Bits of .NET

Windows taking 2-3 minutes to reach the desktop? Your startup folder is probably cluttered with apps you don’t need launching immediately.

See What’s Slowing Your Boot:

# PowerShell command to list all startup programs with delay impact
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_StartupCommand | 
    Select-Object Name, Command, Location, User | 
    Format-Table -AutoSize

This shows every program that auto-starts, including hidden ones not visible in Task Manager.

Disable the Worst Offenders:

# Disable specific startup items
$itemsToDisable = @(
    "OneDrive",
    "Teams",
    "Skype",
    "Adobe Creative Cloud",
    "Spotify",
    "Discord"
)

foreach ($item in $itemsToDisable) {
    Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName $item -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | 
        Disable-ScheduledTask
}

Why This Works Better Than Task Manager:
Task Manager’s Startup tab only shows apps registered in certain registry keys. Many programs use:
• Scheduled Tasks (triggered at logon)
• Services (start before you even log in)
• Shell extensions (load with Explorer)

PowerShell catches ALL of these. Here’s proof:

# Find hidden startup tasks
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {
    $_.Triggers.CimClass.CimClassName -eq "MSFT_TaskLogonTrigger"
} | Select TaskName, State | Format-Table

You’ll see dozens of tasks set to run at login that Task Manager never showed you.

Nuclear Option – Disable Everything Non-Essential:

# Keep only critical Windows components
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {
    $_.TaskName -notlike "*Windows*" -and
    $_.TaskName -notlike "*Microsoft*" -and
    $_.State -eq "Ready"
} | Disable-ScheduledTask

Write-Host "Non-Windows startup tasks disabled. Re-enable what you need manually." -ForegroundColor Yellow

Measure the Impact:
Before disabling anything:

# Check last boot time
(Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUpTime

# System uptime
(Get-Date) - (Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUpTime

Restart your PC, then run the same command. Typical results:
• Before: 90-120 seconds to desktop
• After: 25-35 seconds to desktop

Re-Enable What You Actually Need:

# Example: Re-enable OneDrive if you use it
Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName "OneDrive*" | Enable-ScheduledTask

Pro Tip – Delayed Start for Nice-to-Haves:
Some apps you want eventually, just not immediately at boot:

# Create a scheduled task that starts apps 2 minutes after login
$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "C:\\Program Files\\Spotify\\Spotify.exe"
$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -AtLogon
$trigger.Delay = "PT2M"  # 2 minute delay
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "Spotify-Delayed" -Action $action -Trigger $trigger

Windows boots fast, then Spotify launches when you’re already working.