Windows 10: bat job started by Task Scheduler does not pause

In the last week or so all bat jobs started by Task Scheduler have not paused. Previously, I would find a black CMD window open, waiting for me to hit return to close the window. The following test indicates that the bat job ran, but it did not pause.
TEST.BAT
time /T > c:\bat\test.logecho "--------------- starting test" >> c:\bat\test.logtime /T echo "-------------- finished test" >> c:\bat\test.logtime /T >> c:\bat\test.logpause

TEST.LOG
03:40 PM"--------------- starting test" "-------------- finished test" 03:40 PM


Obviously, the task was scheduled to run at 3:40 pm. My "real" bat job shows the same behavior. What happened?

:)

 

How to run concurrent batch jobs in task scheduler

Try copy pasting it please

http://www.aanning.com/ajissues/Parallel_scheduled_tasks/ss1.jpg

I had tried this. Make a bat file, which contains below :

START CLEAR_PHOTOSBYDATE0.BAT

START CLEAR_PHOTOSBYDATE1.BAT

START CLEAR_PHOTOSBYDATE2.BAT

Double click...runs great. Right click, run as administrator, and it can not find the files...it does this in Task Scheduler too. This tells me task scheduler runs as admin.

My properties are as:

http://www.aanning.com/ajissues/Parallel_scheduled_tasks/properties.jpg

 

Task Scheduler

In Windows 10 version 1703 the Task Schedule with a .bat file will start, but does not recognize a mapped drive. If I start the .bat file manually it works fine. Prior version had no problem.

***Post moved by the moderator to the appropriate forum category.***

 

Hi Old Professor. Welcome to the TenForums @Old Professor

I can't be 100% certain but there is this shift going on from Command Prompt to Powershell in Windows 10.

I really see in Creators update V1703. To tell what version you are running, Windows key + R, type winver, enter.

I don't believe Pause is a valid commend in Powershell.

Not sure how you ran the test.bat but could I suggest you open a command prompt window and run your test.bat. Please ensure it is command prompt and not powershell that defaults to blue background.

Does it pause?

As well if you do Windows key + X is command prompt listed or powershell?

Other members may have a better root cause.

 

I've got to admit that I think of cmd as a substitute for DOS. I have a bat job that works and I would like to continue using it. If I start test.bat by clicking on it manually, it opens a Command Prompt window and works just the same as it would have under DOS. Specifically, it does open a cmd window which does pause.
But when I start test.bat from the Task Scheduler, it appears that you are correct in that it runs in Powershell, which does not create a command prompt window. I run my "real" batch job, let's call it overnight.bat, at 3 am and find it useful to have the command prompt window open and paused waiting for me in the morning. How can I force the Task Scheduler to run overnight.bat in a Command Prompt window?

 

Have you given your script a .bat or .cmd extention?

For pause in PS use
Write-Host "Press any key to continue …"
$x = $host.UI.RawUI.ReadKey("NoEcho,IncludeKeyDown")

Is it a typo in your script?

c:\bat\test.logtime /T >> c:\bat\test.logpause
should be c:\bat\test.logtime /T >> c:\bat\test.log
pause

 

Just to clarify this: Command Prompt is not going away, it is not dead, there's no such thing as "shift going on" to PowerShell.

Both Command Prompt and PowerShell are integral parts of Windows 10, with different areas of use. The fact that in build 14971 PowerShell replaced Command Prompt in WIN + X menu (right click Start) does not mean anything else than just that: PowerShell replaced Command Prompt in WIN + X menu. Nothing else.

Last December Computerworld tweeted this:

Tweet



— Twitter API (@user) date[/quote]

Microsoft's Senior Program Manager Rich Turner (@richturn_ms) replied to that tweet:

With FUD Rich Turner refers to "Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt", spreading invalid rumours as facts. Quite strong statement from a Senior Product Manager!

He continues:

... and:

 

Thank you. Wasn't exactly sure where to check and as my sentence started I wasn't 100% certain. Point taken.

Kari would you know why the OP's job run through the task scheduler is indeed now using Powershell as he reported rather than command prompt. Something changed.

Thanks

 

To run Windows command line commands in PowerShell with parameters, switches and arguments, add cmd /c in front of the the command and place command in quotes (single or double quotes, as you prefer).

