Print - How can I use Windows XP's schtasks.exe tool under Windows 2000?

The XP schtasks.exe command-line tool is great for managing scheduled tasks. Win2K doesn't have an equivalent command-line tool. If you attempt to run schtasks.exe on a Win2K machine, you'll receive an error message indicating that you're using the incorrect OS version. You can modify schtasks.exe to work under Win2K by performing the following steps.

Open schtasks.exe in a hexadecimal editor such as BreakPoint Software's Hex Workshop 3.1.
Find code location CB2A, and change the hex value 75 to EB. If you're using Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), the code location is 0x0000CC50 (not CB2A); if you're using XP SP2, the location is 0x0000E3F8. Updated 12-5-08: If you're using XP SP3, the location is 0x0000E391.
Save the file and exit the editor.

For cosmetic purposes, you can use Visual C++ or a resource editor such as Angus Johnson's Resource Hacker to change the error message

ERROR: The Target system must be running Windows XP or above.

ERROR: The Target system must be running Windows 2000 or above.

This error message is located in String Table 344.

Thanks to John Eccles for this information.

Anyone know of a clean way to change the version reported by windows to bypass installation requirements temporarily (I have a tool that I am pretty sure I can get to work on Win2K but it wont even install without XP). It would save me a lot of time (otherwise I will have to decompile the installer, or hack the installer like was done for schtasks, neither of which I really want to have to take the time to do :)

The address for the 75=>EB (jne=>jmp) swap is CC50 in my version of schtasks.exe, but the same patch seems to work

It does not work!! There is no hex value 75, it is already EB...test these things before publishing them...I even tried changing the EB to 75 just in case the article was backwards...no luck

Works perfectly, excellent tip! I guess the user complaining that it doesn't work has some odd version of the file - suggest he looks for a standard version.

Let me update you guys with detail steps: 1. Use UltraEdit www.ultraedit.com and edit schtasks.exe I have taken the schtasks.exe from XP and file version is 5.1.2600.1106 2. Locate the line 0000CC50h: 75 0F 68 7F 15 00 00 E8 75 FD FF FF E9 AB 08 00 Now replace 75 with EB in column 1 and 9. 3. Save & exit That's it, working perfectly

I used hexedit http://www-physics.mps.ohio-state.edu/~prewett/hexedit to edit the file. My schtasks.exe is version 5.1.2600.2180 (file size 121,856). I could not find the entire string entered by MPashs, but I found 75 0F 68 7F 15 00 00 E8 at E3F8. I changed the 75 to EB and it seems to work. Haven't tried creating or deleting yet, just listing.

I am using Winxp SP1. I modified the file in Code line CC50 and it works. Thanks a lot.

Wonderful. I used a simple bit of VB - no other software required. Sub main() Dim Dummy() As Byte ReDim Dummy(0 To FileLen("c:\temp\schtasks.exe") - 1) Open "c:\temp\schtasks.exe" For Binary As #1 Get #1, , Dummy Close #1 Dummy(58360) = 235 Open "c:\temp\schtasks2k.exe" For Binary As #1 Put #1, , Dummy Close #1 End Sub

Tried the trick with both the WinXP SP1 and SP2 versions and it worked fine. Very useful tip, thanks. Now, the next question is, how to modify the Win2003 version of Schtasks.exe so it´ll run on Win2000? The Win2003 Schtasks.exe has a bit more functions (for example I need to use the /DISABLE parameter). I've found the following line 75 0F 68 7E 04 00 00 FF 15 DC 10 00 01 8B C3 EB at address: 0x0000F52FH in the Win2003 version (5.2.3790.0), but changing 75 to EB in that line won't work. Can anyone figure out what to do?

XP to Win2000 works great. Win2003 (5.2.3790.0) to Win2000 can't figure out yet... Any suggestions?

The schtasks works great on w2k except that it prompts for a run password. the task though creates fails to run if the password is left blank. I tried using the /s /u /p flags with local machine name, username and password it returns with an error message "ERROR: Passing the user credential on local connection" This defeats the purpose that i am trying to achieve but otherwise works great.

Any ideas on how to make the same thing work for the Win2003 SP1 version of schtasks?

nice work with the VB code, worked a treat! wonder why they don't want us to run it on 2K...