diff --git a/DailyDesktop.Core/DailyDesktopCore.cs b/DailyDesktop.Core/DailyDesktopCore.cs
index 73cacf8..d7c00f5 100644
--- a/DailyDesktop.Core/DailyDesktopCore.cs
+++ b/DailyDesktop.Core/DailyDesktopCore.cs
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ namespace DailyDesktop.Core
     /// module scanning, though <see cref="ProviderStore"/> is fully functional as
     /// a standalone class.
     /// </summary>
-    public class DailyDesktopCore : IDisposable
+    public sealed class DailyDesktopCore : IDisposable
     {
         private Microsoft.Win32.TaskScheduler.Task? task;
         private string taskName;
 
-        private readonly ProviderStore store = new ProviderStore();
+        private readonly ProviderStore store = new();
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Read-only interface to the path configuration.
@@ -62,8 +62,12 @@ public string TaskName
         /// <summary>
         /// The currently selected provider corresponding to <see cref="TaskConfiguration.Dll"/>.
         /// </summary>
-        public IProvider? CurrentProvider => currentProvider;
-        private IProvider? currentProvider;
+        public IProvider? CurrentProvider => Providers.ContainsKey(taskConfig.Dll) ? IProvider.Instantiate(Providers[taskConfig.Dll]) : null;
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// The collection of currently loaded <see cref="IProvider"/>s.
+        /// </summary>
+        public IReadOnlyDictionary<string, Type> Providers => store.Providers;
 
         /// <summary>
         /// The state of the desktop wallpaper update task.
@@ -79,35 +83,24 @@ public string TaskName
         /// <param name="cancellationToken">The <see cref="CancellationToken"/>.</param>
         public static async Task<DailyDesktopCore> CreateCoreAsync(PathConfiguration pathConfig, string taskName, bool isAutoCreatingTask, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
         {
-            var core = new DailyDesktopCore(pathConfig, taskName);
-
-            core.IsAutoCreatingTask = isAutoCreatingTask;
+            var core = new DailyDesktopCore(pathConfig, taskName)
+            {
+                IsAutoCreatingTask = isAutoCreatingTask
+            };
 
             core.taskConfig.OnUpdateAsync += core.onTaskConfigUpdateAsync;
 
             if (!await core.taskConfig.TryDeserializeAsync(cancellationToken))
                 await core.taskConfig.UpdateAsync(cancellationToken);
 
-            var providers = await core.GetProvidersAsync(cancellationToken);
-            if (providers.ContainsKey(core.taskConfig.Dll))
-                core.currentProvider = IProvider.Instantiate(providers[core.taskConfig.Dll]);
-
-            if (core.IsAutoCreatingTask)
-                core.CreateTask();
-
             return core;
         }
 
         /// <summary>
-        /// Get an asynchronously scanned dictionary of <see cref="IProvider"/> <see cref="Type"/> values and DLL module path keys.
+        /// Scans for <see cref="IProvider"/>s and populates <see cref="Providers"/>.
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="cancellationToken">The <see cref="CancellationToken"/>.</param>
-        /// <returns>The dictionary of DLL path <see cref="string"/>s to <see cref="IProvider"/> <see cref="Type"/>s.</returns>
-        public async Task<IReadOnlyDictionary<string, Type>> GetProvidersAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
-        {
-            await store.ScanAsync(pathConfig.ProvidersDir, cancellationToken);
-            return store.Providers;
-        }
+        public async Task ScanProvidersAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken) => await store.ScanAsync(pathConfig.ProvidersDir, cancellationToken);
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Creates a <see cref="Microsoft.Win32.TaskScheduler.Task"/> under the name <see cref="TaskName"/>. If
@@ -190,11 +183,8 @@ private DailyDesktopCore(PathConfiguration pathConfig, string taskName)
 
         private async Task onTaskConfigUpdateAsync(object? sender, EventArgs? args, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
         {
-            var providers = await GetProvidersAsync(cancellationToken);
-            currentProvider = providers.ContainsKey(taskConfig.Dll) ? IProvider.Instantiate(providers[taskConfig.Dll]) : null;
-
             if (IsAutoCreatingTask)
-                CreateTask();
+                await Task.Run(CreateTask, cancellationToken);
         }
 
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/DailyDesktop.Core/Providers/ProviderStore.cs b/DailyDesktop.Core/Providers/ProviderStore.cs
index 1a94db5..0c165c0 100644
--- a/DailyDesktop.Core/Providers/ProviderStore.cs
+++ b/DailyDesktop.Core/Providers/ProviderStore.cs
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ private Type addImpl(string dllPath, Assembly assembly)
         public void Scan(string directory)
         {
             if (!Directory.Exists(directory))
-                return;
+                throw new DirectoryNotFoundException($"{directory} does not exist");
 
             foreach (var path in Directory.GetFiles(directory, PROVIDERS_SEARCH_PATTERN, SearchOption.AllDirectories))
             {
@@ -113,10 +113,13 @@ public void Scan(string directory)
         public async Task ScanAsync(string directory, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
         {
             if (!Directory.Exists(directory))
-                return;
+                throw new DirectoryNotFoundException($"{directory} does not exist");
 