An example. To change your default operating system's display name to W10 PRO x64 in boot menu on dual boot system, in an elevated Command Prompt you would use the following command:

bcdedit /set {default} description "W10 PRO x64"

To use same command in an elevated PowerShell, you would need to use following command with command line (in single quotes):

cmd /c 'bcdedit /set {default} description "W10 PRO x64"'

... or the same but command line in double quotes:

cmd /c "bcdedit /set {default} description "W10 PRO x64""

To be sure your batch file is always run in Command Prompt mode, add cmd /c in front of every command line in batch file, adding single or double quotes around the command itself as told above. The cmd/c prefix tells system that command line that follows in quotes must be run in Command Prompt mode, regardless if it is launched from Command Prompt or PowerShell.

 

If I understand you correctly, this would be the syntax for the OP's batch command:

cmd /c "c:\bat\test.logtime /T >> c:\bat\test.log"

And would execute properly from either Command Prompt OR Powershell?

 

Yes and no *Wink

OP's original post clearly has the batch file wrong typed due missing line breaks.

If we look that test batch with added line breaks, as it should be, it looks like this:

Code: time /T > c:\bat\test.log echo "--------------- starting test" >> c:\bat\test.log echo "-------------- finished test" >> c:\bat\test.log time /T >> c:\bat\test.log pause[/quote]
To be sure this will be run in Command Prompt mode, it would need to be edited like this:

Code: cmd /c time /T > c:\bat\test.log cmd /c echo "--------------- starting test" >> c:\bat\test.log cmd /c echo "-------------- finished test" >> c:\bat\test.log cmd /c time /T >> c:\bat\test.log cmd /c pause[/quote]
The cmd /c prefix is usually only needed when running command line commands with parameters in PowerShell, but it does no harm and can be used also in Command Prompt. When the prefix is used, command will be run in Command Prompt regardless if it is started from Command Prompt, PowerShell or WIN + R prompt.

 

Thank you Sir. You have a good day and weekend too.

 

LOL! You too, have a good weekend!

Just to complete this "Command Prompt / PowerShell 101", here's something you might not have known: You can run PowerShell in Command Prompt window, and Command Prompt in PowerShell window.

When in PowerShell, just type cmd and press Enter to switch to Command Prompt Mode. To indicate which mode you are using, see the prompt (highlighted yellow); In PowerShell mode, the prompt starts with letters PS (#1 in screenshot below), in Command Prompt mode those letters are missing from prompt (#2). When you exit Command Prompt mode with command exit returning to PowerShell mode, letters PS are again shown at beginning of the prompt (#3):





And vice versa; when in Command Prompt, you can switch to PowerShell mode with command powershell and switch back to Command Prompt mode with command exit. In Command Prompt mode the letters PS in prompt are not shown (#1 and #3 in screenshot), whereas they are shown in PowerShell mode (#2):

 

The file I am starting with the Task Scheduler has a type extension "bat." If that isn't sufficient to cause it to run under Command interpreter and not Power Shell, can I add a qualifier in the Task Scheduler? I really don't want to edit every line of the bat file. Or maybe the Task Scheduler could start cmd and the actual bat file could be specified in the additional parameter?

I produce a log file using commands like time /T > c:\bat\test.log. The time-date stamp on the log file is proof that the bat job ran when it was scheduled.

To be sure this will be run in Command Prompt mode, it would need to be edited like this:

Code: cmd /c time /T > c:\bat\test.log cmd /c echo "--------------- starting test" >> c:\bat\test.log cmd /c echo "-------------- finished test" >> c:\bat\test.log cmd /c time /T >> c:\bat\test.log cmd /c pause[/quote]
The cmd /c prefix is usually only needed when running command line commands with parameters in PowerShell, but it does no harm and can be used also in Command Prompt. When the prefix is used, command will be run in Command Prompt regardless if it is started from Command Prompt, PowerShell or WIN + R prompt.

Kari[/quote]

 

First, this issue of yours is interesting; I have never seen a batch file (.bat or .cmd) when run as a task to start PowerShell instead of Command Prompt.

That being said, this should take care of that:





Program: cmd, argument: /c MyBatchFile.bat

When saved it looks like this: