Scheduled Tasks

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

In the Scheduled Tasks window (of my Windows Millenium operating system) I
have two tasks whose performance I am in doubt about:

1. PCHealth Scheduled for Data Collection. It is presently scheduled to
run every 10 minutes.

2. Tune-up Application. It is scheduled to run at multiple schedule times.

These tasks appear to miss running sometimes when they're supposed to. They
have always been a part of the Scheduled Tasks (believe they were factory
set) and I have never, to my knowledge, ever adjusted their schedule, if such
a thing is possible.

Can you advise me if something is possibly amiss here and how to correct;
also, should I be connected to the internet for them to function? I have
attempted to research this problem without success.

Thanks very much.
--
Stewart Fluney

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

Stewart:

I am glad you asked. Thank you.
I was under the impression, this was an indispensible part of Windows.

Harry < 0 >.


"Stewart Fluney" <StewartFluney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:18F363D2-0021-44DD-876A-4601BAEE3497@microsoft.com...
> In the Scheduled Tasks window (of my Windows Millenium operating system) I
> have two tasks whose performance I am in doubt about:
>
> 1. PCHealth Scheduled for Data Collection. It is presently scheduled to
> run every 10 minutes.
>
> 2. Tune-up Application. It is scheduled to run at multiple schedule
times.
>
> These tasks appear to miss running sometimes when they're supposed to.
They
> have always been a part of the Scheduled Tasks (believe they were factory
> set) and I have never, to my knowledge, ever adjusted their schedule, if
such
> a thing is possible.
>
> Can you advise me if something is possibly amiss here and how to correct;
> also, should I be connected to the internet for them to function? I have
> attempted to research this problem without success.
>
> Thanks very much.
> --
> Stewart Fluney

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

Tune-up Application.

You can safely remove this task since once run there is little more for it
to do.

PCHealth Scheduled for Data Collection

This obe you quite definielty want to remove as you should also remove the
similarly named entry in MSConfig Startup. What follows tries to explain
the reasoning for this comment.

The PCHealth entry in MSConfig | Startup and also in the Task Scheduler,
refers to the PCHealth Scheduler for Data Collection routine (pchschd.exe)
which launches winmgmt.exe to collect software and hardware configuration
data that can be accessed using Help & Support's System Information's
History view. In other words it allows you to see changes over a period of
time to your system such as drivers. The details collected are contained
in the files CollectedData???.xml files in the folder
...\windows\pchealth\helpctr\DataColl.

Note that all that pchschd.exe is doing every ten minutes is checking if
the system is idle or not. If idle it launches winmgmt.exe to collect the
information and sets itself to run again in 6 hours, if not it continues
to run at ten minute intervals until it finds the system is idle.

As to whether you need this historic data or not, only you can decide. A
number of us have long since decided to disable pchschd.exe having no use
for the collected data. It should be noted that if you contact MS or an
OEM for help that it is possible that they might request you send them
these files. If you do choose to disable pchschd.exe it is ESSENTIAL to
delete/disable it from both MSConfig | Startup and the Task Scheduler as
otherwise the startup entry will recreate the Task Scheduler entry when
the system is rebooted.

One advantage of disabling the PCHealth Scheduler is that it minimizes the
chances of winmgmt.exe causing problems. What happens is that quite often
winmgmt.exe doesn't exit correctly when it has finished but instead
remains resident and using cpu cycles.

Note also that disabling these entries does NOT affect either System
Restore or System File Protect, nor AutoUpdate or your ability to use Help
& Support, all part of what Microsoft call "PCHealth".
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP
mike.maltby@gmail.com


Stewart Fluney <StewartFluney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> In the Scheduled Tasks window (of my Windows Millenium operating
> system) I have two tasks whose performance I am in doubt about:
>
> 1. PCHealth Scheduled for Data Collection. It is presently
> scheduled to run every 10 minutes.
>
> 2. Tune-up Application. It is scheduled to run at multiple schedule
> times.
>
> These tasks appear to miss running sometimes when they're supposed
> to. They have always been a part of the Scheduled Tasks (believe
> they were factory set) and I have never, to my knowledge, ever
> adjusted their schedule, if such a thing is possible.
>
> Can you advise me if something is possibly amiss here and how to
> correct; also, should I be connected to the internet for them to
> function? I have attempted to research this problem without success.
>
> Thanks very much.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

Thank you for the clarification, Mike.
It was an eye opener to me.

Harry < 0 >.


