"not queued" response when scheduling task

[chas1]

Firstly apologies for asking a question on a topic which seems to have been a topic on several occasions. However, in wading through previous threads, the answers were over my head (I'm just your average windows user) or they failed to provide me with anything that worked.

I am running Eraser with System 7 Home Premium. I have incoporated Eraser in the file menu, so i can erase an individual file that I have selected, by right -clicking. However, when I use the scheduler to execute a manual task, whether that be erasing multiple files or free space, I immediately get the "Not Queued" response.

I saw one of the threads referring to Administrator priveleges. I am opening the program as Administrator.

Help Please
.

[DavidHB]

'Not queued' simply means that it is waiting for you to start it manually, which you do by right-clicking and selecting 'Run now'. So there is no problem, except that the wording has confused you. Obviously, we need a note about this in the introductory FAQ topic 'Getting to know Eraser 6'. You might find it useful to read this topic in any case.

Why this wording? The answer is that Eraser puts all its tasks in the schedule, even those that are started manually. 'Not queued' is the status of the task within the Schedule.

All this applies whether or not you are running the program with administrator privileges.

David

[chas1]

Well, that's a bit embarrassing for me. To think I struggled for 15 minutes when a click from another finger would have done the trick!

As you say, there may be an language issue here. I guess the sotware writer(s) are so familair with the way Eraser functions that they might not regard the interface the same way a newcomer would. Certainly, it was not intuitively obvious what my problem was, and it would seem to be a relatively simple task to make the user interface clearer for the casual user, who doesn't have the time or inclination to wade through a lot of support information to unearth how to execute just the core job of the software. A more interactive interface would undoubtedly spread the appeal of what appears to be a very effecive tool.

Having said that, the tool does an excellent and swift job. I will continue to use it now!

[DavidHB]

I think that the problem, which I agree is a real one and which I have discussed with Joel, might be resolved for many users by (1) displaying a simple welcome screen or readme on first use and (2) having a 'getting started' pdf that can be called from the Help menu. While Joel thinks about this, I have amended the FAQ post, as I said I would.

Once users are past that first, intimidating blank schedule, as you now are, the terminology actually makes a good deal of sense, because it describes what users are doing rather accurately. And the help should encourage users to prefer context menu or drag and drop erasing for basic tasks, as they are easier to use than the Schedule.

David

[Joel]

Somehow this reminded me of how Windows Mobile 6 had a welcome screen that demonstrated its basic functionality. Perhaps Eraser could emulate that?

[DavidHB]

Somehow this reminded me of how Windows Mobile 6 had a welcome screen that demonstrated its basic functionality. Perhaps Eraser could emulate that?

Nice, but something less flashy, like three or four lines of basics, and a link to a 'getting to know' document (the one in the FAQ forum? a pdf installed like the Help file?), might do as well.

David

[Joel]

Hey, I love eye candy