Unable To Connect To Local Tasks (corrupt .ATL file)

 

This article is written as a supplement to the existing article, Error connecting to Local Tasks when starting the Task Administrator

Automate saves triggers associated with a task as well as all information located in the 'Managed Task Properties' window (i.e. General, Logon, Security properties) to a task database file named AM6Taskfile.atl (In Automate 5, the file is named AM5Taskfile.atl). Aside from the reasons discussed in the previous Knowledgebase article, another reason you may be unable to connect to local tasks when starting the Task Administrator is due to a corrupt task database file. In order to verify this, please perform the following steps:

1. Shut down the Automate service (right click the "A" icon on the system tray by the clock and select "Exit")
2. Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Network Automation\Automate 6 folder and locate the file named AM6Taskfile.atl.
3. Rename AM6Taskfile.atl to AM6Taskfile.old.
4. Start the Automate Task Administrator (using 'Start' -> 'Programs' -> 'Automate 6' -> 'Automate 6 Task Administrator').

Upon restart, Automate will try to detect AM6Taskfile.atl. If it does not exist, a new file with the same name will automatically be created. Since the original file was renamed, Automate will create a fresh copy of AM6Taskfile.atl and therefore previously created tasks will not appear in the Task Administrator (only sample tasks). Now, perform the following steps:

1. Shut down Automate again (in the same manner as previously instructed).
2. Delete the newly created AM6Taskfile.atl and rename AM6Taskfile.old back to AM6Taskfile.atl.
3. Restart Automate Task Administrator from the Start Menu.

If it again fails to connect to local tasks, this confirms that the task database file is corrupt. Re-perform the first four steps above. Automate should create a new AM6Taskfile.atl upon restart. When this occurs, you can import your tasks back to the Task Administrator by selecting 'File' -> 'Import. The default managed task location is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Automate Tasks. However, since a new copy of the task database file has been created, you will need to recreate triggers and reconfigure the properties for each task after importing them.

Notes:
The Automate task database along with all associated task files and configurations can be backed up using System -> Backup in the Automate Task Administrator. If the task database becomes corrupt, the installation can be restored by choosing System -> Restore from the Task Administrator once the steps in this article have been executed.

Users can also create a schedule task that executes a Backup step to automatically backup the Automate installation.

Applies To: Automate 5, Automate 6