"Mike M" <No_Spam@Corned_Beef.Only> wrote in message
news:ubdtXLGPFHA.2348@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Tune-up Application.
>
> You can safely remove this task since once run there is little more for it
> to do.
>
> PCHealth Scheduled for Data Collection
>
> This obe you quite definielty want to remove as you should also remove the
> similarly named entry in MSConfig Startup. What follows tries to explain
> the reasoning for this comment.
>
> The PCHealth entry in MSConfig | Startup and also in the Task Scheduler,
> refers to the PCHealth Scheduler for Data Collection routine (pchschd.exe)
> which launches winmgmt.exe to collect software and hardware configuration
> data that can be accessed using Help & Support's System Information's
> History view. In other words it allows you to see changes over a period of
> time to your system such as drivers. The details collected are contained
> in the files CollectedData???.xml files in the folder
> ..\windows\pchealth\helpctr\DataColl.
>
> Note that all that pchschd.exe is doing every ten minutes is checking if
> the system is idle or not. If idle it launches winmgmt.exe to collect the
> information and sets itself to run again in 6 hours, if not it continues
> to run at ten minute intervals until it finds the system is idle.
>
> As to whether you need this historic data or not, only you can decide. A
> number of us have long since decided to disable pchschd.exe having no use
> for the collected data. It should be noted that if you contact MS or an
> OEM for help that it is possible that they might request you send them
> these files. If you do choose to disable pchschd.exe it is ESSENTIAL to
> delete/disable it from both MSConfig | Startup and the Task Scheduler as
> otherwise the startup entry will recreate the Task Scheduler entry when
> the system is rebooted.
>
> One advantage of disabling the PCHealth Scheduler is that it minimizes the
> chances of winmgmt.exe causing problems. What happens is that quite often
> winmgmt.exe doesn't exit correctly when it has finished but instead
> remains resident and using cpu cycles.
>
> Note also that disabling these entries does NOT affect either System
> Restore or System File Protect, nor AutoUpdate or your ability to use Help
> & Support, all part of what Microsoft call "PCHealth".
> --
> Mike Maltby MS-MVP
> mike.maltby@gmail.com
>
>
> Stewart Fluney <StewartFluney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
> > In the Scheduled Tasks window (of my Windows Millenium operating
> > system) I have two tasks whose performance I am in doubt about:
> >
> > 1. PCHealth Scheduled for Data Collection. It is presently
> > scheduled to run every 10 minutes.
> >
> > 2. Tune-up Application. It is scheduled to run at multiple schedule
> > times.
> >
> > These tasks appear to miss running sometimes when they're supposed
> > to. They have always been a part of the Scheduled Tasks (believe
> > they were factory set) and I have never, to my knowledge, ever
> > adjusted their schedule, if such a thing is possible.
> >
> > Can you advise me if something is possibly amiss here and how to
> > correct; also, should I be connected to the internet for them to
> > function? I have attempted to research this problem without success.
> >
> > Thanks very much.
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

Mike Maltby:

Many thanks for the information regarding the two Scheduled Tasks I enquired
about. It has been very helpful and is much appreciated.

Stewart Fluney

"Mike M" wrote:

> Tune-up Application.
>
> You can safely remove this task since once run there is little more for it
> to do.
>
> PCHealth Scheduled for Data Collection
>
> This obe you quite definielty want to remove as you should also remove the
> similarly named entry in MSConfig Startup. What follows tries to explain
> the reasoning for this comment.
>
> The PCHealth entry in MSConfig | Startup and also in the Task Scheduler,
> refers to the PCHealth Scheduler for Data Collection routine (pchschd.exe)
> which launches winmgmt.exe to collect software and hardware configuration
> data that can be accessed using Help & Support's System Information's
> History view. In other words it allows you to see changes over a period of
> time to your system such as drivers. The details collected are contained
> in the files CollectedData???.xml files in the folder
> ...\windows\pchealth\helpctr\DataColl.
>
> Note that all that pchschd.exe is doing every ten minutes is checking if
> the system is idle or not. If idle it launches winmgmt.exe to collect the
> information and sets itself to run again in 6 hours, if not it continues
> to run at ten minute intervals until it finds the system is idle.
>
> As to whether you need this historic data or not, only you can decide. A
> number of us have long since decided to disable pchschd.exe having no use
> for the collected data. It should be noted that if you contact MS or an
> OEM for help that it is possible that they might request you send them
> these files. If you do choose to disable pchschd.exe it is ESSENTIAL to
> delete/disable it from both MSConfig | Startup and the Task Scheduler as
> otherwise the startup entry will recreate the Task Scheduler entry when
> the system is rebooted.
>
> One advantage of disabling the PCHealth Scheduler is that it minimizes the
> chances of winmgmt.exe causing problems. What happens is that quite often
> winmgmt.exe doesn't exit correctly when it has finished but instead
> remains resident and using cpu cycles.
>
> Note also that disabling these entries does NOT affect either System
> Restore or System File Protect, nor AutoUpdate or your ability to use Help
> & Support, all part of what Microsoft call "PCHealth".
> --
> Mike Maltby MS-MVP
> mike.maltby@gmail.com
>
>
> Stewart Fluney <StewartFluney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
> > In the Scheduled Tasks window (of my Windows Millenium operating
> > system) I have two tasks whose performance I am in doubt about:
> >
> > 1. PCHealth Scheduled for Data Collection. It is presently
> > scheduled to run every 10 minutes.
> >
> > 2. Tune-up Application. It is scheduled to run at multiple schedule
> > times.
> >
> > These tasks appear to miss running sometimes when they're supposed
> > to. They have always been a part of the Scheduled Tasks (believe
> > they were factory set) and I have never, to my knowledge, ever
> > adjusted their schedule, if such a thing is possible.
> >
> > Can you advise me if something is possibly amiss here and how to
> > correct; also, should I be connected to the internet for them to
> > function? I have attempted to research this problem without success.
> >
> > Thanks very much.
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsme.general (More info?)

Stewart,

Pleased to have been able to help.

Regards,
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP
mike.maltby@gmail.com


Stewart Fluney <StewartFluney@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> Many thanks for the information regarding the two Scheduled Tasks I
> enquired about. It has been very helpful and is much appreciated.