💾 About The Project

Advanced Startup Manager

The Advanced Startup Manager is a comprehensive PowerShell utility with a rich graphical user interface (GUI) built using WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation). It provides a centralized and powerful platform for viewing, managing, and analyzing all auto-starting applications, scheduled tasks, and system services on a Windows machine. This tool consolidates functionality from multiple system utilities (Task Manager, Task Scheduler, Services) into a single, feature-rich application.

Built by: Zachary Whiteman & Google Gemini Ai.

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🔰 Getting Started

This is an advanced system utility designed for power users and system administrators.

🕰️ Prerequisites

To run this script, you will need:

Windows Operating System.
PowerShell 5.1 or newer.
.NET Framework 4.5 or later: Required for the WPF-based GUI.
Administrator Privileges: The script requires administrator access for full functionality and will attempt to self-elevate if not run as an administrator.

💽 Installation & Execution

Download: Download the AdvancedStartupManager.PS1 script file.
Unblock: Right-click the file, go to Properties, and click Unblock if the file was downloaded from the internet.
Run: Execute the script from a PowerShell console or by double-clicking it. The script will automatically request administrator elevation.
```
.\AdvancedStartupManager.PS1
```

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🚀 Features

The application is organized into three main tabs, each packed with features.

Startup Apps

Comprehensive Listing: Displays startup items from all common locations, including multiple registry hives and system-wide startup folders.
Modern App Support: Correctly identifies and manages the enabled/disabled state of modern startup apps.
Multiple Views: View items in a detailed data grid or a more visual icon-based layout.
Full Management: Enable, disable, delete, or add new startup applications.
Rich Details: Shows application icons, publisher information, and digital signature status.

Scheduled Tasks

Complete Overview: Lists all configured scheduled tasks on the system.
Full Control: Enable, disable, delete, or manually trigger any task from the list.
Detailed Information: Displays the task's path, state, last run time, and next run time.

Services

Service Management: Lists all system services, similar to services.msc.
Service Control: Start, stop, or change the startup type (Automatic, Manual, Disabled) of any service.
Detailed Tooltips: Hover over a service to see its full description and the path to its executable.

Universal Features

Search, Sort, and Group: Each tab features powerful controls to search, sort, and group items to quickly find what you're looking for.
Rich Context Menus: Right-click on an item to access a context menu with advanced options like "Open File Location," "Properties," "Verify Digital Signature," "Check on VirusTotal," and "Open in Registry Editor."
JSON Export: Back up the list of items from any tab to a structured JSON file.

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🛠️ Technology Stack

Scripting Language: PowerShell
GUI Framework: Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).
System Interaction: Utilizes a combination of PowerShell cmdlets (Get-ScheduledTask, Get-CimInstance), .NET classes, and registry queries to gather and manage system information.

📐 Architecture & Security Notes

Administrator Required: The script's core functionality relies on having administrator privileges to read and write to protected system locations. It includes a self-elevation mechanism.
System Modification: This tool can make significant changes to your system's configuration (disabling services, deleting startup items, etc.). Use it with care.
External Lookups: The "Check on VirusTotal" feature will open your default web browser and navigate to the VirusTotal website with the file hash of the selected item.

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