I've noticed that PowerShell runs briefly during startup on my computer, and I'm not really sure why. I don't have a lot of experience with PowerShell, so I'm asking here for advice. In Task Manager, I sometimes see it pop up, but I can't catch it quickly enough to see what's happening. I checked the PowerShell log in Event Viewer and found three specific commands executing:
1. `Get-AppxPackage | Select Name`
2. `Get-AppxPackage -Name Microsoft.MinecraftUWP`
3. A more complex command that checks certain files in the `C:Windowsinf` directory.
The first two run consistently on startup, but I can't figure out the schedule for the third one. I've run scans with Defender and Malwarebytes, and while someone helped me clean up some unnecessary files, I'm now seeing these PowerShell commands instead of the normal tasks. Is this behavior typical, or should I be concerned about possible malware? Maybe I should just reinstall Windows? I'm really uneasy about seeing PowerShell running in the background without knowing the context.
6 Answers
It might be a good idea to audit your startup applications to find out what's really running at boot. That can give you a clearer picture of what’s going on.
Remember, PowerShell is a powerful tool used by Windows for various tasks, including by Microsoft itself. It's meant to be flexible and can handle file operations among other things, so it’s often nothing to worry about.
You should consider downloading Autoruns from Sysinternals (now part of Microsoft). It’s a great tool to help you identify and control what runs automatically on startup.
Honestly, those commands look harmless. It might be worth checking your startup apps in Windows Settings or the Startup tab in Task Manager to see if there's anything unusual. But this definitely feels more like a Windows support issue than specifically a PowerShell problem.
The third command you're seeing just scans for specific files in the `C:Windowsinf` directory to check for certain installation files. It just outputs a '1' if it finds what it's looking for. It's hard to say why that would be needed, but it doesn't sound harmful.
None of the commands seem suspicious at all. The first couple might be part of routine maintenance for Minecraft or other apps, but I can’t say for sure since I don’t have that installed.
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