Loads Of Folders
If you need to copy a list of files from a folder in Windows there’s a better way to do that than copying and pasting each of the file titles. Instead you can set up a Notepad text document with all the file titles in a folder from the Command Prompt. Firstly, open the Command Prompt by entering cmd in the Windows Start menu search box.
-->To find downloads on your PC: Select File Explorer from the taskbar, or press the Windows logo key + E. Under Quick access, select Downloads. You can also find your Downloads folder under This PC. Load in all files of a folder? Learn more about open, file, load.
Navigating through Windows PowerShell drives and manipulating the items on them is similar tomanipulating files and folders on Windows physical disk drives. This article discusses how to dealwith specific file and folder manipulation tasks using PowerShell.
Listing All the Files and Folders Within a Folder
You can get all items directly within a folder by using Get-ChildItem
. Add the optionalForce parameter to display hidden or system items. For example, this command displays the directcontents of Windows PowerShell Drive C (which is the same as the Windows physical drive C):
The command lists only the directly contained items, much like using Cmd.exe
's DIR
command orls
in a UNIX shell. In order to show contained items, you need to specify the -Recurse
parameter as well. (This can take an extremely long time to complete.) To list everything on the Cdrive:
Get-ChildItem
can filter items with its Path, Filter, Include, and Excludeparameters, but those are typically based only on name. You can perform complex filtering based onother properties of items by using Where-Object
.
The following command finds all executables within the Program Files folder that were last modifiedafter October 1, 2005 and which are neither smaller than 1 megabyte nor larger than 10 megabytes:
Copying Files and Folders
Copying is done with Copy-Item
. The following command backs up C:boot.ini to C:boot.bak:
If the destination file already exists, the copy attempt fails. To overwrite a pre-existingdestination, use the Force parameter:
This command works even when the destination is read-only.
Folder copying works the same way. This command copies the folder C:temptest1
to the new folderC:tempDeleteMe
recursively:
You can also copy a selection of items. The following command copies all .txt files containedanywhere in C:data
to C:temptext
:
You can still use other tools to perform file system copies. XCOPY, ROBOCOPY, and COM objects, suchas the Scripting.FileSystemObject, all work in Windows PowerShell. For example, you can use theWindows Script Host Scripting.FileSystem COM class to back up C:boot.ini
to C:boot.bak
:
Creating Files and Folders
Creating new items works the same on all Windows PowerShell providers. If a Windows PowerShellprovider has more than one type of item—for example, the FileSystem Windows PowerShell providerdistinguishes between directories and files—you need to specify the item type.
This command creates a new folder C:tempNew Folder
:
This command creates a new empty file C:tempNew Folderfile.txt
Important
When using the Force switch with the New-Item
command to create a folder, and the folderalready exists, it won't overwrite or replace the folder. It will simply return the existingfolder object. However, if you use New-Item -Force
on a file that already exists, the file willbe completely overwritten.
Removing All Files and Folders Within a Folder
You can remove contained items using Remove-Item
, but you will be prompted to confirm theremoval if the item contains anything else. For example, if you attempt to delete the folderC:tempDeleteMe
that contains other items, Windows PowerShell prompts you for confirmation beforedeleting the folder:
If you do not want to be prompted for each contained item, specify the Recurse parameter:
Mapping a Local Folder as a drive
You can also map a local folder, using the New-PSDrive
command. The following command creates alocal drive P:
rooted in the local Program Files directory, visible only from the PowerShellsession:
Just as with network drives, drives mapped within Windows PowerShell are immediately visible to theWindows PowerShell shell. In order to create a mapped drive visible from File Explorer, theparameter -Persist
is needed. However, only remote paths can be used with Persist.
Reading a Text File into an Array
One of the more common storage formats for text data is in a file with separate lines treated asdistinct data elements. The Get-Content
cmdlet can be used to read an entire file in one step,as shown here:
Get-Content
already treats the data read from the file as an array, with one element per line offile content. You can confirm this by checking the Length of the returned content:
This command is most useful for getting lists of information into Windows PowerShell directly. Forexample, you might store a list of computer names or IP addresses in a fileC:tempdomainMembers.txt
, with one name on each line of the file. You can use Get-Content
toretrieve the file contents and put them in the variable $Computers
:
$Computers
is now an array containing a computer name in each element.
When you boot up your operating system or log on to your computer, some programs run automatically without any actions on your part. In Microsoft systems such Windows 10, these programs are launched from the startup folder. Some of these applications are defined by Microsoft, whereas others are user-defined. We’ll explain which programs you should always run at startup and show you how to add and remove programs from startup in Windows 10.
What exactly is the Windows 10 startup folder?
As soon as you boot up your system or log on to your user account, Windows 10 automatically runs all programs or files listed in the startup folder. Up until Windows 8, you could view and change these applications directly from the Start menu. As of version 8.1 and higher, including Windows 10, you can only access the startup folder from your personal user files.
There is also an All Users startup folder in addition to your personal startup folder. The applications in this folder run automatically when all users log on. This folder is usually managed by the system administrator. Windows 10 may also need to access this folder itself, for example when installing software.
