5 ms·

Is there a summary somewhere for non Windows acolytes on how to make the system usable?

defrost 2y ago
Here's a minimal -> maximal (choose your own adventure) windows 10 and|or 11 debloat | tweak | install | BYO install utility. https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UQZ5oQg8XA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UQZ5oQg8XA The defaults are not at all extreme with the knife, it takes away all the advertorial ad-ons and shows how to disable more (including Edge and defaulting to Edge from system links). Also includes the ability to mod your own ISO to make a lean clean fast install | boot disk for later on or friends. It's "open" if you read powershell scripts, it's literally just a pipe from a readable GIT reposity to a powershell GUI that toggles scripts that can be read by clicking on [?]'s. If nothing else you can select the default recommended updates setting which is no new features just security updates.
- whoitwas 2y ago
  Thanks. I will read up!
  - fuzzfactor 2y ago
    Titus is brilliant. Also a good idea can be to familiarize yourself with all of the built-in apps and ones you install yourself, and explore their settings to make sure any data generated or downloaded is saved to a sensible folder hierarchy which you create on a drive other than C:. Like an external drive. A real storage drive, not OneDrive, I would uninstall that. Since C: is the volume that contains Windows itself it's good to be able to replace Windows whenever you want without fear that some of your valuable data is buried in some default folder deeply nested on your C: volume which can slow you down to a crawl picking through it. If you really want to have all your files at your disposal without having to rely on internet connections or cloud storage. Even if you've never professionally used a quaint old 4-drawer filing cabinet, and are even further from mastering the Windows file manager (currently named "File Explorer"), you can surely do better than the way it ends up if you leave the Microsoft defaults to work their mayhem. You may find it ideal to end up with a separate folder hierarchy for each program you install, or each project you start, etc. For one thing you get to do it the way you want and can more seriously consider gradual improvements from there when it makes the most sense for you. As long as it works nobody can tell you that it's wrong. And the whole time you know your valuable data is in folders & files at least one step removed from being jumbled up with all the Windows files & folders on the C: volume. Any data that builds up routinely should be intentionally directed by you to somewhere else so you can make sure that the space taken up on the C: drive is not excessive in case you want to back that up as a "system" for system recovery later. Temporary internet files can remain at default on C: just fine since they have a functional procedure for cleanup. When your valuable data is intentionally on a separate drive to begin with it's already "backed up" to an extent in case something unfortunate was to happen to your C: volume anyway. And you can unplug an external drive to reduce risk when you aren't really using it at the time. Oh yeah, stay away from bitlocker since it can screw up your external drives. Unless you really are in the FBI or something ;)
- whoitwas 2y ago
  After using the util, it's okay. It doesn't really remove any of the dark patterns or attempts to sell. I guess that's just how Windows is now. Hopefully one day OSX or Linux will have gaming (not Epic gaming).
  - defrost 2y ago
    Curiously it worked for me (on a Windows 10 install) - no ads, no Edge, no telemetry (I use sysInternals ProcessExplorer and other tools as a cross check). I also use the seperate O&O tweaks (App Buster and ShutUP) that I saw were included as part of the winUtil's many options (I'm guessing titus just copied the tweaks across). Maybe you misread the GUI (perhaps ticked options but didn't apply?). Hard to debug from a distance. Regardless - there's also the Revision community that are dedicated to gutting windows for peak gaming - you can read their stuff and talk to their members on forums, etc: https://revi.cc/about https://revi.cc/about https://revi.cc/docs/playbook/general https://revi.cc/docs/playbook/general As I recall this is also the path taken by a number of Qubes users to make their Windows "Qubes" (a clean stripped down windows VM to spin up fresh for secure tasks isolated from others).
- whoitwas 2y ago
  This tool seems like it's for a person who is forced to use Windows at work. If you must use MSFT and you can't find a new job, use this tool until you do.

Here's a minimal -> maximal (choose your own adventure) windows 10 and|or 11 debloat | tweak | install | BYO install utility. https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UQZ5oQg8XA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UQZ5oQg8XA The defaults are not at all extreme with the knife, it takes away all the advertorial ad-ons and shows how to disable more (including Edge and defaulting to Edge from system links). Also includes the ability to mod your own ISO to make a lean clean fast install | boot disk for later on or friends. It's "open" if you read powershell scripts, it's literally just a pipe from a readable GIT reposity to a powershell GUI that toggles scripts that can be read by clicking on [?]'s. If nothing else you can select the default recommended updates setting which is no new features just security updates.

whoitwas 2y ago
Thanks. I will read up!
- fuzzfactor 2y ago
  Titus is brilliant. Also a good idea can be to familiarize yourself with all of the built-in apps and ones you install yourself, and explore their settings to make sure any data generated or downloaded is saved to a sensible folder hierarchy which you create on a drive other than C:. Like an external drive. A real storage drive, not OneDrive, I would uninstall that. Since C: is the volume that contains Windows itself it's good to be able to replace Windows whenever you want without fear that some of your valuable data is buried in some default folder deeply nested on your C: volume which can slow you down to a crawl picking through it. If you really want to have all your files at your disposal without having to rely on internet connections or cloud storage. Even if you've never professionally used a quaint old 4-drawer filing cabinet, and are even further from mastering the Windows file manager (currently named "File Explorer"), you can surely do better than the way it ends up if you leave the Microsoft defaults to work their mayhem. You may find it ideal to end up with a separate folder hierarchy for each program you install, or each project you start, etc. For one thing you get to do it the way you want and can more seriously consider gradual improvements from there when it makes the most sense for you. As long as it works nobody can tell you that it's wrong. And the whole time you know your valuable data is in folders & files at least one step removed from being jumbled up with all the Windows files & folders on the C: volume. Any data that builds up routinely should be intentionally directed by you to somewhere else so you can make sure that the space taken up on the C: drive is not excessive in case you want to back that up as a "system" for system recovery later. Temporary internet files can remain at default on C: just fine since they have a functional procedure for cleanup. When your valuable data is intentionally on a separate drive to begin with it's already "backed up" to an extent in case something unfortunate was to happen to your C: volume anyway. And you can unplug an external drive to reduce risk when you aren't really using it at the time. Oh yeah, stay away from bitlocker since it can screw up your external drives. Unless you really are in the FBI or something ;)
whoitwas 2y ago
After using the util, it's okay. It doesn't really remove any of the dark patterns or attempts to sell. I guess that's just how Windows is now. Hopefully one day OSX or Linux will have gaming (not Epic gaming).
- defrost 2y ago
  Curiously it worked for me (on a Windows 10 install) - no ads, no Edge, no telemetry (I use sysInternals ProcessExplorer and other tools as a cross check). I also use the seperate O&O tweaks (App Buster and ShutUP) that I saw were included as part of the winUtil's many options (I'm guessing titus just copied the tweaks across). Maybe you misread the GUI (perhaps ticked options but didn't apply?). Hard to debug from a distance. Regardless - there's also the Revision community that are dedicated to gutting windows for peak gaming - you can read their stuff and talk to their members on forums, etc: https://revi.cc/about https://revi.cc/about https://revi.cc/docs/playbook/general https://revi.cc/docs/playbook/general As I recall this is also the path taken by a number of Qubes users to make their Windows "Qubes" (a clean stripped down windows VM to spin up fresh for secure tasks isolated from others).
whoitwas 2y ago
This tool seems like it's for a person who is forced to use Windows at work. If you must use MSFT and you can't find a new job, use this tool until you do.