Support

Mandatory information about my setup:

Have I read the related troubleshooter articles above before posting (which pages?)? Y
Have I searched the forum before posting? y
Have I read the documentation before posting (which pages?)? y
Joomla! version: (unknown)
PHP version: (unknown)
MySQL version: (unknown)
Host: (optional, but it helps us help you) W7 Pro
Akeeba eXtract Wizard / Remote Control / SiteDiff version: (unknown)

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Please attach the Remote Control and Akeeba Backup log files if you are reporting an Akeeba Remote Control issue, othrewise we can not help you

Description of my issue:
I have installed PHP and remote.phar and I am able to run successfully various remote commands when I type them in to a command prompt.
When I add the commands to a .txt file and name it backup.bat (or backup.cmd) and from WITHIN THE COMMAND PROMPT invoke the bat or cmd file, all works successfully.
Howecer, I do not know how to automate this using task scheduler and identifying the backup.bat as the program to run. This .bat file needs to run from within a command prompt, and I do not know how to automate that. I am missing a step somehow. Can you assist me? I hope my problem description is clear.

I am following the process precisely. I have a batch file "c:\users\Ted-64\desktop\backup.bat" which contains the following text:

REM The following line updates Akeeba Backup
c:\"Program Files (x86)"\PHP\php remote.phar --action=update --host=http:// --secret=
REM The following line takes and downloads a backup
c:\"Program Files (x86)"\PHP\php remote.phar --action=backup --host=http:// --secret= --download --dlmode=http --dlpath="E:\Users\Ted Levy\Documents\Clients\Hands on Homes\Akeeba backups" --delete

[obviously I am not showing the actual host and secret word]

These commands execute perfectly 1. if I copy them into a command prompt window or 2. If I copy into a command prompt windowthe following: c:\users\Ted-64\desktop\backup.bat

So there is no question of php cli or remote.phar or connectivity to the server or correct secret word or command syntax of remote CLI.

When I invoke the task scheduler I follow precisely the instructions in the link you sent me by creating a basic task which is to run a program, selecting the backup.bat batch file, and scheduling it. At the scheduled time, I am able to see a command prompt window flah open on the desktop, and then immediately it closes. The backup does not take place. Nothing happens. It is not possible to read the test in the command prompt as it closes the moment it opens, although there is clearly some text in it.

There is obviously a missing step of some kind here which I cannot perceive, in the invocation of this batch file. It only seems to work when it is invoked from within an open command window. I do not know how to use the task scheduler to create this condition.

Is my problem clear now? Please advise me if you are able to use the task scheduler as you have directed to make this work properly. I read your documentation thoroughly. In the section "Automating the whole lot" of the Walkthrough you state:

As for the batch/script file, all you have to do is to include the commands above in a .BAT (Windows) or .sh (Linux, Mac OS X) file. For example, a Windows batch file (backup.php) looks like that...

I do not understand the reference to "backup.php" as the file must have a .bat (or .cmd) extension as you indicate above.

AFter the failed scheduled task executes, the task scheduler identifies the last run result as (0x1) which is evidently some sort of error code.

I have attached the backup.bat with the actual commands for you to see.

Thanks for any additional help you can provide.

Thank you for your excellent response. Concurrently (last night EDT) I spent several hours researching this and found a three-year long thread with many posts in social.technet,microsoft.com/forums titled "scheduled task won't run .bat file" (http://tinyurl.com/5wnv92l). There are a number of related issues and solutions proposed (perhaps 100 or more posts, mostly by frustrated systems administrators), but a great many of the problems were solved by "clarifying" to Task Scheduler in one way or another the task's context, either by making the path explicit, or specifying it in various other ways (ip or url vs. drive mapping, use of "start in" field, etc.), none of which would APPEAR to be required since the .bat (or .cmd) file was properly structured and would run "by hand" from within a command prompt.
The joys of working in an MS Windows environment!
Again, thanks for your assistance. Your support is first rate and well worth the cost.