Task Scheduler notice upon opening

Hi I have seen this Task Scheduler notice upon launching it, have not really been looking at it in the past. The two images show the notice as it appears upon launching Task Scheduler; and the file path where I found it. I didn't really understand the advice someone gave in a Bing search, for a solution to this. I noticed the file is old, and would have been present back when this was a Win7 machine well before Win 10. I'd like to know if this is important, and what to do about it. Also, relating to the Avast entry in the 2nd photo, I've removed Avast and am presently using Defender. I used the Avast removal app. Should I remove files like this one? I have not yet checked, but I suspect that task is disabled. Win 10 v 2004
Thanks, Don

Hi If you mean User_Feed_Synchronization ** It doesn't offer a Run command on Rt click; possible it exists somewhere else? (this file is 4kb). Out of my element here. File created at a time when this was a Win 7 machine, but I'm reluctant to delete things without knowing what I'm doing. As re: the Avast, I did use Avast Clear but I am under the impression that things like these leave little deposits here and there. At this point, having run Avast Clear, am I not in the "clear" to delete remaining debris provided they are not registry items (though for me, might be hard to determine). In Autoruns (only downloaded this evening) there are some for McAfee (machine's original build included 1 year) and even Norton (don't recall having it). For those, I am simply unchecking them from "Everything" and "Logon" tabs depending where I see them. This problem I do not really understand. -- thank you --

mrow22 said:

Curious about this Task folder: C:/Windows/System32/Tasks

It appears these are all XML versions of the Scheduled Tasks and very similar to if you exported them but without the XML extension.

For me they're organized in the same folder / file hierarchy as they are starting in 'Task Scheduler Library'

If you copy User_Feed_Synchronization ** to the desktop and renamed it with *.txt extension you can then look at what it's doing or at least did at one time for a better idea.

mrow22 said:

Hi If you mean User_Feed_Synchronization ** It doesn't offer a Run command on Rt click; possible it exists somewhere else? (this file is 4kb).

dalchina said:

Hi, regarding the task flagged, two things to try:
a. an experiment- try rt click on it, click run and see what you get.
b. rt click on it, properties, Actions - then see if what's specified actually still exists.

Perhaps some confusion here, I think the suggesting with these 'rt. clicks' is they be done on the Task entry itself in the Task Scheduler not the file in: C:/Windows/System32/Tasks/User_Feed_Synchronization-{***}

mrow22 said:

I have not yet checked, but I suspect that task is disabled

You mentioned not checking, worth asking, is the task even in your Scheduler?

According to it's placement in C:/Windows/System32/Tasks It should be showing up alphabetically directly under the root '/' of Task Scheduler Library

mrow22 said:

Me: Not making headway with this. Have looked at every entry (task) under Task Sched Library in Task Scheduler, don't see this, but there is another with a different bracketed number and a more current date. So, how is the scheduler being tripped up by it upon launching?

So there is no Task Scheduler Library entry for this file;

C:/Windows/System32/Tasks/User_Feed_Synchronization-{3FF8C2EB-270B-4798-9AF7-47039C732E71}

But there is for the file right under it:

C:/Windows/System32/Tasks/User_Feed_Synchronization-{FE66786D-E1A3-4C2B-A913-6AE9E1AC5873}



It's all guess work for me at this point.


I know for my system, all the tasks I have under the Task Scheduler Library are represented under C:/Windows/System32/Tasks by extension-less files that appear to be their XML versions*.


---- When I add one to the Task Scheduler Library, it appears immediately under C:/Windows/System32/Tasks

---- When I delete one from the Task Scheduler Library, it disappears immediately from C:/Windows/System32/Tasks

---- I've even copied the extension-less file with the name of my task, renamed it *.xml and successfully imported it.


I think the error message is complaining about the disconnect between finding this file C:/Windows/System32/Tasks/User_Feed_Synchronization-{3FF8C2EB-270B-4798-9AF7-47039C732E71} but can not find it as an entry in the Task Scheduler Library. The error message's request for a 'refresh' of the Task Scheduler in some respects supports the fact that disconnects can happen.


Obviously you're taking a risk hacking at it like this but you could try deleting this file: C:/Windows/System32/Tasks/User_Feed_Synchronization-{3FF8C2EB-270B-4798-9AF7-47039C732E71} and see if the message goes away

Or

Copy and Rename it to *.xml and then import it to see if the message goes away.

I would guess if it imported ok, you could then delete the task hopefully in both places.


Having good Macrium Image backup before would be essential to setting it back if these efforts made it worse.




*The only difference I've see between my exported XML versions and these files is some <UserId> entries in my XML exports are in UID format like this : <UserId>S-1-5-21-2439455272-2954343559-1664264506-1001</UserId>
While those Under: C:/Windows/System32/Tasks are in this format:<UserId>COMPUTERNAME\USERNAME</UserId>

Something also worth looking for is if there's an entry in the registry here:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tasks\

By searching for any key that has it's 'URI' subkey string value set to "User_Feed_Synchronization-{3FF8C2EB-270B-4798-9AF7-47039C732E71}"

Can at least say this entry is not in the registry.

I think the error message is complaining about the disconnect between finding this file C:/Windows/System32/Tasks/User_Feed_Synchronization-{3FF8C2EB-270B-4798-9AF7-47039C732E71} but can not find it as an entry in the Task Scheduler Library. The error message's request for a 'refresh' of the Task Scheduler in some respects supports the fact that disconnects can happen.

I have seen something like this when searching for a solution, so I'll agree. As far as I have gotten.

Not quite sure about how this works, i.e. exactly where would I paste the copy with the .xml extension:

Copy and Rename it to *.xml and then import it to see if the message goes away.
I would guess if it imported ok, you could then delete the task hopefully in both places.