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SCHED_E_UNKNOWN_OBJECT_VERSION
The task object version is unsupported or invalid
SCHED_E_UNKNOWN_OBJECT_VERSION is the failure HRESULT 0x80041313 (-2147216621 as a signed 32-bit value). Its severity bit is set, the facility field is 4 (FACILITY_ITF), and its facility-specific code is 0x1313. AllStat describes the result as “The task object version is either unsupported or invalid.”
Operation and state
The object is recognized as scheduler data, but its declared or encoded version is outside the valid set for the reader. Microsoft lists this result for legacy ITaskScheduler::Activate, making API generation and persisted representation central to diagnosis. In practical terms, it is returned when a stored task is activated or parsed and its version metadata cannot be accepted by the scheduler implementation or client API. Preserve it symbolically because a generic COM failure path loses its scheduler-specific recovery decision.
Failure paths to examine
- A newer task representation is being opened by an older Task Scheduler client.
- Version fields were corrupted during copying, restore or partial write.
- A legacy.JOB object was moved between operating systems without supported conversion.
- A tool changed task storage directly and left inconsistent version metadata.
- The client requested Task Scheduler 1.0 activation for a definition that should be handled through 2.0 interfaces.
Rank these explanations for it by matching them to the exact method, target and scheduler state observed at failure time.
Data to collect before changing anything
- Operating-system version on both client and target computer.
- Task Scheduler API generation and the exact activation or registration method.
- Preserved task bytes or exported XML plus any declared schema version.
- Originating machine and installer build that created the task.
- Whether the current Task Scheduler UI or 2.0 API can export the same object.
The decisive question for it is not whether Task Scheduler works in general, but which object, service state, compatibility rule or execution instance owned the failed operation. Before reacting to this result, collect evidence rather than restarting services, rewriting task XML or changing security settings.
Step-by-step diagnosis
- Do not overwrite the object before preserving its original representation.
- Try opening it with the scheduler generation that created it, when that environment is trusted and available.
- Compare task compatibility and schema declarations with the target Windows version.
- Distinguish unsupported but internally consistent data from random corruption in the version field.
- Convert by exporting and re-registering through supported APIs rather than editing version bytes.
Retry policy and restoration
Retrying the same reader against the same object will repeat the failure. Use a compatible scheduler API to export the task, then register a validated definition for the target system. If the version field is corrupt and no trusted source exists, recreate the task from product configuration. The owner of the higher-level workflow should define whether this result is terminal, retryable after a state change, or converted into an administrative action.
Limits of this HRESULT
The status does not mean the task action is incompatible with Windows, and it is not the same as <code>SCHED_E_TASK_NOT_V1_COMPAT</code>. The latter concerns feature compatibility of a valid task definition, not the persisted object version itself. Logging only the decimal value without task path, method and target computer is insufficient to explain this result.
Neighboring status codes
SCHED_E_INVALID_TASK rejects an invalid object more generally. SCHED_E_TASK_NOT_V1_COMPAT identifies properties that cannot be represented for previous scheduler versions. It is specifically about the object version.
Concrete troubleshooting case
An installer restores a.JOB file created on a later system into an older management environment. ITaskScheduler::Activate rejects the version. The migration tool exports the task on a compatible host and registers an equivalent Task Scheduler 2.0 XML definition on the target. A regression test should reproduce it, assert the code-specific evidence, then change only the decisive condition and verify the expected recovery.
Official Microsoft references
- Microsoft: Task Scheduler error and success constants
- Microsoft: ITaskScheduler::Activate
- Microsoft: TASK_COMPATIBILITY
- Microsoft: Task Scheduler schema
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