How do i schedule my computer to disk defragment or virus scan automatically???

Question

Firstly thanks for taking the time to read my question.

Ok, Basically i want my computer to start up at 3:00 AM every monday morning and do a disk fragmentation.. or a virus scan.. ive heard that you can do this by using the Task scheduler.. now bear in mine im using Windows Vista home basic.. I tried doing this my self but when it came to entering the commands for it i didn't have a clue.. so this is where you guys can hopefully lend me a hand =)

So if anyone knows what i need to type in or any easier way then please let me know. Cheers, Tom

Answer 1

Start: Control panel: performance and maintenance:Schedule task: Add scheduled task: follow the prompts in the wizard.



Otherwise follow this link for alternative method.



http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vistaknowledge.com/vista-how-to/defragment/vista-defragment.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.vistaknowledge.com/vista-how-to/how-to-use-the-disk-defragmenter/&h=515&w=403&sz=62&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=BO3PbxXubomx5M:&tbnh=131&tbnw=103&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwindows%2Bvista%2Bschedule%2Bdefragmentation%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG



Good luck. :))

Answer 2

You cannot wake up a non-networked PC if the power is switched off. Besides, how will it login to windows (if you have a passwd i.e).



To set a virus scan schedule, it can be easily done in the scheduler built-in to your virus scanner. All virus scanners have such an option, to the best of my knowledge.



Vista's defragger is funny..to put it mildly. It takes forever to defrag if you schedule it and is not smart i.e if your PC was off during the scheduled time, then it may not execute the next time the PC is switched on. Instead of dealing with the hassles of scheduled defragmentation and guessing how long it's going to take, it's better to go down the automatic defrag road.



Automatic defraggers have the great advantage of running totally unsupervised..there are no schedules to set, no need to worry about turning on the PC in the dead of the night and no need to worry about when the PC is free for the defragger to run. Instead, the auto defragmenter will run automatically (when the PC is on) whenever necessary, using only idle system resources without affecting your computing activity. Defrag in the background efficiently, while you are using the PC...kill two birds with one stone: save yourself the time and effort yet keep the drive defragmented automatically.

Answer 3

First, realize you'll have to leave your computer either running or in Standby (not Hibernate) mode. A computer that's powered off can't power itself on.



Second, it's usually best to use whatever scheduling mechanism the defragger or virus scan itself offers. Because you won't be there to answer prompts, the run has to know what to do without you. This varies from program to program, so the Windows Task Scheduler will start the program, but can't set it up properly by itself. So poke around in the program for some scheduling mechanism.



Hope that helps.

Answer 4

I don't think you can tell a PC to turn itself on at a fixed time.



But you can have a mains timer switch to turn it on. You will also have to tell the PC to start on Power On in the BIOS.



Then you can set the Task Scheduler to run a disk defrag or run any other program.

Answer 5

to modify the time for disk defrag, follow these steps:



Start

All programs

Accessories

System tools

Disk defragmenter

Modify Schedule



i think for this to work the pc will have to be left on, it might work if its in sleep mode

Answer 6

Can you give us an example of what it is that you do not understand? Which part of "Browse" or of the 24 hour clock do you need assistance with? Use your "Edit" option to add further info to your question.

Answer 7

You do that in the option's page mate.

Answer 8

avg does it but you can set tasks