Why would Windows Task Scheduler spawn multiple instances of the same task that run into each other?
- by swagner88
Overview:
I use Windows Task Scheduler to run automated tasks. Occasionally I will see that randomly a task has failed to perform its duties. When I check Task Scheduler to see what has occurred in the history log, I see that for some reason, when the tasks are triggered at their schedules, they are spawning several instances of themselves simultaneously which turns into a train wreck for the task and it either kills the other instances and tries to run the "first" one, or it just does not run at all as it believes another instance of itself is already running. Sometimes this occurs in the same tasks and then occasionally it happens with others. The fix is just to end all instances and start the task manually.
Question:
Why would one single task with one single schedule decide to spawn multiple instance of itself simultaneously?
Note:
I've got a separate user account set to run the tasks instead of myself. That user is indeed an admin on the machine that runs the tasks and the tasks are set to tun whether or not the user is logged on. Also, the machine is windows server 08 R2.
