:
> 0x8007052e: Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password.
> Verify that the task's Run-as name and password are valid and try
> again.
>
> On both gold and SP2, if I go to Administrative Tools->Local Security
> Settings->Local Policies->Security Options, the option "Limit local
> account use of blank passwords to console logon only" is listed as
> "Enabled". (But in any case, a blank password should be good enough
> for tasks that are scheduled to run as SYSTEM.)
>
> Can anyone suggest why this fails in XP gold, and what changed between
> gold and SP2 that causes it to work? Was it just a bug fix or was it
> a change to some system setting somewhere?