In Windows Server 2008, the Task Scheduler stores its configuration data in multiple locations, primarily using XML-based job files and registry entries. The core storage paths are:

Primary locations:
1. %SystemRoot%\System32\Tasks (actual job files)
2. %SystemRoot%\Tasks (legacy compatibility folder)
3. HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache (registry configuration)

Each scheduled task is stored as an individual XML file in the System32\Tasks folder. Here's a sample structure:

  
    2023-01-01T00:00:00
    DOMAIN\Admin
  
  
    
      2023-01-01T08:00:00
      true
      
        1
      
    
  
  
    
      C:\Scripts\backup.bat
    
  

You can retrieve task information using PowerShell:

# List all scheduled tasks
Get-ChildItem "$env:SystemRoot\System32\Tasks" | Select-Object Name,LastWriteTime

# Read a specific task's XML content
[xml]$taskXML = Get-Content "$env:SystemRoot\System32\Tasks\MyScheduledTask"
$taskXML.Task.Actions.Exec.Command

The TaskCache registry branch contains security descriptors, task state information, and other metadata:

Key Paths:
- HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tasks
- HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tree

To properly back up or migrate scheduled tasks between servers:

# Export all tasks
$tasks = Get-ScheduledTask
foreach ($task in $tasks) {
    Export-ScheduledTask -TaskName $task.TaskName -TaskPath $task.TaskPath | 
    Out-File "C:\Backup\$($task.TaskName -replace '\\','_').xml"
}

# Alternative method using schtasks.exe
schtasks /query /xml > "C:\Backup\AllTasks.xml"

In Windows Server 2008, the Task Scheduler stores its scheduled tasks as individual XML files in a specific directory structure. These files contain all configuration details including triggers, actions, and security contexts.

The core location where tasks are stored is:

C:\Windows\System32\Tasks

Each task appears as a separate file with the .job extension in this directory. However, the actual data is stored in XML format despite the extension.

For system-level tasks and special folders, you might find additional configurations at:

C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\Microsoft
C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\WPD

Here's a PowerShell script to enumerate all scheduled tasks and their storage paths:

Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Windows\System32\Tasks" -Recurse -Force | 
Where-Object { $_.Extension -eq ".job" } | 
Select-Object FullName, LastWriteTime

To view the actual XML configuration of a specific task:

$taskName = "MyScheduledTask"
$taskPath = "C:\Windows\System32\Tasks\$taskName"
[xml]$xmlContent = Get-Content $taskPath
$xmlContent.InnerXml

When migrating tasks between servers, you should:

1. Copy the entire C:\Windows\System32\Tasks directory
2. Preserve NTFS permissions (use icacls or robocopy)
3. Register tasks using schtasks /Create if needed

While the primary storage is file-based, some metadata exists in the registry at:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache