Question

I work with PHP 5.4, IIS 7.5.

If execute a simple command, it works:

<?php
    exec("dir", $r);
    print_r($r);
?>

But if open .exe file, it doesn’t work, the page is loading until the php timeout and doesn’t open the notepad:

<?php
    exec("notepad.exe", $r);
    print_r($r);
?>

And if execute the notepad’s php in command line, it works:

php -f <file>

I think that the problem is with IIS, but I don’t know what. Thanks!

UPDATE

I did another test case and doesn’t work, the page finishes loading but doesn’t delete the task:

<?php
    $r = exec("SCHTASKS.exe /Delete /TN TaskTest /F");
    print_r($r);
?>

The IIS_IUSRS have permission for execute the schtasks.

SOLUTION

Notepad doesn’t open because is a interactive program.

For Tasks scheduler, gives read and write permissions to the task folder (C:\Windows\System32\Tasks) to IUSR.

Answer 1

What makes you think it isn’t working?

Be aware that windows services cannot normally interact with the desktop, so it may be the case that notepad is starting, just not anywhere you can see it – and as PHP will wait for it to terminate, and nobody can see it to terminate it, it’ll timeout, as you’re seeing.

It may also be the case that the user that the web server is running as does not have execute permissions on the folder that notepad is in (assuming it had the relevant path).