What are your favorite/must tweaks?

muzicman82

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Ok, after a clean install, what are the first must do tweaks you do?

EDIT: Thanks for all of the input so far. Keep them coming! Here's a quick list from me.

- Disable UAC (Never Notify)
- Disable All Notification Center Notices
- Netplwiz
- Disable Firewall and Defender
- Disable System Restore
- Set taskbar to Combine When Full
- Hide Libraries and Folders from Explorer
- Disable OneDrive
- Disable Homegroups
- Disable Hibernate
- Uxtheme Patch / White Titlebar Text Theme
- StartIsGone
- TakeOwnershipEx
- Enable Launching of Unsafe Files / Turn Off Security Settings Check

Here's a list of small programs I run to improve the Windows experience:
- DU Meter
- DisplayFusion
- True Launch Bar
- FastPictureViewer/Codec Pack
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 / Windows 7 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision M6500
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-740QM
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 PRO SSD (Windows 8.1)
    OCZ Vertex 2 SSD (Windows 7)
    WD Black HDD (Storage)
    Browser
    Google Chrome

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I honestly don't really "tweak" anything anymore. I just install the minimum amount of stuff that I need, take an image and then call it a day.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I honestly don't really "tweak" anything anymore. I just install the minimum amount of stuff that I need, take an image and then call it a day.

Sounds like a plan.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4790
    Motherboard
    GA-Z87X-D3H
    Memory
    G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire ATI Radeon R7 250
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC892
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung UN32EH5000, Dell 1703FPT
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD5003AZEX
    WD10EZEX
    Samsung HD103SJ
    Samsung 128 GB 840 PRO
    PSU
    SeaSonic M12II SS-500GM
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900ALED
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    16 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    Bose Companion 2 Multimedia Speakers

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 / Windows 7 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision M6500
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-740QM
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 PRO SSD (Windows 8.1)
    OCZ Vertex 2 SSD (Windows 7)
    WD Black HDD (Storage)
    Browser
    Google Chrome
There are only a few tweaks that I do.

The very first one is.... See te reg file below,,,

Then,,, WinAero: Close Threshold for Metro Apps
I set it at about 450 for both.

Install Rainmeter and I use this.... LucidDock by LucidDiminution on deviantART
I created that Dock.
I may need to tweak that some more. But it works.
You my have to edit the file to open Office stuff if you are using that.
It's not too difficult.
Instructions are in the LucidDock.ini
Best to use NotePad++ to edit this file.

Then either ClassicShell or Start8. Either will work
ClassicShell is free and a very good start button app
Although, i don't find myself using it.
I could actually do without either now. No Start button needed really.

That's all I do for my essential tweaks.


Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\Menu1]
"MUIVerb"="Power"
"SubCommands"="shutdown;restart;lock;|;logoff;|;abort;switchuser;|;hybridshutdown;hibernate;sleep"
"Icon"="powrprof.dll,-513"
"Position"="Bottom"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\zMenu1]
"MUIVerb"="Power"
"SubCommands"="shutdown;restart;lock;|;logoff;|;abort;switchuser;|;hybridshutdown;hibernate;sleep"
"Icon"="powrprof.dll,-513"
"Position"="Bottom"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\shutdown]
@="Shutdown"
"icon"="shell32.dll,-28"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\shutdown\command]
@="shutdown.exe -s -t 00 -f"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\restart]
@="Restart"
"icon"="SyncCenter.dll,-1220"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\restart\command]
@="shutdown.exe -r -t 00 -f"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\lock]
@="Lock Computer"
"icon"="shell32.dll,-48"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\lock\command]
@="rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\logoff]
@="Log Off"
"icon"="shell32.dll,-45"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\logoff\command]
@="shutdown.exe -L"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\abort]
@="Abort"
"icon"="imageres.dll,-98"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\abort\command]
@="shutdown.exe -A"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\switchuser]
@="Switch User"
"icon"="imageres.dll,-88"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\switchuser\command]
@="tsdiscon.exe"


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\sleep]
@="Sleep"
"Icon"="powercpl.dll,-514"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\sleep\command]
@="rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState Sleep"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\hibernate]
@="Hibernate"
"icon"="imageres.dll,-1013"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\hibernate\command]
@="Shutdown -h"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\hybridshutdown]
@="Shut Down (Hybrid)"
"icon"="imageres.dll,-1022"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\hybridshutdown\command]
@="Shutdown -s -f -t 00 -hybrid"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Copy To]
@="{C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Move To]
@="{C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas]
@="Open Command Window Here (Administrator)"
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Extended"=""
"Position"="Top"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas\command]
@="cmd.exe /s /k pushd \"%V\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas]
@="Open Command Window Here (Administrator)"
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Extended"=""
"Position"="Top"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\runas\command]
@="cmd.exe /s /k pushd \"%V\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\shell\runas]
@="Open Command Window Here (Administrator)"
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"Extended"=""
"Position"="Middle"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\shell\runas\command]
@="cmd.exe /s /k pushd \"%V\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Clear Clipboard]
"Icon"="shell32.dll,-16763"
"Position"="Bottom"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Clear Clipboard\command]
@="cmd.exe /c \"echo off | clip\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\background\shell\Clear Clipboard]
"Icon"="shell32.dll,-16763"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\background\shell\Clear Clipboard\command]
@="cmd.exe /c \"echo off | clip\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Clear Clipboard]
"Icon"="shell32.dll,-16763"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Clear Clipboard\command]
@="cmd.exe /c \"echo off | clip\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LibraryFolder\background\shell\Clear Clipboard]
"Icon"="shell32.dll,-16763"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\LibraryFolder\background\shell\Clear Clipboard\command]
@="cmd.exe /c \"echo off | clip\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with Notepad]
"Icon"="notepad.exe,-2"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with Notepad\command]
@="notepad.exe %1"
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    I7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77
    Memory
    CORSAIR 8GB 2X4 D3 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX680 4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 24" LED VG248QE
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG E 256GB SSD 840 PRO -
    SAMSUNG E 120GB SSD840 -
    SEAGATE 1TB PIPELINE
    PSU
    CORSAIR GS800
    Case
    CORSAIR 600T
    Cooling
    CORSAIR HYDRO H100I LIQUID COOLER
    Keyboard
    THERMALTA CHALLENGER ULT GAME-KYBRD
    Mouse
    RAZER DEATHADDER GAME MS BLK-ED
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    APC 1000VA -
    LGELECOEM LG 14X SATA BD BURNER -
    CORSAIR SP120 Fans x 3 -
    NZXT 5.25 USB3 BAY CARD READER -
    HAUPPAUGE COLOSSUS
All I do is netplwiz for automatic login.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
My tweaks are based solely on performance:
- dark non animated backgrounds
- enable maximum cores/unpark parked cores
- disable windows search service
- disable all unnecessary messages in action center settings
- disable autoplay
- enable high power
- bare essentials programs and features
- disable unnecessary Windows features
- disable all but 3 visual effects
- set no paging file for 8GB RAM and up; 1.5x size for 4GB and under
- (sometimes use ReadyBoost)
- User Accounts-never notify
- Windows Updates-set to 'Never check'
- (plus a handful of handy registry tweaks)

EDIT: almost forgot the Metro stuff
- uninstall almost all Metro stuff
- disable Windows Store (when I'm finished with it!)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion
  • PC2
    Tablet - Windows 10 Home
Edwin, did you notice a true performance increase after all this work. And what is your system (RAM, CPU, Disk).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Edwin, did you notice a true performance increase after all this work. And what is your system (RAM, CPU, Disk).

