Windows Startup Apps

User Support Hub Install, Performance & Graphics
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Does anyone know much about how to activate Windows apps to start automatically on boot up?

2 issues:

  1. Since today, for some reason Discord does not auto-start any more. It is set to start in the app itself and has always worked before.

  2. I wanted to set Active Sky FS to start automatically. There is no option in the app itself, but I added a shortcut in the shell:startup “folder” (see my image) but it does not work. Weirdly the task manager shows that it should be loaded, but it’s not until I double-click the icon on my desktop.

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What am I missing? Is there a way to refresh it somehow? Thanks!

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Go to Start > Settings > Apps > Startup. For any app in the list, select the toggle to set it to On.

https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1044726/#Win11

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Yeah it’s on there, but doesn’t seem to work:

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And Discord does not appear in that list. But is on here:

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Thanks @BegottenPoet228 I will take a look at that if it can work at start-up, not just at set times of the day?

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Hi @Baracus250
When you create the task, set the trigger to start at the logon of any user:
Screenshot 2024-05-27 155532

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Weirdly neither of those things worked. Active Sky still not auto-starting, and Discord not too.

All the other things that I have at start up work though (below). Very annoying! I hate Windows lol

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Alright, so I managed to fix one part of this puzzle. It was my fault in being too keen disabling Start-up Apps trying to debloat Windows a bit the other day.

For Discord, it’s actually an app named “Update” (but with the Discord icon) that need to run to launch the app automatically.

But still Active Sky is not working. Does this setup look correct? Weird thing is even if I right-click the task there and “Run”, it does nothing. Is it because the app is with the Administrator shield?
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App shortcut properties:
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Thanks!

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  1. Right Click the Start Icon
  2. Click Run
  3. type → shell:startup
  4. Click OK
  5. Right click screen
  6. Select “New” then “Shortcut”
  7. Choose the program/app you want to run at Bootup/Startup.
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I’ve been trying for hours to get Task Scheduler to work with programs whose shortcut shows the shield. I would think that doing this would make it work, but it changes nothing.

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I don’t know anything about scripting in Powershell (which may be the only answer) so I’m stuck.

Sorry, Bud… I tried. I’m not giving up, because this topic is useful.

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Thank you very much for trying! :heart:

Yeah as I wrote in the first post, I tried this and it does not work for Active Sky. It’s there now:

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idk

What does it look like in Task Manager Startup Appps?
Is it Enabled?

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Yup

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Have you tried opening up the shortcut and verify the .exe is in the path indicated in the “Start in” box?

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It is, I mean the same shortcut works to start the app manually, but I must accept the Administrator prompt. Must be something to do with that blocking it.

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Have you tried removing/ re-installing the app?

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nope, not yet.

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Try via windows registry.

How to add a program to Windows startup (nofusswintricks.blogspot.com)

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Thank you for the suggestion @TenPatrol . I had high hopes this would work, but still no. Very annoying.

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I will ask the developers if they can add an option in the app I suppose!
Surprised it’s not already. They thought of everything else.

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Hi @Baracus250
W.r.t. Task Scheduler:

  • In the General tab, make sure the user account you specify has administrator privileges
  • In the Actions tab, try setting the parameters as follows:
    Action: Start a Program
    Program/script: cmd.exe
    Add Arguments: /C start /B AS_FS.exe
    Start in: D:\MSFS Apps\AS_FS

this uses a command prompt to start the app.
The /C switch orders cmd.exe to carry out the command specified (in this case, “start”) and then terminate.
“start” Starts a separate window to run AS_FS.exe
the /B switch starts AS_FS.exe without creating a new window.

Hope this works for you!

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Does Active Sky depend on anything else running for it to run?

What if you piggyback it with Flight Simulator, not where it starts with Windows but where it starts with FS like in a batch or script?