Alternative for Windows Task Scheduler

Question

I need a Task Scheduler for Windows. Unfortunately the builtin scheduler doesn't meet my needs, which are:

• can run tasks every minute/hour
• runs on Linux and Windows
• 32 and 64 bit versions
• GUI interface
• free

Nice to haves:

• supports CRON files
• open source
• status reports of execution times

thanks!

Solution 1

Just some corrections on your claims regarding the Windows Task Scheduler.

• can run tasks every minute/hour

Every hour:

_{(source: hypftier.de)}

or minute:

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• runs on Linux and Windows

Ok, you get that probably only with cron. But Windows and Linux are different enough to warrant OS-specific stuff anyway, so why bother burdening Windows users with yet another scheduler? (There are already too many out there as nearly every single application that needs something scheduled includes its own ...)

Same for an arbitrary non-cron scheduler for Linux, though, just for both platforms, then.

• 32 and 64 bit versions

The Windows Task Scheduler runs as a service, bittiness is kinda a no-issue there as it only starts other processes which couldn't care less about whether their spawner was 32 or 64 bit. However, it's available in 64 and 32 bit.

• GUI interface

Enough GUI?

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• free

Included in every Windows installation. Should suffice, I'd say.

Solution 2

Cron supports Cron files, so does Cron for Windows!

http://cronw.sourceforge.net/

Solution 3

It amazes me how everyone keeps yelling "Alternatives!" on windows programs/functions even when they don't know the first things about using them. The task scheduler DOES work in XP/Vista/Seven (on cared-for systems of course, not those infested with malware, errors and resident bloatware), and it does a pretty good job too. For instance hourly scheduling is even available in XP together with lots of other options available through gui as well as batch commands.

Solution 4

Windows only: Freeware utility Z-Cron replaces the Windows task scheduler with a more robust, cron-like alternative (but with a graphical interface). Z-Cron ships with a long set of useful actions you can automate, like sending an email, copying a folder, deleting files, emptying the trash, and way more, which makes writing batch files to do these things for you effectively obsolete. Z-Cron is a free download for Windows only.

Z-Cron

Solution 5

We use Automate from www.networkautomation.com . We actually really like it, but we're a version old and the new version is expensive (like $1,800). It has a fantastic feature set - we've not found anything it can't do. But we're looking for something else since it's so expensive.

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