SOON.exe (Resource Kit)

Schedule a command to run in the near future (calls the AT command)

syntax
      SOON [\\computername] delay [/interactive] "command"
      SOON /i:[on|off]

key
   delay : When the command should run, in SECONDS from now.
           default=5

   /interactive : Allows any user to see the job as it runs,
                  this allows testing and monitoring of the
                  command.
                  You can specify /interactive as just /i

   computername : the UNC name of a remote machine

   /i:on        : Make /interactive the default behaviour
                  use SOON /i:off to restore normal behaviour

SOON schedules jobs to run at a time relative to the current time in "seconds from now"
It is otherwise identical to the AT command but saves calculating an exact start time.

As with all AT jobs you should test your SOON scripts by using the /INTERACTIVE option to be sure that they:

• Start at the expected time

• Execute the correct commands (specify a full pathname)

• Finish and close successfully.

Task Scheduler has a bad reputation due to a security vulnerability it introduced - however this was fixed with IE 5.01
The "Schedule" service (ATSVC) rather than the "Task Scheduler" service must be running to use SOON with a delay of less than 60 seconds. - see Q237840

See Q226370 for bugs related to the Task Scheduler - plus more detail on Task Scheduler from 15seconds.com

"We want the finest wines available to humanity. And we want them here and we want them now" - Bruce Robinson / Withnail and I

Related Commands:

AT - Schedule a command to run at a later time

Equivalent Linux BASH commands:

cron - Daemon to execute scheduled commands
crontab - Schedule a command to run at a later time
watch - Execute/display a program periodically