Simple one-off alarm fails

[terrypin]

Could someone kindly try this two line macro please (attached). It's intended to alert me with a few beeps and a text box display at a fixed time on the current day. Activation is set to 'Once'  but testing with the time set a few minutes ahead it doesn't run for me. (Using F9 or Run Now works as usual.)

Sound File: Alarm-Beeps.wav
Text Box Display:  // CHANGE THIS

(Replace Alarm-Beeps.wav with any brief sound file.)

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

 

Alert.mex

[acantor]

I tried it using Beeps instead of sound files, and it worked, although the macro did not trigger until five or ten seconds after the run time.

[terrypin]

Thanks Alan, I’ll try that variation in the morning.

Could you also please try it with any WAV/MP3 file to rule out that factor.

I waited minutes after the appointed time without success.

Terry.

[rberq]

I tried it with an MP3 file.  At the scheduled time the macro ran, sounded a chime, then displayed the text box.  The MP3 file was a short piece of music, so I'm not sure why it chimed instead of playing the music -- probably because ME doesn't know what program to associate with the MP3 file type. 

[terrypin]

Thanks Bob. I’ll get back on the case after Sunday chores. Strange I can’t get it activated with that Once option, unlike you and Alan.

Can you remind me what OS you’re running please? I’m on Win 10.

Terry

[rberq]

I am on Windows 7. 

[terrypin]

Maybe it's a Win 10 problem?

I removed the audio command just in case that was the cause of some obscure issue, but still no message at appointed time.

EDIT at Monday 23 April 2018, 1355 UK BST

I wonder if this is because I was running MX pro as Administrator (for some reason that I can no longer remember)? Anyway, I switched to 'normal' running but could still not get that example macro to activate. In fact I found none of my other schedule-activated macros worked. Not just those using 'Once'but also 'Hourly', Daily' etc. So I then tried writing an identical macro from scratch (now in 'normal' mode) - and that worked.

When I get time later I'll return to Admin mode and test again. Although I don't see why that more privileged mode should restrict functionality!

 

[acantor]

Could be a Windows 10 issue. There are no shortage of those!

 

I'm using Windows 7 Pro.

[amonaghan]

I can't get Scheduled macros to run either Terry. I've tried all the compatibility options and also tried in safe mode, but they won't fire in Windows 10 Home. I'm almost sure that they did before, so don't know if it's connected to recent Windows Update or not.

Windows 10 Home Version 1709 Build 16299.371

[Cory]

It ran normally on multiple attempts. The only oddity was that it was 6 seconds late each time.

Win10 Pro 1709.

[terrypin]

11 hours ago, amonaghan said:

I can't get Scheduled macros to run either Terry. I've tried all the compatibility options and also tried in safe mode, but they won't fire in Windows 10 Home. I'm almost sure that they did before, so don't know if it's connected to recent Windows Update or not.

Windows 10 Home Version 1709 Build 16299.371

Thanks,  that could indeed be another explanation or factor. My Win 10 Pro build is same as yours.

If you create a scheduled macro now, does that work? As reported in my last post, it does here.

This morning I've tested the following scenarios:

1. New macro, written  in normal mode, run in normal mode. WORKS.

2. New macro written in normal mode, run in admin mode. WORKS.

3. New macro, written in admin mode, run in normal mode. WORKS.

4. New macro, written in admin mode, run in admin mode. WORKS.

5. Old macro, written in uncertain mode, run in normal mode. WORKS.

6. Old macro, written in uncertain mode, run in admin mode. WORKS.

The only one that I can find that now that fails is the example I gave, Alert.mex, which I'm 99% sure was written while MX Pro was in admin mode, now run in normal mode. But it's strange that so far all the other old macros (even some I've restored from the MX Pro Recycle Bin) now appear to work. I was in admin mode for months, so that's surprising.

Puzzling! Maybe the mode is an irrelevant red herring. But if so the only explanation I can think of involves some combination of rebooting (a rare event here, usually only after a crash) and a Win 10 update. Other suggestions welcomed.

(To check MX Pro's current mode: Open Task Mgr > Select Details tab > Right-click any column > Click 'Select Columns ' > Enable 'Elevated'. If MX pro is running in Administration mode that will show 'Yes' against MacExp.exe, MacEdit.exe, MacScript.exe and MEP rox64.exe.)

[amonaghan]

I'll give it a further look when I get home from work. I did try a simple shut down macro I use very rarely which definitely used to work in Win10, but failed last night.

I'll try again creating it from scratch to see if that makes a difference.

[terrypin]

16 hours ago, Cory said:

It ran normally on multiple attempts. The only oddity was that it was 6 seconds late each time.

Win10 Pro 1709.

Thanks for testing, Cory. Don't think I'll complain about a six six second delay -  I was getting an infinite one! But see my latest detailed post.

[Cory]

You're welcome. It works fine for me and I am not running with elevated permissions.

Also don't believe elevation has anything to do with it being written. Compare one with and one without elevation and I'll bet you a beer they're identical.

I would look at your security software. I know Norton is notorious for blocking apps like this and not telling the user. After all, MEP does often behave like malware.