Tweaks I make every time I install Windows

This blog post has moved to https://matthewvaneerde.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/tweaks-i-make-every-time-i-install-windows/

Comments

• Anonymous
  August 20, 2009
  Why not just go back to Windows 95 or even Windows 3.1? Why the reason for turning things off? You just mention them as tweaks but no justification for these tweaks. Are you running on an old machine that is slow with all this turned on? What is your justification? I find it kind of weird that an MS blogger is turning off all the features of a new OS built by their employer? It is as if your employer created something you don't like? I’m just wondering if MS wants this published out in the public. Leaving one to question if this employee of MS is turning these features off is Windows ready? Does this insider know something I don't know or am i just reading into things because I don't see the justification for doing these things.

• Anonymous
  August 20, 2009
  wow, Windows 2000 called, he wants his favorite user back...

• Anonymous
  August 20, 2009
  I remember Windows 2000 fondly, it must be admitted. Windows 95 and Windows 3.1, not so much. This post was half-finished; I hit "Publish" without realizing it (meant to hit "Save but don't publish") and then went to a meeting. I've added a (short) justification but this list will probably grow longer...

• Anonymous
  August 20, 2009
  > if this employee of MS is turning these features off is Windows ready That's a fair question.  I suppose the way I think of it is, everyone has a different set of features they need and want... a feature that makes sense for me isn't going to make sense for you and vice versa. Unfortunately, there's only one default (or, I suppose, only default per SKU.) Fortunately, there are settings that can be tweaked.  So I turn off the stuff that I don't like but which is on by default (mouse drop shadow, Aero Peek, indexing service) and I turn the stuff on that I do like but which is off by default (file extensions for known file types.)

• Anonymous
  August 20, 2009
  I do have specific justifications for some of these (others I just turn off "while I'm in there") which I may get to explicating once I'm done compiling the list.

• Anonymous
  August 20, 2009
  I'm going to bookmark this and watch the list grow & change . . . but don't worry I understand this is Matthew's list NOT Microsoft's -- the wonderful thing about personal computers is that they are personal! Don't worry about the comments -- you don't need to "justify" anything . . . but an explaination as to why YOU picked certain settings WOULD be nice! (^_^) Blake Handler - Microsoft MVP "The Road to Know Where"

• Anonymous
  August 20, 2009
  I dont know if i will be migrating to Win7 quite yet but i will be watching for any updates in case i do, or should i say, when i do. Thank you for taking the time to outline your steps for noobs to follow

• June H.

• Anonymous
  February 11, 2010
  I have an unwritten list like this, some of mine is the same, like allowing 20 items in the recent list and unchecking hide extensions for known file types (one of the worst features ever, how is this ever a good thing?!?). However, like some other comments stated, it seems like you're going out of your way to disable most features. I get into habits like that once in a while, sometimes to the point that I forget why I did those things in the first place. Did I have a low powered PC that couldn't handle them or was there an annoying bug 15 years ago that was fixed 14 years ago? What I try to do now is to leave most features enabled and see how I now feel about them if I leave them on. Even if they annoy me, I try to leave them on for a week or so, just to see if maybe I'll change my mind after a while.

• Anonymous
  August 20, 2011
  "Hide pointer while typing" does not work as of Windows XP and later. It works only on Windows 9x and Me. NT always hides the pointer while typing and there is no way to not hide it. Can you file a bug for this to the Windows team?