JPines Posted October 8, 2002 Report Share Posted October 8, 2002 I have an automated script which was running more or less fine until recently. Something changed on the server, but I can't tell what. Now, when the script launches at 9pm and Retrospect is not already open, a blinking icon appears in the system tray saying 'Retrospect: Script "xxx" waiting to run'. If you double-click it when you get in the next morning, Retrospect opens and the script starts to execute. A little late now. The unattended preferences appear to be set correctly, and do not seem to have changed. I created a new script and had the same results, easily repeatable, so it is not the script. When you do launch Retrospect, it says it launched automatically but gives the manual start time (2:18pm), not the scheduled start time (2:12pm in this test). + Retrospect version 5.6.132 Automatically launched at 10/8/2002 2:18 PM + Retrospect Driver Update, version 2.7.117 Important note: The "Retrospect Helper" service on the server is stopped. Whenever I try to manually start it, it stops again after a few seconds. There are no errors in the server's Event Log. This may be related, but since I can't find any documentation on the "Retrospect Helper" service or errors in the log file, it is a little difficult to track down. Any ideas on what may have happenned or how to correct it? Jeff Pines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyJ Posted October 8, 2002 Report Share Posted October 8, 2002 If Retrospect is no longer autolaunching, first verify that you've got it set to automatically launch. Go to Special>Preferences from the Retrospect Directory and click Unattended. Is "Autolaunch Retrospect" and "Enable Retrospect Launcher Service" checked? Does Retrospect try to run a script right after you start it, but not at the specified time? If not, verify that your script is scheduled correctly. Go to Automate>Preview from the Retrospect Directory. Are there scripts scheduled to run? If there are, is the top one scheduled to run soon (as opposed to months or years in the future)? If it is scheduled to run some time in the future, you may have deferred execution of the script. Change this by editing your script. If there are no scripts scheduled to run, you need to reschedule your scripts. Go to Automate>Scripts from the Retrospect Directory to do this. If Retrospect tries to run a script right after you launch the program, the service which autolaunches Retrospect, the Launcher, may not be working correctly. Reinstall it by doing the following: Go to Special>Preferences from the Retrospect Directory and click Unattended. Uncheck "Enable Retrospect Launcher service." Now quit and restart your PC. Launch Retrospect and check "Enable Retrospect Launcher." Now quit and restart again. Were you logged in as administrator during install? Failure to autolaunch can be a Launcher permissions issue, which would be affected by who you were logged in as when you installed the program. Try creating a new user account and add that user to the Administrator group. Then uninstalling and reinstalling Retrospect when logged in as the new administrator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPines Posted October 9, 2002 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2002 The Launcher Service was enabled according to the Services MMC and the Special>Preferences screen, and the job was scheduled correctly because it would pop up in the system tray - it just wouldn't run. I rebooted the server and the problem seems to have gone away. Should I be concerned that the Helper service is Enabled to start Automatically, but won't actually run? Thanks! Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyJ Posted October 9, 2002 Report Share Posted October 9, 2002 No - The Retrospect Helper Service is used in the event of a Windows 2000 or XP registry restore. After executing an initial restore, the Retrospect Helper Service will ask you to boot up in registry restore mode so that the restore can complete. The Helper Service then completes the restore of the Windows 2000 and XP "System State" data. The service may not necessarily be installed or turned on all the time or on all computers. Retrospect only uses the helper service during the Windows 2000 and XP restore process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat23uda Posted October 23, 2002 Report Share Posted October 23, 2002 What about when the OS is windows ME, and the automated script is a backup server script? (the desktop retrospect edition, 5.15). Seems the only scripts it checks for automatic execution are the non-server scripts, and it won't automatically start the backup server to executed scheduled server scripts. When retrospect *is* open, the only scripts it runs are those set to "always active" or when the normal schedule is manually overridden. We have a server script scheduled to run midnight to 8 am, and it does not execute that script during those hours, whether retrospect is open or not. Any solutions? -gwen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyJ Posted October 25, 2002 Report Share Posted October 25, 2002 If only one script out of many is failing to launch, you may have a corrupt script. Try deleting the script and recreating it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat23uda Posted October 30, 2002 Report Share Posted October 30, 2002 I've gathered some further details- it seems that if backup server is running at the start of the script, it will not execute it. (script is set to start at midnight.) No failures nor any other messages are reported in the log, and the media is reported as "ready". If I stop and restart backup server during the hours the script is scheduled to be active, it will execute that script upon startup of backup server. -gwen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat23uda Posted November 14, 2002 Report Share Posted November 14, 2002 so, I deleted all the backup server scripts and recreated them, and they now function, but only if retrospect is open (on the toolbar) and "start backup server" needs to be actively selected by the user. I.e. it will not auto launch itself into backup server and run the scripts according to the scheduled timeframe, even though all the appropriate options are checked for it to do so. As a result, I've had to do almost all of the backups manually. How do I get this fixed? -gwen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyJ Posted November 18, 2002 Report Share Posted November 18, 2002 The service which autolaunches Retrospect, the Launcher, may not be working correctly. Reinstall it by doing the following: Go to Special>Preferences from the Retrospect Directory and click Unattended. Uncheck "Enable Retrospect Launcher service." Now quit and restart your PC. Launch Retrospect and check "Enable Retrospect Launcher." Now quit and restart again. Were you logged in as administrator during install? Failure to autolaunch can be a Launcher permissions issue, which would be affected by who you were logged in as when you installed the program. Try creating a new user account and add that user to the Administrator group. Then uninstalling and reinstalling Retrospect when logged in as the new administrator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat23uda Posted December 5, 2002 Report Share Posted December 5, 2002 Standalone windows ME.. there is no administrator account. Did the preferences/reboot thing. No go. Still sits there like a bump on a log even though there are backup scripts set to go every night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyJ Posted December 5, 2002 Report Share Posted December 5, 2002 What happens if you create a regular script, as a test, that launches itself at the same time backup server is set to run. It can be something simple that only backs up a single folder to your existing backup set. Does Backup Server then launch itself properly? Does the regular script kick off and launch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat23uda Posted January 8, 2003 Report Share Posted January 8, 2003 Did that. Still won't automatically launch. When you open the application during the time its *supposed* to be running, only then will it come up with a window saying "automatic operation starting in x seconds." Not really automatic if you have to open the application yourself, now is it? The question is what now? The program is not operating as advertised, and as far as I'm concerned, is defective merchandise. But you have to pay to actually talk to someone at the company that made it. Not a good situation for serving your customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyJ Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 In reply to: The program is not operating as advertised, and as far as I'm concerned, is defective merchandise. But you have to pay to actually talk to someone at the company that made it. Not a good situation for serving your customers. We provide free 30-days support for new users and upgrade purchases. However, you're using a product that stopped shipping about 2 years ago (Desktop 5.15). Try installing Retrospect on another computer, as a test, and set a few test scripts to run. You may have a third-party appliacation or utility on the orignial computer that is preventing the program from launching. Make sure nothing else is running at the time of the scheduled backups - including virus and utility programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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