How to automate windows programs to run at a specific schedule

In this post I would describe how we could automate windows programs to run at a specific schedule using Windows Task Scheduler. Below are the list of steps that you need to follow to get that working :
1) In the start menu search for 'Schedule Tasks' and click on the Schedule tasks option that gets displayed. Click on the Schedule tasks option.

 

2) when you click on the Schedule tasks option a new window gets opened with the Title Task Scheduler as below :

 

  

3) Click on Create task option on the right of the newly opened window shown above. A new window gets opened which is as below:

4) On The General tab add the Name that you would like your task to have. You could also add the Description of the task in the description text box on the window.

5) Go to the Triggers Tab on the window. This would look as below:

 

6) Click on the new Button. A new window gets opened which is shown as below :

This is the window where you need to do most of your work. For normal scenario where you want to schedule a task at specific time you can let the value 'on the schedule' selected. Below that in the settings groupbox you need to select the start date and time. You also have the options of selecting that you want your program to run only once or daily at the specified time or weekly at the time specified or Monthly. You can do the selection based on your requirement.

7) Now you can go on the action tab on the Create task window. You need to click on the New Button. When you click on new button a new window would get opened which is as below :

 

Here in the action dropdown you need to keep the default selected value if you want your program to start. In the Program/script text box you need to specify the path of the .exe which you want to run at the specified date and time. If you have any arguments that you need to  pass for your program to run then you can pass them in the add arguments textbox. Click ok once you are done with this.

8) Now you can click of on the create task window and you have successfully scheduled a task which would run on the specified scenarios we set up as per our requirements.

If you want to see the task that you just created you can see that in the task scheduler library on the left of the window.

Hope you have followed me properly. Enjoy scheduling your task.

 

EC plans using Facebook to educate voters

The Election Commission is planning to take the help of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to impart electoral messages to young voters, Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi said.

"The Commission is now seriously looking at the social media as the hubs to impart electoral education," Quraishi said delivering the Maulana Azad Memorial Lecture 2011 titled 'Education for Deepening Democracy'

"Like Maulana Azad, I believe that an educated and aware citizen is the best guarantee for deepening both democracy and development," Quraishi said.

The CEC said he had recently held talks with policy makers of Education and Youth ministries to integrate citizenship and voter education as a part of the curriculum of their various courses.

"We have established the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management ( IIDEM) making voter education a core area of emphasis in it," Quraishi said.

Regretting that many voters in the age group of 18-35 years do not exercise their voting rights for whatever reason, the CEC said the Commission has put voter education and awareness programme on fast track to improve the situation.

In a strategic initiative called YUVA (Youth Unite for Voter Awareness), the Commission has planned to rope in the new and young voters, he said.