Task Scheduler will often not close after using

Windows 10 ver22H2 Build 19045.3803

I have a problem with Task Scheduler in Windows 10. I have had this problem for months so it is not specific to the current version and build of Windows 10.

Problem - I can open Task Scheduler and then close it with no problem, but if I open a Task by double-clicking on it and then close the Task, the Task Scheduler will not close. It continues to be displayed, but clicking on anything in it, including the X to close it, does nothing. The only way I can get it to close is to open Task Manager, click on the drop-down arrow next to Microsoft Management Console, then right-click on Task Scheduler and select End Task. The first time I do this both the Microsoft Management Console and Task Scheduler say Not Responding. When I click End Task a second time, both Task Scheduler and the Microsoft Management Console close. A reboot also works.

I have also noticed that this does not always happen. Sometimes I can open Task Scheduler, double-click on a Task to open it, close the Task, and then close Task Scheduler with no problem. Most times, Task Scheduler will not close after opening and closing a Task. I don't see any pattern to it like it only happens with running Tasks.

I have tried running dism commands scanhealth and restorehealth but no problems are found. Any ideas are appreciated.

Thanks,

Task Scheduler is always running, as there are many tasks that are triggered by it with or without you. Outside of that there might be an instance, program, executable, that is triggering it to run over and over till the point where you notice it. Like something that should not be running unless you started the instance.

Daymin said:

Task Scheduler is always running, as there are many tasks that are triggered by it with or without you. Outside of that there might be an instance, program, executable, that is triggering it to run over and over till the point where you notice it. Like something that should not be running unless you started the instance.

Thanks for your response. I understand that Task Scheduler is always running. I am referring to the window that opens when I click on Start and type Task Scheduler. It opens fine but will not close after I double-click on a Task and then close the Task. After doing that, the Task Scheduler window does not close. If I hover the cursor over the X in the upper right-hand corner, the X turns red but when I click it to close the Task Scheduler panel nothing happens. It also does not respond when I click on anything in it including the menu items at the top, the Tasks in the center pane, and the Actions in the right side pane. If I hover the cursor over an Action (like Create Task), the cursor changes from an arrow to a hand with the index finger extended, but when I click on the Action, nothing happens. The cursor changing when I hover over these areas of the Task Manager panel seems to indicate that it is "there" and Windows reacts to hovering over these buttons, but clicking them does nothing.

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dalchina said:

Some ideas (1-3):
4 Ways to Fix the Windows 10 Task Scheduler When It Malfunctions

If you create a new user for test purposes and log in as that user, do you see the same behaviour?

If not, the problem is specific to your user profile, and the differences may help you determine a cause. Further, that shows that general Windows repairs such as an in-place upgrade reapir install, DISM commands etc will be unlikely to help.

If you do, it's still possible that there's something running or some setting or registry change that is responsible that's common to both users.

Also, using the original user account, perform a clean boot. Do you still see the same problem?

Have you used any registry cleaners, 'privacy' tools or the like?
What sort of tweaks have you used?

Thanks.

Thanks for your response. I tried the fixes at the link you provided but I was not able to do #3 which says to rename the Registry Key Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tree. When I tried to rename this key I got a pop-up that says "The Registry Editor cannot rename Tree. Error while renaming key." I tried this on a different machine that does not have this problem and was not able to rename this key there either. I ran the DISM commands in #4 again - no corruption was found.

I always log in as Admin but I do have a regular user account. I will try logging into that account and see if the problem exists there.

I do use CCleaner on occasion, including its Registry cleaner. I know many people frown on this and say Registry cleaners are not necessary and can cause more problems than they solve, but I have used CCleaner for years and never had a problem (maybe until now).

I don't recall exactly when this started but it was several months ago. Windows 10 has been updated many times since then. I have a task that starts HWINFO that I manually update when HWINFO releases a new beta. They release beta updates at least once a month, so that is how often I open Task Scheduler. I keep a detailed log of every OS, program, and driver update I install. When this first happened I should have noted it and checked my log for recent changes, but unfortunately, I did not. At first, I would reboot to get rid of it but then I realized that I could open Task Manager, select Microsoft Management Console / Task Scheduler, right-click, and select End Task (twice). Doing this closes the Task Scheduler window but the root problem remains.

dalchina said:

Once you've done that and if it behaves the same way, the most likely solution seems to be an in-place upgrade repair install which like any 'upgrade' procedure keeps all progs and data

See possibly similar:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...1-a8208d792b8b

Well at least I am not the only person that has encountered this issue. In my case, just opening Task Scheduler does not cause the problem. I can open it and then close it. The problem occurs after I double-click on a task to open it. I have also noticed that it does not happen when I open some tasks but I have not figured out if opening some tasks always causes the problem while opening other tasks never causes the problem, so I don't know if the problem is limited to a specific group or type of task. There are a lot of tasks so it would take quite a bit of time to try them all.

Anyway, the final solution to run the Media Creation Tool seems like the Nuclear option. I don't think I have ever done the Upgrade this PC with the Keep personal files and apps option. I have always done clean installs of Windows and then reinstalled all programs, which takes many hours. I will definitely do a full backup to an external drive before trying this. Thanks again for your help.