List of things to do after Windows 7 install

+ Bonus: added specials for Windows 8.1

Firefox

• Old style menu
• Language: Prefer English: Tools \ Options \ Content
• Preferences / Privacy / ...Do not track
• Addons
  • Ghostery
  • Firebug
  • ...

Thunderbird

• • Accounts....
  • Copy old mails from %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles\vdfgdfdfg\...
  • about:config
    • mail.tabs.drawInTitlebar: false
  • Preferences:
    • Security / Web Contents / Tell... do not track
    • Advanced / Reading and Display / Uncheck: Automatically mark messages as read
    • Display / Formatting / Plain Text Messages: Uncheck: Display emoticons as graphics

Clink - Powerful Bash-style command line editing for cmd.exe

PuTTY

Greenshot

• Change Save folder: D:\Temp\greenshots
• Destination: Save directly...

Sysinternals Suite

Vim

• During install: Enable "Create .bat files for command line usage", disable "Native language support"
• Make GVim the "default". In "CMD (Run as Administrator)"

cd /d C:\windows
ren vim.bat cvim.bat
ren vimdiff.bat cvimdiff.bat
ren vimtutor.bat cvimtutor.bat
copy gvim.bat vim.bat
copy gvimdiff.bat vimdiff.bat

Quick Launch in Task Bar

• • Activate (as in WinXP)
    • Task Bar, right click / Toolbars / New toolbar... / %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\
  • Add CMD shortcut
    • Change CMD shortcut properties
      • Options / Edit Options / Quick Edit
    • Layout/Screen Buffer Size / Height: 9999
    • Shortcut / Start In: C:\
  • Remove: Internet Explorer, Switch between windows, Show desktop

Libre Office

Cygwin

• Still setup-x86.exe (not setup-x64.exe)

GIMP

CDex

• Options / Settings / General / Directories & files
• Options / Settings / CD Database / Remote freedb / Your E-mail address

Bullzip PDF Printer

 

7-ZIP

Skype

• No MSN / Bing, etc.
• No Click to call
• Settings:
  • Launch at Windows startup?
  • Disable: Skype WiFi
  • Privatsphäre / Microsoft erlauben, personalisierte Anzeigen... -> Disable
  • Advanced / Advanced Settings / Skype in Taskleiste anzeigen: Disable
• Windows Traybar: Show icon and notifications

TortoiseSVN

TortoiseGit

• Fix for: Msysgit bash is horrendously slow in Windows 7:

• git config --global core.preloadindex true
  git config --global core.fscache true
  git config --global gc.auto 256

VirtualBox

CDBurnerXP

• During install: No Smileys

Octave

• Create %USERPROFILE%\.octaverc with line "output_precision(14)"

Visual Studio

Qt

Adobe Reader

IrfanView

• IrfanView itself
  • Assiciate with extensions: Images only
  • No Chrome browser
• IrfanView PlugIns

KeePass

Java (needed?)

• After installation: Configure Java / Advanced / Miscellaneous (bottom) / Suppress sponsor offers when installing or updating Java

VLC

• During installation: Uncheck: File type association for audio files, Uncheck: Context menu

Code Compare

• Maybe download via Visual Studio. Menu Tools / Extensions and updates... to avoid registration
• In Code Compare: Menu Tools / Options / Environment / General: Check Use standalone application from command line by default

WinAmp

Xming

Remote Desktop

• Allow remote access to your computer

NTFS

• Change ownership of previously used hard disk drivers via Computer Management / Disk Management / Properties / Security / Advanced / Owner / Edit / Change owner to...

Certificates

• Manage file encryption certificates / Export

Explorer

• Tools / Folder options / View:
  • Display full path in title bar
  • Show hidden files,....
  • Uncheck: Hide extensions...
  • Uncheck: Hide protected operating files....

   

GnuWin32

• Get via GetGnuWin32
  • Destination: D:\TEMP
  • cd /d D:\TEMP\GetGnuWin32
  • download.bat
  • install C:\gnuwin32
  • rd /q /s D:\TEMP\GetGnuWin32
  • append to PATH: C:\gnuwin32\bin
  • ren sort.exe _sort.exe & ren mkdir.exe _mkdir.exe (these are problematik as they do not work as the Windows tools with same name but are expected by e.g. many build scripts)

Environment variables

• TEMP=D:\TEMP
• TMP=D:\TEMP

Miscellaneous Additional settings

• Desktop: Personalize \ Desktop Background \ Solid colors: Black
• Control panel: View by: Small Icons
• Control Panel: Clock and Region \ Change date, time, or number formats: Short date: yyyy-MM-dd
• Date and time: Internet Time: ptbtime1.ptb.de
• Power Options: Change plan settings / Put computer to sleep: Never
• Taskbar: Uncheck: Lock the taskbar, Use small icons, Taskbar buttons: Never combine
• Troubleshooting / Change settings: Off
• Windows Defender: Tools / Microsoft SpyNet / I don't want to join...
• Keyboard: Install custom keyboard layout
• Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Action Center\Problem Reporting Settings: Never check for solutions
• Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Personalization\Window Color and Appearance: Disable transparency
• Windows Media Player: Custom settings: Everything "Internet": Disable
• Windows 8.1: Change Search to always launch a new instance. Use registry file from this blog post: reghack_win81_search_DesktopAppsAlwaysLaunchNewInstance.reg
• Disable changing of keyboard layout with CTRL+SHIFT: go to Settings / Language / Advanced settings / Change language bar hot keys / Between input languages: Change key sequence: Not assigned
• Disable "Windows is checking for solution" dialog: run "gpedit", change Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / Windows Components / Windows Error Reporting: Disable Windows Error Reporting -> Enabled