There are three basic was to automate tasks in XP: -
Task Scheduler. This service launches programs on a regular schedule or upon certain events, such as logging on to your computer.
Batch programs. These programs, a throwback to the earliest days of MS-DOS, still provide an easy, reliable way to run a sequence of programs and commands. Most programs can be started from a command prompt, which means they can be started from a batch program.
Windows Script Host. This feature allows you to run scripts written in VBScript, JScript, and other languages. Although learning how to use Windows Script Host is more difficult than learning how to create batch programs, scripts can interact with the operating system and with other programs in much more powerful ways.
The only one worth considering (in my view) for ease of use and development speed is VB (Visual Basic) Script. This is supported directly by XP. If your tasks access the internet then Java Script is the best or a mixture of both.
Beware of running scripts whilst on-line or even having the function available.
Go here for more info: -
http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting
