ELI5 startup scripts
October 26, 2022 6:33 AM   Subscribe

Our enterprise IT leaves shortcuts (Adobe, Zoom, etc) on my desktop with every update, so they reappear almost daily. Can I automate removing them?

I understand that this can be done with a startup script, but I'm a little lost on the syntax and details of what needs to be where. Please ELI5.

I do have administrative privileges on the machine (Windows 10).

Bonus Q: I feel like this is someone coming into my office for a meeting and leaving their damn coffee cup on my desk. Am I wrong?
posted by Dashy to Technology (5 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
IT almost certainly doesn't think of this as something personal they're doing to/with you; I can't imagine they think of the users at all. I'd try to frame it more as a computer setting you need to work around, as you're doing.

Removing them with a script should be a matter of navigating to the Desktop directory and deleting the appropriate .lnk files.

What I wanted to note, though, is that if you don't have any other shortcuts you want to use, you can turn off the display of desktop icons entirely by right clicking on the desktop and unchecking "Show desktop icons" in the View menu.
posted by sagc at 6:39 AM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I understand that I can delete them manually, which I do almost every day. I'd like to automate that with a script. Is that not possible?

What I'm asking is: what does the script say? Where do I put the script so that it is regularly executed?

I have other desktop icons that I do intentionally leave on my desktop, so turning them all off is not a great solution.
posted by Dashy at 6:46 AM on October 26, 2022


Best answer: I've got the same issue but have been living with it for the moment.

It should be possible to run a script on startup though Microsoft have been making it harder, see here for Windows 10.

That script should be a text file ending .cmd

Inside it you should have a delete statement for the shortcut, like this:

del "C:\Users\Public\Desktop\corporate bullshit.lnk"

Note that there are several different desktop folders that the shortcut could be in. In my case they put it in C:\Users\Public\Desktop, but there is also C:\Users\your.username\Desktop and possibly others. You will need the full path to the shortcut, wherever it is.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 7:20 AM on October 26, 2022 [4 favorites]


Response by poster: Thanks. I've now created a scheduled task.
posted by Dashy at 8:17 AM on October 26, 2022 [2 favorites]


I understand that I can delete them manually, which I do almost every day. I'd like to automate that with a script. Is that not possible?

So... It's possible. But, at the same time, your company may have a script that they run which will overrule yours. My particular company has one that is literally called "Logon Script" which ones every time I sign in. They also have our computers set to check Group Policy throughout the day.

But, I really hope it works out for you! Just wanted to let you know some weird ways it migth fail, even if you do everything right.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 11:19 AM on November 1, 2022


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