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How to Fix the “Windows Is Unable to Run Automatic Maintenance” Error

 2 years ago
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How to Fix the “Windows Is Unable to Run Automatic Maintenance” Error

By Modisha Tladi

Published 8 hours ago

If your Windows Automatic Maintenance needs its own maintenance, don't fret. Getting it back into working order is an easy task.

The Windows Automatic Maintenance tool is quite incredible. It helps execute various PC tasks automatically, such as Windows updates, disk defragmentation, security scans, and more.

However, this tool is prone to several issues, including the “Windows is unable to run Automatic Maintenance” error. If you bump into this issue, let’s take a look at how you can easily resolve it.

1. Run the System Maintenance Troubleshooter

You can always rely on Windows’ troubleshooters whenever you run into system issues. In this case, the System Maintenance troubleshooter will come in handy.

Here’s how you can run the System Maintenance troubleshooter via the Control Panel:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
  2. Type Control Panel and press Enter.
  3. Click the View by drop-down menu and select Large icons.
  4. Scroll down and select Troubleshooting.
  5. Next, click the System and Security option.
  6. Finally, click the System Maintenance troubleshooter and follow the on-screen instructions.
Running the System Maintenance Troubleshooter

2. Configure Automatic Maintenance Settings Via the Control Panel

If you want the Windows Automatic Maintenance feature to run swiftly, you’d need to configure some settings. So, let’s take a look at the settings you should tweak:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
  2. Type Control Panel and press Enter.
  3. Next, click the View by drop-down menu and select Large icons.
  4. Scroll down and select Security and Maintenance.
  5. Click the Maintenance drop-down menu and select Change Maintenance settings.
Configuring automatic maintenance settings via the control panel

In the next window, click the Run maintenance tasks daily at drop-down menu and select your preferred time. Ideally, this should be a time when you aren’t working on your PC.

Finally, check the Allow scheduled maintenance to wake up my computer box.

Checking the Allow scheduled maintenance box

If you want to run the maintenance task immediately, here’s what you can do:

  1. Open the Control Panel and the Security and Maintenance window as per the previous steps.
  2. Click the Maintenance drop-down menu and then click Start maintenance.

3. Enable the Automatic Maintenance Tool Via the Registry Editor

Enabling the Automatic Maintenance tool via the Registry Editor could also help. Start by backing up your Registry and then follow these steps:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
  2. Type Regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > Schedule > Maintenance.
  4. Double-click the MaintenanceDisabled value on the right-hand side pane and set its Value data to 0.
Clicking the MaintenanceDisabled Value

If the MaintenanceDisabled value is missing, here’s how you can create it:

  1. Right-click on a blank space on the right-hand side pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  2. Name the new value as MaintenanceDisabled and press Enter.
  3. Double-click the value and set its Value data to 0.

4. Ensure the Task Scheduler Service Is Running

The Task Scheduler is responsible for automating the tasks on your PC. If this tool isn’t configured correctly, then tasks like Automatic Maintenance won’t run.

Now, here’s how you can ensure that the Task Scheduler service is running:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
  2. Type services.msc and press Enter to open the Services window.
  3. Locate the Task Scheduler service, right-click on it, and select Properties.
  4. In the next window, click the Startup type drop-down menu and select Automatic.
  5. Press the Start button, press Apply and then press OK.
Enabling the Task Scheduler Service

5. Enable Maintenance Tasks Via the Task Scheduler

You might bump into this error if some maintenance tasks are disabled in the Task Scheduler. So, here’s how you can easily enable those tasks:

  1. Type Task Scheduler in the Windows search bar and select the Best match.
  2. Navigate to Task Scheduler > Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Maintenance.
  3. Check the status of the tasks that appear in the middle pane. If it reads “Ready” or “Disabled”, right-click on the specific task and select Run.
Enabling Maintenance Tasks Via the Task Scheduler

Close the Task Scheduler and restart your PC when you finish.

6. Enable Task Scheduler Services Via the Registry Editor

This error might be the result of corrupted or incorrect Task Scheduler keys in the Windows Registry. In this case, altering some registry settings could help resolve the issue.

Here’s how you can enable Task Scheduler services via the Registry Editor:

  1. Press Win + R, type Regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Services > Schedule.
  3. Locate the Start value on the right-hand side pane and double-click on it.
Enabling Task Scheduler Services Using the Registry Editor

In the next window, set the Value data to 1 and press OK. Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC to save these changes.

7. Remove Corrupted Task Scheduler Tree Cache

In some cases, this error might be caused by a corrupted Task Scheduler Tree cache. So, you could tackle this problem by identifying and deleting the corrupted Task Scheduler Tree cache.

  1. To get started, Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
  2. Type Regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > Schedule > TaskCache.
  4. Right-click on the Tree key and rename it to Tree.old_key or something similar.
Removing Corrupted Task Scheduler Tree Cache

Try running the Automatic Maintenance tool and check if this tackles the issue.

If this resolves the problem, then the Tree key contains some corrupted values. To identify those values, here’s what you can do:

  1. Rename the Tree.old_key back to Tree.
  2. Rename each value in the Tree key—one at a time—using the “.old” suffix. Run the Automatic Maintenance tool each time when you do this.
  3. If the error stops after renaming a certain value, then that’s the culprit. Delete that particular value and then restart your PC.

8. Configure the Right Settings in the Task Scheduler

This error might be the result of incorrect Task conditions in the Task Scheduler. So, here are the settings that could help tackle this issue:

  1. Type Task Scheduler in the Windows search bar and select the Best match.
  2. Click the Task Scheduler Library option on the left-hand side pane.
  3. Navigate to Task Scheduler > Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows > Maintenance.
  4. Next, right-click each task that appears in the middle pane—one at a time—and select Properties.
  5. In the next window, navigate to the General tab and check the Run whether the user is logged on or not box.
  6. Next, click the Configure for drop-down menu and select Windows 10.
Configuring Settings in the Task Scheduler

When you finish, navigate to the Conditions tab and uncheck the Start the task only if the computer is on AC power box. Next, navigate to the Actions and Triggers tabs and check if all your task conditions are correct.

Press OK and close the Task Scheduler when you finish. Restart your PC to save these changes.

Windows Automatic Maintenance Error: Solved

Automating your PC tasks makes things easy. It keeps your PC updated and helps avoid system bugs. If you bump into the “Windows Automatic Maintenance” error, try any of the fixes we’ve provided.

About The Author

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Modisha Tladi (69 Articles Published)

Modisha is a Tech Content Writer & Blogger who’s passionate about emerging tech and innovations. He enjoys doing research and writing insightful content for tech companies. He spends most of his time listening to music and also likes playing video games, traveling, and watching action-comedy movies.

More From Modisha Tladi

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