Oh for sure, check my specs. :)
One of the most important performance boosting/stabilizing adjustments you can make is to reduce the amount of 'calls' Windows has to make throughout your system.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion
  • PC2
    Tablet - Windows 10 Home
System image.
Install antivirus.
Classic Shell.
netplwiz
Window Blinds.
Decor 8.
Microangelo.
Irfanview.
etc.......
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
My tweaks are based solely on performance:
- dark non animated backgrounds
- enable maximum cores/unpark parked cores
- disable windows search service
- disable all unnecessary messages in action center settings
- disable autoplay
- enable high power
- bare essentials programs and features
- disable unnecessary Windows features
- disable all but 3 visual effects
- set no paging file for 8GB RAM and up; 1.5x size for 4GB and under
- (sometimes use ReadyBoost)
- User Accounts-never notify
- Windows Updates-set to 'Never check'
- (plus a handful of handy registry tweaks)

EDIT: almost forgot the Metro stuff
- uninstall almost all Metro stuff
- disable Windows Store (when I'm finished with it!)

Great list Edwin,

I do much of that (and more) and my rig flies!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel G2020
    Motherboard
    ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0
    Memory
    8GBs @ 1333 MHz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO
    PSU
    400w
    Internet Speed
    57/11
My tweaks are based solely on performance:
- dark non animated backgrounds
- enable maximum cores/unpark parked cores
- disable windows search service
- disable all unnecessary messages in action center settings
- disable autoplay
- enable high power
- bare essentials programs and features
- disable unnecessary Windows features
- disable all but 3 visual effects
- set no paging file for 8GB RAM and up; 1.5x size for 4GB and under
- (sometimes use ReadyBoost)
- User Accounts-never notify
- Windows Updates-set to 'Never check'
- (plus a handful of handy registry tweaks)

EDIT: almost forgot the Metro stuff
- uninstall almost all Metro stuff
- disable Windows Store (when I'm finished with it!)

Great list Edwin,

I do much of that (and more) and my rig flies!

You betcha! :) :thumb:
(oh... and about a dozen about:config tweaks in Firefox to make it just as fast as Chrome or any other, if not faster! :))
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 7 Home Premium
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion
  • PC2
    Tablet - Windows 10 Home
You betcha! :) :thumb:
(oh... and about a dozen about:config tweaks in Firefox to make it just as fast as Chrome or any other, if not faster! :))

+1 to all that as well!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel G2020
    Motherboard
    ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0
    Memory
    8GBs @ 1333 MHz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO
    PSU
    400w
    Internet Speed
    57/11
Thanks, that makes sense.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Classic Shell. Hate tiles on regular desktop/laptop. Just me. I'm liking 8.1 setup the way I want. I'm also an old game player and DosBox still works great.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
I'm pretty content with the way MS added most of my Win 7 tweaks into win 8. Those would be;

Multiple taskbars for a multiple monitorsetup.
Programs to show on the taskbar of only the monitor they are opened on
Windows explorer showing Drive information to the right of the screen when opened

The only other tweaks would be creating my own tiles using Canonical Names which is handled (nearly) perfectly by "OblyTile"

And a tweak that I would just loooove to have: Disable corner hotspots on my 2nd 3rd and 4th monitor, it creates allot of problems for me, especially using Photoshop and Dreamweaver as I have tool boxes spread across all four monitors, sometimes accessing a toolbox activates a hotspot. That 2 to 3 second awkward "let my mouse arrow go" is really very annoying.

