Symptoms
Creating a new task or importing an existing task results in a "Request to add task failed" error. If using the New Task Wizard to add a new task, the following error may occur instead: "Could not create associated task file. Please close wizard and try again." Additionally the task icons may become marked with a red "X."
Reasons / Solutions
An incorrect default managed task folder is specified
This error occurs when Automate cannot access the "Default managed task location" specified in the 'System' -> 'Options' -> 'System' tab. Unless modified, the default managed tasks are located in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Automate Tasks. Confirm that the default task folder indeed resides in the proper location. If this location has been modified, confirm that the new location is entered correctly in 'System' -> 'Options' -> 'System' tab.
The Service User is not entered or does not have proper privileges
This error might come about if the default managed task location was modified to point to a network share. The Service User is used to set the user context that the Automate Task Service should impersonate when accessing restricted or secured resources such as network. If no Service User is supplied, the Task Service runs as a LocalSystem user, which has very limited network permissions. Confirm that a user account is correctly entered in the 'Service User' tab. Furthermore, be sure that the user account you enter is a valid network user with privileges to access the share in which the default tasks reside.
A mapped drive is specified instead of a UNC path
To ensure that Automate functions properly when a user is logged out, it is critical that mapped drive letters not be used. Folders should always be specified using UNC (Universal Naming Convention) paths. For example: X:\pathname\ should be \\servername\pathname\. This is because mapped drives are connected and created when a user logs on but are not accessible when logged out.
Applies To: Automate 5, Automate 6