             foreach (var path in Directory.GetFiles(directory, PROVIDERS_SEARCH_PATTERN, SearchOption.AllDirectories))
             {
+                if (cancellationToken.IsCancellationRequested)
+                    throw new OperationCanceledException();
+
                 try
                 {
                     await AddAsync(path, cancellationToken);
diff --git a/DailyDesktop.Desktop/MainForm.cs b/DailyDesktop.Desktop/MainForm.cs
index d2ddad7..8d3f0c3 100644
--- a/DailyDesktop.Desktop/MainForm.cs
+++ b/DailyDesktop.Desktop/MainForm.cs
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ public partial class MainForm : Form
         private const string null_text = "null";
         private const string fetched_text = "fetched on";
 
+        private const string failed_scan_text = "Could not load all providers. (took too long?)";
+
         private readonly DailyDesktopCore core;
         private readonly WallpaperConfiguration wallpaperConfig;
 
@@ -64,7 +66,7 @@ public static async Task<MainForm> CreateFormAsync()
                 AssemblyDir = assemblyDir,
                 ProvidersDir = providersDir,
                 SerializationDir = serializationDir,
-            }, taskName, true, AsyncUtils.TimedCancel(2500)));
+            }, taskName, true, AsyncUtils.TimedCancel()));
         }
 
         private MainForm(DailyDesktopCore core)
@@ -129,40 +131,56 @@ private void MainForm_FormClosing(object? sender, EventArgs e)
 
         private async void providerComboBox_SelectedIndexChanged(object? sender, EventArgs e)
         {
-            if (providerComboBox.SelectedItem is ProviderWrapper provider)
-                await taskConfig.SetDllAsync(provider.Dll, AsyncUtils.TimedCancel());
+            if (providerComboBox.SelectedItem is not ProviderWrapper p)
+                return;
+
+            await taskConfig.SetDllAsync(p.Dll, AsyncUtils.TimedCancel());
 
-            providerDescriptionLabel.Text = core.CurrentProvider?.Description ?? null_description;
-            providerSourceLinkLabel.Text = core.CurrentProvider?.SourceUri ?? null_text;
-            providerSourceLinkLabel.Links[0].Enabled = Uri.TryCreate(providerSourceLinkLabel.Text, UriKind.Absolute, out _);
-            providerSourceLinkLabel.TabStop = wallpaperAuthorLinkLabel.Links[0].Enabled;
+            Invoke(() =>
+            {            
+                var provider = core.CurrentProvider;
+                providerDescriptionLabel.Text = provider?.Description ?? null_description;
+                providerSourceLinkLabel.Text = provider?.SourceUri ?? null_text;
+                providerSourceLinkLabel.Links[0].Enabled = Uri.TryCreate(providerSourceLinkLabel.Text, UriKind.Absolute, out _);
+                providerSourceLinkLabel.TabStop = wallpaperAuthorLinkLabel.Links[0].Enabled;
+            });
         }
 
         private async Task repopulateProviderComboBox()
         {
-            var providers = await core.GetProvidersAsync(AsyncUtils.TimedCancel());
+            bool isFullyLoaded = true;
 
-            providerComboBox.Items.Clear();
-            providerComboBox.Items.Add(ProviderWrapper.Null);
+            try
+            {
+                await core.ScanProvidersAsync(AsyncUtils.TimedCancel(3000));
+            }
+            catch (OperationCanceledException)
+            {
+                isFullyLoaded = false;
+            }
 
-            foreach (var keyVal in providers)
+            Invoke(() =>
             {
-                try
-                {
-                    var provider = IProvider.Instantiate(keyVal.Value);
-                    var item = new ProviderWrapper(keyVal.Key, provider);
-                    providerComboBox.Items.Add(item);
-                }
-                catch (ProviderException pe)
+                providerComboBox.Items.Clear();
+                providerComboBox.Items.Add(isFullyLoaded ? ProviderWrapper.Null : failed_scan_text);
+
+                foreach (var keyVal in core.Providers)
                 {
-                    Console.WriteLine(pe.StackTrace);
+                    try
+                    {
+                        var provider = IProvider.Instantiate(keyVal.Value);
+                        var item = new ProviderWrapper(keyVal.Key, provider);
+                        providerComboBox.Items.Add(item);
+                    }
+                    catch (ProviderException pe)
+                    {
+                        Console.WriteLine(pe.StackTrace);
+                    }
                 }
-            }
-
-            int index = providerComboBox.FindString(core.CurrentProvider?.DisplayName ?? "");
 
-            if (index >= 0)
-                providerComboBox.SelectedIndex = index;
+                if (core.CurrentProvider != null)
+                    providerComboBox.SelectedIndex = providerComboBox.FindString(core.CurrentProvider.DisplayName);
+            });
         }
 
         private async void providerComboBox_DropDown(object? sender, EventArgs e) => await repopulateProviderComboBox();