Other than that, thanks Microsoft for listening :dinesh:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    0i812
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 4770K LGA1150
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    Corsair 32GB (4x8GB) DDR3 CMY32GX3M4A1866C9 1866MH
    Graphics Card(s)
    2 x Crappy GeForce GT 640 2GB DDR3
    Sound Card
    I haz lollies ..
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x LG / 2 x Samsung 21 Inch
    Screen Resolution
    Crispy
    Hard Drives
    2 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO (OS / Other)
    1 x Kingston 120G HyperX SSD (Swap)
    3 x Seagate SATA III 2TB Barracuda (Data Drives)
    1 x Seagate SATA III 1TB Barracuda (Media to XBox)
    1 x W/Digital SATA II 300G VelociRaptor (Image)
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500w
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 White Full Tower
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14
    Keyboard
    Logitech G19
    Mouse
    Logitech G700 / Logitech T650 Touchpad Thingy
    Internet Speed
    ADSL 2+ (Australian version ... lol)
    Browser
    All of them
    Antivirus
    Nortons IS
    Other Info
    This one time at band camp ...
Updated 1st Post with my own.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 / Windows 7 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision M6500
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-740QM
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 PRO SSD (Windows 8.1)
    OCZ Vertex 2 SSD (Windows 7)
    WD Black HDD (Storage)
    Browser
    Google Chrome
My setup/tweaks:

Autoplay for everything, meaning you pop in a DVD and it opens up VLC player and goes full screen, people tell me they LOVE that.

Keep UAC at default. I once read disabling UAC disables Protected Mode in IE, that applies for Windows 7 but I'm not taking any chances.

Automatic login if requested.

Disable Workstation, Computer Browser, Distributed Link Tracking Client, HomeGroup, IP Helper, and Remote Desktop services. Shaves a few seconds off boot time and RAM.

I have some Windows Metrics settings for custom border padding and caption button sizes in a registry key I merge in every image.

AutoEndTasks, MaxConnectionsPerServer, WaitToKill Timeout, and Mouse registry settings are among others I add into the pot.

Remove battery, sound, and weefee icons from the system tray on the Taskbar, redundant as the Settings Charm has all of those and everyone's always told me they never use the battery icon to switch plans.

Tweak power settings, for example on laptops when it's connected to the charger, it runs as if it's in High Performance mode. On battery, it's less battery intensive with PCI Express power adjusting and such.

Delete all verbose Windows Accessories applications like Sound Recorder, Sticky Notes, Character Map, etc.

Delete all verbose program file .exe/shortcut entries in All Apps.

Change automatic maintenance times to around 6-8:00 PM.

Adjust Task Manager columns so they're OCD arranged and is half the screen.

File Explorer gets the quick access icons removed, and folder view is in large icons. Details view doesn't use up space effectively and you'll lose added columns in specific directories. Recycle Bin is the only item in the Favorites menu, everything else is in the This PC folders.

Pin File Explorer locations to Start.

Uninstall certain Windows Features like Media Player and XPS Viewer/Services.

Keep Windows Defender running and enable some items like scanning USB drives automatically.

VLC Player, YouTube Downloader, uTorrent, and the Windows Phone companion app get installed. iTunes, Steam, and Firefox get installed by request. iTunes is obviously more requested. IE pins of the amazon.com, ebay.com, windowsphone.com, and some other site I forget all get pinned.

After deployment of said image, I sign into my dummy Microsoft Account to update and install some apps like MetroTube, Pin-a-Note, and Facetube. Change some colors and wallpapers, said Windows PC is ready to go. :geek:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
My tweaks are based solely on performance:
- enable maximum cores/unpark parked cores
- set no paging file for 8GB RAM and up; 1.5x size for 4GB and under

On cores: I've never seen an instance where I need to explicitly enable cores in Windows 7 or Windows 8. Which tweaks are these and are you sure there is a difference? I've tried the msconfig -> Advanced Boot Options CPU setting and never noticed a difference.

On pagefile: I've done a bit of testing with this as I have 16GB RAM in my laptop. I haven't noticed a performance increase with disabling the page file. In fact, I have seen this cause problems because the RAM will max out and not have a place to expand to.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64 / Windows 7 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Precision M6500
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-740QM
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 PRO SSD (Windows 8.1)
    OCZ Vertex 2 SSD (Windows 7)
    WD Black HDD (Storage)
    Browser
    Google Chrome
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