At.exe command does not run in every instance where it is scheduled in task scheduler

When you try to use the Task Scheduler service to schedule the At.exe command to run repeatedly, the command may not run every time that it is scheduled to run.

When this issue occurs, an event that is similar to the following appears in the application log in Event Viewer:

"At1.job" () 11/11/2002 1:02:40 PM ** WARNING ** Unable to load task. The specific error is: 0x80070020: The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.

This problem may occur when multiple Task Scheduler threads try to access job files. One thread may have a job file open at the same time that another thread tries to access the file, and the requested sharing modes may be incompatible. In this scenario, the job file cannot be opened by the second thread.

Hotfix Information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Hotfix Replacement Information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File Information

The English version of this fix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

For additional information about how hotfix packages are named, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: