Windows: Applications, Shortcuts, and Workflows

Software

Logitech Remove Options+ popup

Use REGEDIT to delete DLL that autostarts Logitech Options+ Dialog Box.

Windows+R then regedit

Navigate to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Name = Logitech Download Assistant

Data = C:\Windows\system32\rundll32.exe C:\Windows\System32\LogiLDA.dll,LogiFetch

Source: Reddit Comment

Turn Off Windows Search Web Suggestions

When you hit the windows key, this option controls whether or not "Bing web search results are shown"

I personally don't want that search text going to the web

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=windows+turn+off+search+the+web+start+menu&mid=C8DDEC50AB72966400B8C8DDEC50AB72966400B8&FORM=VIRE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNRY7aUfIpo

Windows + R -> regedit

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

Make Explorer "Key"

Add 32-bit DWORD

DisableSearchBoxSuggestions, set it to 1 (hexadecimal)

Disable Control Zoom on mouse wheel

Download AutoHotkey V2.0

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/is-there-a-way-to-disable-ctrl-mousewheel-zooming/4496026a-8f7b-4182-8ef9-1bde00fb7ae5

Make an exe and have it autostart.

#Requires AutoHotkey >=2.0- <2.1
A_MaxHotkeysPerInterval := 200
^WheelDown::Return
^WheelUp::Return

Zen Browser

https://zen-browser.app/download/

Mods list:

• TBR with content from what I have found.

Shortcuts List (Keyboard Shortcuts)

• ADD PICTURE.

VS Code

https://code.visualstudio.com/

GitHub Desktop

https://desktop.github.com/download/

Git for Windows

https://git-scm.com/downloads/win

Windows Terminal

This disables git for windows "white screen" flashing on pressing the tab key when there are multiple options available. For example, hit tab in your home directory after ls D when there are both a Documents folder and a Development folder. Without this fix, there would be a white flash of the screen and possibly a audible bell sound.

https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/7308

https://github.com/microsoft/terminal/issues/7200

Git for Windows does install an /etc directory, perhaps mapped within C:\Program Files\Git\etc and an /etc/inputrc file that includes set bell-style visible.

Process:

I just made a copy to my local folder and commented that bell style line as follows

cd go to your home directory in git for windows or the Window's terminal's Git for Bash profile.

cat /etc/inputrc > .inputrc

print inputrc content to .inputrc file in your home directory... don't forget the DOT

Now edit your local file

# before
set bell-style visible
# after
set bell-style none

Restart your shell.

sqlite

https://github.com/sqlitebrowser/sqlitebrowser/releases/

PowerToys

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/install

Use your Company Portal if version is up to date

Greenshot

https://getgreenshot.org/downloads/

View Mate

Download without registering from: https://downloads.pentalogix.com/

LibreCAD 2D CAD Editor

LibreCAD is a cross-platform 2D CAD program written in C++17. It can read DXF/DWG files and can write DXF/PDF/SVG files. It supports point/line/circle/ellipse/parabola/spline primitives. The user interface is highly customizable, and has dozens of translations.

http://librecad.org/

https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/releases/

https://github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD/releases/download/v2.2.1.1/LibreCAD-v2.2.1.1-win64.exe

Licecap

https://www.cockos.com/licecap/

Used to make animated screen captures (.GIF format, in addition)

LICEcap can capture an area of your desktop and save it directly to .GIF (for viewing in web browsers, etc) or .LCF (see below).

LICEcap is an intuitive but flexible application (for Windows and now OSX), that is designed to be lightweight and function with high performance.

LICEcap is easy to use: view a demo (output is here).

In addition to .GIF, LICEcap supports its own native lossless .LCF file format, which allows for higher compression ratios than .GIF, higher quality (more than 256 colors per frame), and more accurate timestamping. If you record to .LCF, you can play back the .LCF files within REAPER (and/or use it to convert to .gif or another video format).

LICEcap is GPL free software, each download package includes the source.

Node Version Manager: Node, NPM, and Bun

• Bun (via npm)
  • NPM via nvm-windows
  • nvm on
  • nvm install lts
  • nvm use 22.14.0 or whatever version number
  • node --version
  • npm --version
  • npm to see if there is a version to upgrade to
  • npm install -g bun
    • npm install -g bun@1.2.4 (to upgrade or use a specific version of bun)
    • npm install -g npm@11.2.0 (to upgrade or use a specific version of npm)
  • bun --version

Rust

The tools below are listed in the recommended installation order (as rust requires the Microsoft C++ Build Tools).

• Microsoft C++ Build Tools
  • See Rust-up's guide on the minimum or recommended install options
• Rust, using Rustup
  • rustup default stable-msvc
  • rustup update

Docker Desktop and WSL

wsl --update

Install from a powershell prompt

wsl --install archlinux

Arch Linux

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Install_Arch_Linux_on_WSL

USER=iancleary
useradd -m $USER
passwd $USER
pacman -S nano sudo git xz-utils curl
nano /etc/wsl.conf

[user]
default=username

In case you get locked out

wsl -d archlinux -u root

nano /etc/sudoers
%wheel      ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
icleary     ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

Then from powershell.

wsl --terminate archlinux

alternatively you can use

wsl -d archlinux -u root

or

wsl -d archlinux -u $USER

sudo pacman -S git xz-utils curl

Ubuntu

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/basic-commands#set-default-linux-distribution

wsl --set-default <Distribution Name>

wsl --set-default Ubuntu or wsl --set-default Ubuntu24.04 or whatever.

WSL 2 Networking and VPNs

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/windows-subsystem-for-linux-september-2023-update/

Windows Home directory > C:\Users\username\.wslconfig

[experimental]
networkingMode=mirrored
dnsTunneling=true

Install both of those and then restart your computer.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shift+Del (verbosely Shift+Delete) in File Explorer deletes directly (as opposed to copying to the recycle bin) and is MUCH faster.

In terms of file system, deleting to Recycle Bin is more or less like moving. The files you delete are put into a special protected Windows directory, and potentially the whole data needs to be read and written in a other place.

On the other hand, deleting with Shift+Del, the file is simply erased from the file system. This is mush faster, as it's not about changing the whole file, but only removing the few bytes telling that a file is there.

Source: Stack Exchange

Startup Apps

• Open the Run dialog box, enter shell:startup, then right-click inside the Startup folder and select New > Shortcut to add a program.
• If you can't find the app, enter shell:appsfolder in the Run dialog box, then drag apps from that folder into the Startup folder.

Some apps offer a 'run at startup' option, which is an easier way to add a program to startup in Windows 10.