Removing Windows 11 Watermark
- Access the Registry Editor by typing ‘Regedit’ in the Windows 11 search box and hitting OK to open it.
- On the left side, open up HKEY_CURRENT_USER and scroll down to the Control Panel.
- Find the entry called UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache.
- Right-click that entry and select ‘Modify’ from the menu.
- Change the SV2 DWORD value from 1 to 0.
- Save, exit, and then restart your PC.
Basic Optimization Tips
Turn Off VBS
Virtualization Based Security (VBS) can slow apps (and games) down by 5 to 15% in Windows 11 especially if you’re on an AMD system.
- Open System Information. Do this by searching for “system information” in Windows search and clicking the top result.
- Scroll down to find the “Virtualization-based security” row. If it says “running,” VBS is enabled. But if it says “not enabled,” then you’re done.
Disable VBS/HVCI in Windows 11
- Search for Core Isolation in Windows search and click the top result.
- Toggle Memory Integrity to off, if it was on.
- Reboot your PC as prompted.
- Check System Information again to see if virtualization-based security is listed as “not enabled.”
Useful Programs
Basics Tools
- Process Lasso - Real-Time CPU Optimization and Automation
- WinPaletter - Colorize Windows 10/11 Without Restrictions
- SecureUxTheme - Secure Boot Compatible in-memory UxTheme Patcher
- WinToys - General Nice Tools
- SysInternals Suite - Microsoft SysInternals Tools
- PowerToys - Power User tools
- ExplorerPatcher - Revert Windows 11 Explorer to 7 & 10 Style
- GlazeWM - Tiling Window Manager for Windows inspired by i3wm
Microsoft Office Replacements
- OnlyOffice - Offline/Online Office Suite
- FreeOfice - Office Suite
- LibreOffice - Free & Open-Source Office Suite
Browsers
- FireFox -
- LibreWolf - Custom Firefox, Focused on Privacy, Security, & Freedom
- Brabe -
- ungoogled-chromium - Chromium W/O Google
- OperaGX - Built in Ad-Blocker
Browser Addons
- UBlock Origin - Open-Source Content Filtering Software
- Privacy Badger - Tracker Detection
- DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials - Helps you prevent your personal information from being exposed
- Ghostery - Comprehensive Privacy Protection & AdBlock
- HTTPS Everywhere - Make sure wbesites are forced secure
- CleanURLs - Clean Tracking Links
- PixelBlock - (Chrome Only) Blocks Email Tracking Attemps for Gmail
- BitWarden - Open Source Password Manager
- 1Password - Password Manager
Search Engines
- Brave Search -
- Ghostery Search -
- DuckDuckGO -
- StartPage -
- Qwant -
- Ecosia -
- SwissCows -
- Mojeek -
Security
- Configure Defender - GUI To Cofngiure Defender
- RKill - Terminate Known Maleware Processes
VPN
- Tailscale - is the easiest, most secure way to use WireGuard and 2FA. Tailscale helps you manage and access private or shared resources from anywhere in the world.
- OpenVPN - Uses a custom security protocol that utilizes SSL/TLS for key exchange.
- Pritunl - OpenVPN based solution that’s easy to set up.
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Video
- DaVinci Resolve - Professional video creation software editing
- HandBrake - High Preformance video encoding & conversion tool
- Open Broadcasting Software - Free and open source software for video recording and live streaming.
- VLC - Open Source multimedia player
Chats
Compression
Drivers
- Snappy Driver Installer(SDI) - Portable Windows Tool for Device Drivers
- Display Drivers Uninstaller(DDU) - Display Graphics Driver Removal Tool
- Use in Normal Mode, but Safe Mode is best for stability.
Audio
- Audacity -
- EarTrumpet - Powerful Volume Control app For 10/11
Customization
- RainMeter - Allows Desktop Skins W/ Audio Visualizers
- WindowsCustomization - A giant list of windows customization
Developer Tools
- DB Browser for SQLite - Open Source tool to create, defaultSettings, and edit db files
- Fork - A fast & friendly Git client for Windows
- HeidiSQL - Powerful and easy client for MySQL, MaraiDB, PostgreSQL
- Insomina - Modern REST client
- Process Explorer - Nice Task Manager
- Process Monitor - Sys Insternals tool shows real time file system, registry, and more
- Process Hacker - alternative task manager
- Wireshark - Network Protocol Analyzer
- Neovim
- VSCode
- IntelliJ Idea
- Mega
- AutoHotKey
- Chocolatey
- Scoop
- Windows Terminal
- CPUZ
- GPUZ
- HWMonitor
- Link Shell Ext - Create HardLinks in Windows
- Rufus
- ShareX - Musthave Screen capture & file sharing tool
- Speccy
- Glasswire
- Bitdefender