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Curator runs regularly scheduled tasks on Windows using Task Scheduler. This takes care of things like status checks, scheduled reports, user-syncing along with a host of other very important items. Occasionally this setup can have issues, so we’ve provided some steps for resolving common problems related to Windows scheduled tasks.

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Scheduled Task Troubleshooting

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Path Issues

The most common issue with Windows scheduled tasks for Curator is an incorrect path to the artisan file. To troubleshoot this:
  1. Open Task Scheduler:
    • Press Windows Key + R, type taskschd.msc, and press Enter
    • Or search for “Task Scheduler” in the Start Menu
  2. Find the Curator task:
    • Look for tasks named “Curator Cron”, “Curator Central Dispatch”, or similar
    • Double-click the task to open its properties
  3. Check the action path:
    • Click the “Actions” tab
    • Click “Edit” to view the action details
    • Note the full command in the “Program/script” and “Add arguments” fields
    • Common format: C:\InterWorks\Curator\libs\PHP\php.exe C:\InterWorks\Curator\htdocs\artisan schedule:run
    • Note: Your installation path may differ (e.g., D:\Curator, E:\InterWorks\Curator, etc.)
  4. Test the command manually:
    • Open Command Prompt as Administrator
    • Copy the full command from the scheduled task (combining program and arguments)
    • Run the command exactly as it appears in the task
    • Observe the output:
      • Success: Command runs without errors
      • “The system cannot find the path specified”: Path to php.exe or artisan is incorrect
      • PHP errors: Path is correct but there are application issues
      • No output: May indicate the command is running but not producing visible output
  5. Common path corrections:
    • Verify your Curator installation directory (common locations: C:\InterWorks\Curator, D:\Curator, etc.)
    • Ensure php.exe exists at: [YourInstallDir]\libs\PHP\php.exe
    • Confirm artisan file exists at: [YourInstallDir]\htdocs\artisan
    • Update the scheduled task with corrected paths if needed
    • Remember: Replace [YourInstallDir] with your actual installation path

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Determine Correct Scheduled Task User

The scheduled task should run as the same user that your web server (IIS/Apache) is running as. Here’s how to determine the correct user: Check Web Server User in Curator Backend:
  1. In the backend of Curator using the left-hand navigation, navigate to the Settings > Curator > Status page.
  2. Look for the “User” field in the System Information section
  3. This shows which user account your web server is running as (e.g., IIS_IUSRS, SYSTEM, apache, etc.)
  4. Your scheduled task should be configured to run as this same user to avoid permission issues
Verify Current Task User in Task Scheduler:
  1. In Task Scheduler, find the Curator task
  2. View the user account using one of these methods:
    • Method 1: In the main panel, look at the “Security options” column
    • Method 2: Double-click the task, go to “General” tab
    • Look for “When running the task, use the following user account:”
    • Common accounts: SYSTEM, NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM, or a service account
  3. Additional task details:
    • “Actions” tab shows the exact command being run
    • “History” tab shows recent execution logs and any errors
    • “Triggers” tab shows when the task runs (typically every minute)
Using PowerShell: 
# List all Curator scheduled tasks with their run-as user
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {$_.TaskName -like "*Curator*"} | 
    ForEach-Object {
        [PSCustomObject]@{
            TaskName = $_.TaskName
            State = $_.State
            RunAsUser = $_.Principal.UserId
            Action = $_.Actions.Execute + " " + $_.Actions.Arguments
        }
    }

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Test Scheduled Task

To verify the scheduled task is working properly:
  1. Test command directly in Command Prompt:
    • Open Command Prompt as Administrator
    • Navigate to your Curator directory (adjust path as needed): cd C:\InterWorks\Curator
    • Run the exact command from your scheduled task
    • Important: Replace the paths below with the actual paths from your Task Scheduler action: 
      C:\InterWorks\Curator\libs\PHP\php.exe C:\InterWorks\Curator\htdocs\artisan schedule:run
      (Your paths may differ - use D:\, E:\, or different directory names as shown in Task Scheduler)
    • Check the output:
      • Success: Shows “Running scheduled command:” or similar output
      • Errors: Note any error messages for troubleshooting
  2. Manual test via Task Scheduler:
    • Right-click the Curator task in Task Scheduler
    • Select “Run”
    • Check the “Last Run Result” column (should show “0x0” for success)
  3. Check via Curator API:
    • Follow instructions in the Auto Generate API Links section
    • Set dropdowns to Portal and cron respectively
    • Click the preview link
    • Should display a “success” message
  4. Verify in logs:
    • Check Curator logs at: [InstallDir]\storage\logs\system-[date].log
    • Look for recent cron execution entries

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Common Issues and Solutions

  1. Task runs but nothing happens:
    • Check if the user account has permissions to the Curator directory
    • Verify PHP can be executed by the task user
    • Check Windows Event Viewer for errors
  2. Task shows error code:
    • 0x1: General error - check the command syntax
    • 0x2: File not found - verify all paths
    • 0x5: Access denied - check permissions
  3. Task doesn’t run on schedule:
    • Verify the trigger is set to run every minute
    • Check if “Start the task only if the computer is on AC power” is unchecked
    • Ensure “Run whether user is logged on or not” is selected