Don’t confuse the startup folder with the autorun function. Autorun is a feature that allows the operating system to perform a specific action automatically when you insert a removable storage device such as a CD or a USB thumb drive.
The startup folder typically only contains links to the programs that you want to start automatically. However, the startup folder can also contain any other files (such as scripts) that you want to run when you log on. In addition to the programs in the Windows 10 startup folder, there are other files that are a permanent part of your operating system and run automatically at startup. These include the Run, RunOnce, RunServices and RunServicesOnce keys in the Windows registry.
Most malware takes advantage of the autostart function of these keys by placing malicious programs in the above registry keys so that the programs run automatically without your knowledge every time you boot up Windows.
Why it’s important to manage the startup folder in Windows 10
Good management of Windows 10 startup programs is important for several reasons. The main reason for adding applications, services, or scripts to the startup folder is obvious: If you use programs or processes that you need or want to run automatically when you log on, you can save a lot of time by adding them to your startup folder. If you’re an administrator, you can even add programs directly to the shared startup folder for all users in Windows 10.
Automatically running processes, services and applications at startup can be convenient, but it can be a disadvantage if it uses too much of your computer’s resources, making it slower for you to log on and use the system. In other words, it won’t save you time unless your computer has enough resources to start all the applications without having performance issues. If you struggle with performance issues, it’s worth taking a look at your startup folder in Windows 10. Windows may be running too many applications or overly CPU-intensive programs for no good reason every time you log on to the system. To address this problem, remove unnecessary applications from your startup folder.
If you’re having regular performance problems, you should also check whether certain processes are consuming unnecessary amounts of RAM. If so, try freeing up some memory. To learn how, see our step-by-step guide to freeing up memory.
Locating the startup folder in Windows 10
As mentioned earlier, the startup folder in Windows 10 is no longer listed directly in the Start menu, although both the user-specific and All Users startup folders are still in the Start menu directory. Here are the exact locations of these folders:
Both folders are buried deep in the directory structures of the Windows 10 partition, which is why the operating system allows you to open either directory using shell commands. To do this, open the Run dialog box from the Start menu or using the keyboard shortcut [Windows] + [R], and then enter one of the following, depending on whether you want to open your own startup folder or the folder for all users:
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How to add programs to the startup folder in Windows 10
Many programs offer the option to run at startup in their settings. You should first check to see if the software you’d like to add to startup offers this option. If so, you can use this option and save yourself the following steps.
If not, you can easily add already installed programs to your startup folder in Windows 10. All you have to do is create a shortcut to the executable file (.exe file) and save it to the startup folder. If you don’t know where to find the executable file, just use the Windows search bar: Enter the name of the application, right-click the program and select Open file location:
If you’ve hidden the search bar in Windows 10, you can unhide it at any time by right-clicking the Windows logo and choosing “Search.”
Next, right-click the file, which is automatically selected by Windows, and choose Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut).
Find the new shortcut on your desktop and copy it to the startup folder in Windows 10 using copy-and-paste or drag-and-drop:
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How to disable startup programs in Windows 10
Of course, you can also remove any programs you’ve added to your startup folder in Windows 10. To do this, simply delete the shortcuts from the startup folder. Note that you require administrator privileges to remove shortcuts from the All Users startup folder. Alternatively, if you set a program to run at startup in the settings of the program, you can disable it there.
You can also delete startup configurations using the Task Manager, although the Task Manager also lists programs and services that are not in your startup folders. To open task manager, simply hold down the [Ctrl] and [Shift] keys and press [Esc]. Go to the Startup tab:
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This tab lists the startup programs of your Windows 10 system, including publisher information, the current status (enabled/disabled), and the impact of the program on system startup (low, high, or not measured). If you’re an administrator, you’ll also see additional information about whether the startup programs are from a folder or the registry as well as the exact location of each program.
To remove a program, right-click the program in the Task Manager and select Disable:
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Which programs should I add to startup in Windows 10?
The core services that Windows 10 requires to function properly are automatically loaded when Windows boots up. You don’t have to manage these processes, nor are you able to. However, you have the freedom to manage installed user software on your own computer or as a system administrator.
The following programs should always run at startup or are at least recommended:
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- Security software (antivirus programs, firewall etc.): Windows 10 comes with its own arsenal of software to protect your computer against external attacks. However, if you’ve disabled these applications and use other software, make sure it runs from the moment you log on. The best way to ensure this is to use the startup folder in Windows 10.
- Backup software: If you use backup software to back up your data, you should add it to the Windows 10 startup folder. That way you won’t forget to turn on your backup software.
- Software you use regularly: Other candidates for the startup folder in Windows 10 are programs that you use regularly. These include clipboard managers or VPN programs as well as cloud storage solutions and email clients.
You should remove all non-essential applications, scripts and services from the startup folder to ensure that startup is as efficient as possible in Windows 10. Gaming and chat clients, Apple and Adobe applications such as QuickTime or Adobe Reader, and utilities such as registry cleaners or toolbars are typical examples of applications that may be loading every time you boot up, but probably don’t belong in the startup folder.