Setting up Windows

Instructions for future reference.

• Enable "Developer Mode".
• Set up user environment variables
• DIRCMD = /OGNE
• TEMP = %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Temp
• TMP = %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Temp
• TMPDIR = %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Temp
  
• Kill "RegisteredOrganization"
• Locate the following registry keys and make sure they are empty:
  
• HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\RegisteredOrganization
• HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\RegisteredOrganization
  
• (Win11) Kill "let's finish setting up your device".
• Go to "Settings" -> "System" -> "Notifications" -> "Additional Settings"
• "Show the Windows welcome experience after updates and when signed in to show what's new and suggested" -> DISABLE
• "Suggest ways to get the most out of Windows and finish setting up this device" -> DISABLE
• "Get tips and suggestions when using Windows" -> DISABLE
• Disable "Windows Error Reporting"
• Open "Edit group policy" (gpedit.msc)
• Go to  Local computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Error Reporting
• Set "Disable Windows Error Reporting" to "Enabled".
  
• Taskbar:
• Unpin everything. (Microsoft edge, Windows explorer, Microsoft Store, "Mail".)
• "Toolbars" -> "HP Support Assistant Quick Access" -> DISABLE
• "Settings" -> "Taskbar"
  
• (Win10) "Select which icons appear on the taskbar"
• "Always show all icons in the notification area" -> ENABLE
• (Win11) "Taskbar items:"
• "Widgets:" DISABLE
• "Chat:" DISABLE
• (Win11) "Taskbar behaviors:"
• "Taskbar alignment:" SELECT "Left"
• (Win11)
• Open the "Run Prompt" (with Win+R)
• Execute this nonsense:
• explorer shell:::{05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}
• "Always show all icons and notifications on the taskbar" -> ENABLE 
• "Replace Command Prompt with Windows PowerShell in the menu when I right-click the start button or press Windows logo key + X" -> DISABLE 
• "Show taskbar buttons on" -> SELECT "Main taskbar and taskbar where window is open"
• "Show news and interests on the taskbar" -> DISABLE
  
• Delete the Microsoft Edge icon from the desktop and empty the recycle bin.
• Uninstall crapware:
• Clipchamp - Video Editor (Windows 11)
• Cortana (Windows 10)
• Feedback Hub
• Mail and Calendar
• Maps
• Microsoft News (Windows 11)
• Microsoft OneDrive
• Microsoft To Do (Windows 11)
• Movies & TV
  
• Office
• People (Windows 10)
• Power Automate (Windows 11)
• Quick Assist (Windows 11)
• Solitaire Collection / Microsoft Solitaire Collection
• Tips (Windows 11)
• Weather

(On Windows 10, certain crapware like "Game Bar", "Mixed Reality Portal", "Phone Link", "Tips" etc. cannot be uninstalled. FUCK YOU MICROSOFT.)

(On Windows 11, certain crapware like "Microsoft Store", "Microsoft Edge", "Cortana", "Get Help", "People", "Windows Security", and "Your Phone" cannot be uninstalled. FUCK YOU MICROSOFT.)

• Configure Windows File Explorer
• Folder Options:
• General:
• "Open File Explorer to:" -> SELECT "This PC"
  
• View:
• Files and Folders:
• "Decrease space between items (compact view)" -> ENABLE (Win11?)
• "Display the full path in the title bar" -> DISABLE
  
• "Hidden files and folders" -> SELECT "Show hidden files, folders and drives"
  
• "Hide extensions for known file types" -> DISABLE
• "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" -> DISABLE
• "Launch folder windows in a separate process" -> ENABLE
• "Restore previous folder windows at log-on" -> ENABLE
• Navigation pane:
• "Expand to open folder" -> ENABLE
  
• "Show all folders" -> ENABLE
  
• "Show Network" -> ENABLE (Win11?)
• "Show This PC" -> ENABLE (Win11?)
• "Apply to Folders" -> CLICK
  

• Configure Language
• "Settings" -> "Language"
  
• "Preferred languages"
• "Add a language"
• "English (United States)" -> ADD
• "Install Language Pack" -> ENABLE
  
• Add a language
• "Ελληνικά (Greek)" -> ADD
• "Install language pack" -> DISABLE
  
• "Text-to-speech" -> DISABLE
  
• "Handwriting" -> DISABLE
  
• "Windows display language" -> SELECT "English (United States)"
• "Related settings"
• "Administrative language settings" -> "Formats"
• "Format:" -> SELECT "English (United States)"
• "Short date:" -> SELECT "yyyy-MM-dd"
• "Long date:" -> SELECT "dddd, MMMM, d, yyyy"
• "Short time:" -> SELECT "HH:mm"
• "Long time:" -> SELECT "HH:mm:ss"
• "Typing" ("Spelling, typing, and keyboard settings")
• "Autocorrect misspelled words" ->DISABLE

•  Configure Accessibility
• "Settings" -> "Accessibility" ->
• "Text cursor"
• "Text cursor thickness" -> SELECT 2
• "Keyboard"
• "Use Sticky Keys"
• "Allow the shortcut key to start Sticky Keys" -> DISABLE
• "Use Toggle Keys"
• "Allow the shortcut key to start Toggle Keys" -> DISABLE
• "Use Filter Keys"
• "Allow the shortcut key to start Filter Keys" -> DISABLE
• "Change how keyboard shortcuts work"
• "Underline access keys when available" -> ENABLE

• Personalize
  
• "Settings" -> "Accounts"
• "Your Info" -> "Create your picture" -> "Browse for one"
• Save and browse for this picture:

• "Settings" -> "Personalization"
  
• "Background"
• "Background" -> SELECT "Picture"
• "Choose your picture" -> Download, browse to, and select the following image:
  

• "Choose a fit" -> SELECT "Tile"
  

• "Colors"
• "Choose your color" -> SELECT "Dark"
• "Choose your accent color" -> SELECT "Custom color", make it orange, medium brightness.
  
• "Show accent color on the following surfaces"
• "Start, taskbar, and action center" -> ENABLE
• "Title bars and window borders" -> ENABLE
• Fix the title-bar color of inactive windows
• Using RegEdit, set the DWORD value AccentColorInactive in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\DWM to 2f2f2f. (Add the value if missing.)
• "Start"
• "Show suggestions occasionally in Start" -> DISABLE
• "System" -> 
• "Multi-tasking" -> "Alt + Tab"
• "Pressing Alt + Tab shows" -> SELECT "Open windows only"
• "Shared experiences"
• "Share across devices" -> DISABLE
• "Clipboard" ->
• "Clipboard history" -> ENABLE
• Create an Administrator Command Prompt shortcut
  
• Search for "Command Prompt"
• Create a shortcut on the desktop
• Edit properties
• Select "Advanced"
• Select "Run as Administrator"
• Pin to start
  
• Create an Administrator Powershell shortcut
  
• Search for "Powershell"
• Create a shortcut on the desktop
• Edit properties
• Select "Advanced"
• Select "Run as Administrator"
• Pin to start
• Create a shortcut to Services
• Search for "Services"
• Pin to start
• Create a shortcut to RegEdit
• Search for "RegEdit"
• Pin to start
• Create a shortcut to CharMap
• Search for "CharMap"
• Pin to start
  

• Enable natural mouse wheel scrolling
• Follow the instructions here: https://blog.michael.gr/2022/03/mouse-natural-scrolling.html

• Install applications:

• Ditto (because Windows built-in "Clipboard History" is lame beyond words.) 
• From https://ditto-cp.sourceforge.io/
• "..." -> "Quick Options"
• "Lines per clip" -> SELECT "1"
• "View Caption Bar On" -> SELECT "Top"
  
• "Options"
• "Keyboard Shortcuts"
• "Activate Ditto" (2) -> SET Win+V
• This will not work because starting with Windows 10 Microsoft has reserved all "Win" keys for its own use  -- FUCK YOU MICROSOFT.
• "Move clips to the top of the list on paste" -> ENABLE
  
• "7-Zip"
• From https://www.7-zip.org
  
• "Options"
• "7-Zip" tab:
  
• "Icons in context menu" -> ENABLE
• "Context menu items:"
• DISABLE ALL, then:
• "Open Archive" -> ENABLE
• "Extract to <Folder>" -> ENABLE
• "Add to <Archive>.zip" -> ENABLE
• "Settings" tab:
• "Show real file icons" -> ENABLE
• "Firefox"
• From https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/
• Visit "about:config" and set "browser.tabs.tabMinWidth" to 50 
• install "Dark Reader" extension
  
• install "UBlock Origin" extension
• install "Markdown Viewer" extension by "simov"
• Options -> allow all file access, allow all site access
• Theme -> Water-Dark
  
• "Notepad++"
• From https://notepad-plus-plus.org/
  
• "AutoHotkey"
• From https://www.autohotkey.com/ 
• In case of antivirus trouble, download as a zip file.
  

• Git
• From https://git-scm.com/downloads/win
• Under "Select Components" check "Windows Explorer integration" / "Open Git Bash here"
• Under "Choosing the default editor used by Git" select "Use Notepad++ as Git's default editor".
  
• "TortoiseGit"
• From https://tortoisegit.org/
  
• Select all defaults, except:
• "English (GB) dictionary" -> DISABLE
  
• "SSH" -> SELECT "OpenSSH"
  (Alternatively, after installing, go to "Options" -> "Network" -> "SSH" -> "SSH client:" and enter C:\Windows\System32\OpenSSH\ssh.exe") 
• "Settings" -> "Colors 1" -> "Dark Theme" -> ENABLE
• Select any two files in Windows File Explorer
• Right-click on the files -> "TortoiseGit" -> "Diff" -> "File" -> "Settings" -> "Colors" -> "Use dark mode" -> ENABLE
   
• "Visual Studio Community Edition"
• From https://visualstudio.microsoft.com
  
• "SysInternals Process Explorer"
• Download into "%UserProfile%\bin\ProcessExplorer"
  
• From https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer
  
• "Options"
• "Run At Logon" -> ENABLE 
• Hide When Minimized" -> ENABLE
  
• "Allow Only One Instance" -> ENABLE
• "Confirm Kill" -> DISABLE
• "Tray Icons" -> "Commit History" -> ENABLE
• "SVG Viewer Extension for Windows Explorer" by tibold
  
• From https://github.com/tibold/svg-explorer-extension/releases

• Configure Visual Studio
• "Tools" -> "Import and Export Settings..." -> "Import and Export Settings Wizard"
• "Import selected environment settings" -> (Next)
• "Yes, save my current settings" -> Save as YYYY-MM-DD.defaults.vssettings in <home>\Personal\Settings\VisualStudio -> (Next)
• "Choose a Collection of Settings to Import" -> (Browse...)
• Select settings file from previous installation
  
• "Tools" -> "Options" -> NuGet Package Manager"
• Click on the camouflaged "+" button at the top-right corner of the dialog
• Fill-in:
• "Name:" -> "nuget.org" 
• "Source:" "https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json"
• "Tools" -> "Options" -> "Source Control" -> "Git Global Settings"
• "Cryptographic network provider" -> SELECT "Unset"
• "Credential helper" -> SELECT "Unset"
• "Extensions" -> "Manage Extensions" -> Online
• Install "ReSharper"
  
• Install "VsColorOutput64"
• Install "EditorConfig Guidelines" (by "Ivan.Z")

• If dealing with Nazi admins who have taken control over your HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH variables and forced them to point to some network drive, thus preventing you from using SSH unless connected to their stupid network:

• Add the following environment variable:
• HOME = %UserProfile%

• Configure "Memory Compression"
• In an ELEVATED PowerShell prompt, execute the following:
• Disable-MMAgent -mc 
• Configure UAC
• Go to Settings, search for UAC, select "User Account Control Settings", set slider to "Never notify".
• Justification: In principle the UAC notification is a good thing to have, but Windows is so fucked up that the UAC notification often starts minimized in the taskbar instead of full screen, so it does not get noticed.
• Configure ZoomPlusU
• In Windows File Explorer, right-click on the executable, select properties.
• On the "Compatibility" tab:
• Check "Run this program in compatibility mode for:"
• Select "Windows Vista (Service Pack 2)"
•  Click "Change high DPI settings"; in the new dialog:
• Check "Override high DPI scaling behavior."
• Select "Application".
  

• Install Sumatra PDF

  From https://www.sumatrapdfreader.org
  

• Install InkScape

  From https://inkscape.org

• Install Foobar2000

  From https://www.foobar2000.org

  Also install the free encoder pack from https://www.foobar2000.org/encoderpack

• Install VLC

  From https://www.videolan.org

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Personal configuration (Must be done by me)

• Configure AutoHotkey
• Go to %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
• In that folder, create a shortcut to %USERPROFILE%\Personal\myStandardAutoHotKeyScript\MyStandardAutoHotKeyScript.ahk
  

• Configure Firefox Sync
  

• Configure Notepad++
• Go to "Settings" -> "Style Configurator..." and select "Choco"
  
• Unzip the contents of:
• %UserProfile%\Personal\settings\Notepad++.zip 
• into:
• %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Notepad++\
  

• If the misfortune hath befallen thee of being employed by a company that has configured "Microsoft Edge" to automatically launch on every login:
• Unpin "Micrsoft Edge" from the start menu.
  
• Open C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application in Windows Explorer
• Rename msedge.exe to new_msedge.exe
• "Pin to Start" new_msedge.exe
  
• Create a directory called "msedge.exe"
• Windows has been observed to create a directory called "msedge_exe" instead, if that happens, rename it to "msedge.exe" (FUCK YOU MICROSOFT)
  
• Go to "Properties", make it read-only. (As it turns out, this is not enough, keep reading)
  
• Go to "Properties" -> "Security" -> "Advanced", take ownership and disable inheritance so that nothing has access to it.
• Launch "Microsoft Edge".
• Right-click on the icon of the running application on the taskbar.
• In the menu that appears, right-click on "Microsoft Edge" and select "Properties".
  
• Shortcut tab: Change the target from "msedge.exe" to "new_msedge.exe"
  
• Click "Change Icon..."
• Under "Look for icons in this file" replace "msedge.exe" with "new_msedge.exe" and select the first icon.

• Add SSH keys
• If the command "ssh-add -l" fails with "error connecting to agent" then temporarily start the "OpenSSH Authentication Agent" service (may require setting its "Startup Type" to "Manual".)
• Execute the following:
  
• ssh-add <HOME>\.ssh\<personal-key-file>_rsa
• ssh-add <HOME>\.ssh\<employer-key-file>_rsa

• Install Jasc Paint Shop Pro 
• Install "Paint Shop Pro 9.01 EN Trial (psp901entr).exe"
• In the "Save files in folder" box enter "C:\temp\psp"
• When selecting features:
• "Browse with Right Click Menu" -> DISABLE
• "Jasc Thumbnail Shell Extension" -> DISABLE
• On the "InstallShield Wizard Completed" page:
• "Show me important information about Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9" -> DISABLE
  
• "Place an Icon for Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9 on the Desktop" -> DISABLE
• "Place an Icon for Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9 in your QuickLaunch bar" -> DISABLE
• On the registration dialog:
• Skip
  
• Delete "C:\temp\psp"
• Copy "Jasc PaintShop Pro 9.01- Bidjan.exe" to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 9\"
• Select "Run As Administrator" on "Jasc PaintShop Pro 9.01- Bidjan.exe"
• On the "Jasc Update" dialog:
• "Never Check Automatically" -> ENABLE
  

• Install Cool Edit Pro 2.1 
• Following the instructions in the README.txt file.
  

• Configure "VsColorOutput64"

  Copy the file vscoloroutput.json from the following location:

  %UserProfile%\Personal\Settings\VSColorOutput

  To this location:

  %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\VsColorOutput64\

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More software to install:

Try Dotz Software SVG Explorer Extension

MPC-HC

qbittorrent