Windows Registry mods, advanced tweaking and more | Hacker News Reader

Windows Registry mods, advanced tweaking and more

15 pointsforna8 comments

Hi. I am avid Linux user, but work is sending a powerful laptop with windows on it. I wouldn't mind having a little windows pet to play with/use properly.

Other than registry changes, opensource privacy tools (such as https://github.com/farag2/Sophia-Script-for-Windows ) and a few cosmetic add-ons, what should I know about to change it the way I wish?

An example I am looking for is more advanced ways to make the installation footprint smaller. It'll take the whole drive, how might i reduce it to single digit GB?

I'd prefer built-in tools or neat scripts if they're out there. best

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You must install "Everything", the instant, regex compatible file search via filename engine.

https://www.voidtools.com/

Windows Terminal and PowerShell. PowerShell is more powerful than most Unix family shells if configured properly. It also supports fish-style autocomplete and vim mode. You can call into win32 standard libraries and create GUIs too. C# is an amazing scripting language with support for REPLs, WebAssembly, and has a speed approaching C.

Registry tweaks must be documented and done properly, remember to maintain good platform and site reliability engineering practices. Windows update will automatically reset the registry sometimes, so keep that in mind.

Windows comes with powerful tools out of the box, and there are even more first party tools from Microsoft to modify your system. PowerToys is a good option. Rarely would you need to reach for third party apps for day to day OS management if you know what you are doing. I recommend the book Windows Internals. Too many people try to shoehorn Unix philosophy into their day to day Windows usage. The NT kernel is designed with a hypervisor/extend-and-embrace usage in mind. At one point Windows even had a POSIX-compliant subsystem. However, keep in mind most of Windows retains their strong IBM/VMS/DOS heritage, and they are very different from the Unix family, you would be in for a bad time if you approach it like a Unix system (outside of the WSL integration).

There was somebody on here (I think) in a launchers thread who said they use win+r for launching everything. It really makes a lot of sense. There's the obvious calc, cmd, iexplore (oops) but there's also putting whatever scripts you want in your path, and then skipping the start menu forever.

You might also check out NTLite for trimming things: https://www.pcgamer.com/trim-the-fat-from-your-windows-11-in...

FYI, using just the Windows key by itself (instead of win-r) lets you search through executables and such via the built-in indexed search. It is more forgiving than win-r (which is just a command window, and requires you to know the exact name of the executable). It's basically like the macOS Searchlight or Spotlight or whatever it's called.

But yeah, windows key, (let go), start typing anything = you never have to move the mouse. Windows is MUCH more keyboard-friendly than macOS, about on par with Linux.

A lot of Windows tweaks are turned into GUIs. You CAN edit the registry yourself, or tweak Group Policy, but honestly sometimes it's easier just to get the tools that do it for you with a checkbox.

Some useful tools:

-Chocolatey is like yum/homebrew for Windows: https://chocolatey.org/

-Start11 (and other Stardock tools): https://www.stardock.com/products/start11/ let you once again customize W11's butchered start menu & taskbar

-Software controls for your monitor's backlight: https://twinkletray.com/

-Easy Window Switcher so you can use alt-` to switch between windows of the same app, like macOS and I think some Linux desktops: https://neosmart.net/EasySwitch/

-Microsoft PowerToys for various tweaks: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/

-Nevermind the install footprint... not worth it when you start running into update issues. Yes, there are tools out there, but why bother when you can just buy a bigger SSD?

-Windows key --> Startup Apps to disable all the useless start apps (like Adobe or Cortana)

-Windows key --> diskmgmt.msc to manage volumes

-Turn on BitLocker if you want full disk encryption

-Taking screenshots is a PITA; use Windows-Shift-S for the newest version (snipping tool), but the old print-screen /alt-printscreen shortcuts work too. Also Windows-Alt-R to record a video of the current window. For some reason that is tied into the Xbox app.

-Use 1password (or your browser if you're lazy) to sync passwords between platforms. Also supports MFAs. Lastpass is another popular one but it has security issues.

-Check out the Windows Subsystem For Linux (google it) if you need to do occasional Linux work, or just want bash. Or Ubuntu Multipass for similar functionality. Or just dual-boot/replace Windows altogether.

-The built-in text editor sucks. Use VSCode, SublimeText, Notepad++, or UltraEdit.

ShareX is a great alternative for the built in screenshot tools, it’ll even take gif screenshots :) I think it also has screen recording, but I’ve never used that

Use powershell core: https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell

Try https://www.getblackbird.net/

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