Automatic Maintenance - Change Maintenance Settings in Windows 8

How to Change Automatic Maintenance Settings in Windows 8 and 8.1​

   Information

Windows depends on execution of inbox and third party maintenance activity for much of its value-add, including Windows Update, and automatic disk defragmentation, as well as antivirus updates and scans. Additionally, enterprises frequently use maintenance activity such as Network Access Protection (NAP) scanning to help enforce security standards on all enterprise workstations.

Maintenance activity in Windows is designed to run in the background with limited user interaction and minimal impact to performance and energy efficiency. However, in Windows 7 and earlier versions, performance and energy efficiency are still impacted due to the non-deterministic and widely varied schedule of the multiple maintenance activities in Windows. Responsiveness to users is reduced when maintenance activity runs while users are actively using the computer. Apps also frequently ask the user to update their software and run background maintenance, and direct users to multiple experiences, including Action Center, Control Panel, Windows Update, Task Scheduler MMC snap-in, and third-party controls.

The goal of Automatic Maintenance is to combine all background maintenance activity in Windows and help third-party developers add their maintenance activity to Windows without negatively impacting performance and energy efficiency. Additionally, Automatic Maintenance enables users as well as enterprises to be in control of maintenance activity scheduling and configuration.

For more information about "Automatic Maintenance", see: Automatic Maintenance (Windows)

This tutorial will show you how to change the Automatic Maintenance settings for what time to run the daily maintenance tasks, and if to allow the scheduled maintenance to wake the computer to run at the scheduled time in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.

You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

Here's How:

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1. Do either step 2 or 3 below for how you would like to open the Action Center.​

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2. While on your desktop, click/tap on the Action Center system icon on the taskbar, click/tap on the Open Action Center link, and go to step 4 below. (see screenshot below)​

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3. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the Action Center icon, and go to step 4 below.​

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4. In Action Center, expand Maintenance, and click/tap on the Change maintenance settings link. (see screenshot below)​

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5. Select the time that you would like to have Automatic Maintenance run daily at, then allow (check) or not allow (uncheck) Automatic Maintenance to wake the computer to run at this scheduled time. When finished, click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)​

NOTE: Automatic maintenance is set to wake up your computer and run maintenance tasks at 2 AM by default.​

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6. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes.​

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7. When finished, you can close the Action Center.​

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That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Check for and Install Windows Updates in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Manually Start or Stop "Automatic Maintenance" in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Enable or Disable Automatic Maintenance in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Turn Automatic Updating On or Off in Windows 8 and 8.1
• Enable or Disable Windows Updates from Automatically Restarting the Computer
• How to Use "Optimize Drives" to Defrag HDD and TRIM SSD in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Change "Optimize Drives" Schedule Settings in Windows 8 and 8.1

 

[brummyfan]

Hi Shawn,
I have unticked "Allow scheduled Maintenance" in Automatic Maintenance but it shows in Action Centre as it performed the maintenance at 10.59 this morning, is there any other way to disable this funtion? Thanks.

 

[GMan]

Hi Shawn,
I have unticked "Allow scheduled Maintenance" in Automatic Maintenance but it shows in Action Centre as it performed the maintenance at 10.59 this morning, is there any other way to disable this funtion? Thanks.

The Task Scheduler - double click the entry.

%windir%\system32\taskschd.msc /s

 

[brummyfan]

Thanks GMan, I have disabled in Task Manager.

 

[Brink]

Hello Brummyfan,

I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted. Thanks GMan.

Yeah, this tutorial is only for setting the time for it to run when your computer is not in use, and whether to allow it to wake the computer or not to run. If the your computer is in use, then Automatic Maintenance will automatically run the next time your computer is not in use, or at the next scheduled time. Whatever comes first.

In addition to what GMan posted, you could use the tutorial below to start/stop "Automatic Maintenance" at will.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2633-automatic-maintenance-manually-start-stop-windows-8-a.html

 

[brummyfan]

Thanks Shawn.

 

[Brink]

 

[sygnus21]

Question about the service

Question - Should I keep this enabled on a laptop?

Here's the typical scenario: I typically use the laptop for at most 3 hours at a time, then shut it down. If "Automatic maintenance" (AM) only works when the system is idle, well being that the laptop is in use when used, then closed/shutdown when not in use, wouldn't this constantly keep the service going?

Lately I've been turning the service off as I tire of looking at the Action Center telling me there's maintenance going on.

Secondly, being that I have a third party AV (Norton), how does this affect AM?

Sorry if this sounds a bit vague, perhaps I'm not clear on what happens on a notebook/laptop when the top is closed - i.e. do services still run?

Thanks.

 

[Brink]

Hello Drew,

It's really a matter of personal choice, but as long as it's not causing any performance issues while you're using the laptop, then it may be best to leave it run at the time you like. I personally turn off letting it wake up my PC to run at a set time, and set it for when I know the system will be idle for a bit, or just manually run it every once in a while.

Hope this helps.

 

[sygnus21]

I personally turn off letting it wake up my PC to run at a set time, and set it for when I know the system will be idle for a bit, or just manually run it every once in a while.

Yeah that's what I'll do.

Thanks.

 

[Brink]

Anytime.

 

[NCguy]

not sure if anyone is still following this thread. I noticed that in action center auto maintenance is scheduled for 2am and set to allow wake. That said the task "regular maintenance" under taskscheduler I see is scheduled for 2am daily but wake is not checked.

Aren't these two the same task and why aren't they consistent? FWIW, I believe it is running every night but I don't see it in the logs. Shouldn't it show in the logs somewhere?

 

[Brink]

Hello NCguy,

Not sure about a log, but I would trust what you have set in the Automatic Maintenance settings.

 

[NCguy]

My maintenance is scheduled to run nightly at the default start time of 2am but for some reason it prefers to start at 3:30 am or some other random time that may be hours from the scheduled 2am. Its not due to busy because this happens when the system is asleep. This doesn't really affect anything but I would like to know why it consistently runs at a seemingly random time.

 

[Brink]

Hello NCguy,

It could have been interrupted by something else trying to run when the PC wakes up causing a delay.

 

[NCguy]

Hello NCguy,

It could have been interrupted by something else trying to run when the PC wakes up causing a delay.

Good point. Unfortunately the logs under 8.1 haven't been very useful. Even events like entering and waking from sleep aren't been captured. They have in the past but every update seems to change what is logged. For the most part, it seems like 8.1 is capturing little compared to Windows 7. Anyhow mentioned all that just to say if there is other stuff running that is delaying the maintenance start up it isn't showing in the system log. Doesn't mean though that its not happening. Is there any place else to look?

 

[Brink]

I'm not sure where to look for it either.

 

[Night AoX]

Here's a question. Just exactly what does "Automatic Maintenance" do? Clean cookies, cache? Defrag?

 

[NCguy]

Here's a question. Just exactly what does "Automatic Maintenance" do? Clean cookies, cache? Defrag?

See the first post

 

[Night AoX]

Here's a question. Just exactly what does "Automatic Maintenance" do? Clean cookies, cache? Defrag?

See the first post

Yeah I read it but, since M$ wrote it in so much mumbo-jumbo in their usual fashion, the only 2 or 3 sentences actually needed flew right under my radar lol. I'm mad they wrote that long piece for nothing.