This repository contains information and instructions on my standard Windows configuration. This is a comprehensive guide to setting up everything I could possibly need in a given Windows environment. Configuration is for Windows 10 - 10th April, 2016.
Direct download links are provided where possible.
- Configure partitions
- Install Chocolatey
- Run the install scripts starting with
install-general.bat
- Install manual installation software
- Perform "Addition Configuration Steps"
These applications need to be installed manually as they are not available or are unstable in the chocolatey repositories.
- Chocolatey for nearly painless package management. i advise you install this first, then run the scripts, then install the other manual stuff.
- Notation for synchronising notes with Simplenote
- Magicdisc as the Chocolatey package currently doesn't work. It doesn't install the driver or something
- Toggl - for keeping track of my time spent on projects
- DesktopCoral - for reserving desktop space for stuff like Rainmeter when you maximise windows
"pip is already installed if you're using Python 2 >=2.7.9 or Python 3 >=3.4 downloaded from python.org, but you'll need to upgrade pip" - https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installing/
- SunVox for making wacky modtracker-esque music
- tagspaces for keeping tabs on folder structures - trialling this for now
- SenchaCmd 4.0.5 for building ExtJS web apps at work. Requires work Chocolately script to have been run as that installs Ruby
I now use Chocolatey to install most of my software on Windows. There are three scripts in this repository for installing environment pertinent software packages.
- less
- googlechrome - default browser
- maven - java dependency management
- jdk - will install the x86 or x64 version depending on your platform
- sublimetext3
- sublimetext3.packagecontrol
- ubuntu.font - Ubuntu font family package for use in Sublime Text
- flashplayerplugin - to make it slightly easier to browse shitty parts of the internet
- 7zip
- sourcetree - great git client
- firefox - backup browser
- filezilla
- silverlight
- wget
- vim
- git - obviously
- putty
- dotnet4.5
- adobereader
- adobeshockwaveplayer - another dated web technology
- dropbox
- virtualbox
- adobeair
- python - temporarily removed. should be replaced with python2 when that decides to work
- 1password
- f.lux
- deluge - torrents
- cygwin
- btsync - BitTorrent Sync
- winmerge
- pandoc
- nodejs
- cyg-get - package manager for cygwin
- poshgit - fancy git command line thingy
- winrar - because it's good for those split rar files
- conemu - all your terminal emulators in one place
- clink - makes using terminal emulators nicer
- lightshot - my new favourite screenshot program. // TODO phase out gyazo
- autohotkey - for macros and disabling caps lock // TODO look into automating more stuff
- ccleaner - keeps things clean
- sourcecodepro - sexy ass font
- figlet-go - port of figlet. works just like it does on linux
- switcheroo - lean and mean app switcher
- yumi - for creating linux boot USBs
- partitionassistant - aomei partition assistant. great tool for managing partitions
- classic-shell - fantastic replacement for the godawful windows 8 and beyond "start menu"
- listary - adds powerful searching features. Win+F to launch, Ctrl+G to go to last open folder in a file manager context
- clover - adds chrome style tabbing to the default file explorer
- rainmeter - because it's sexy. rice rice baby.
- colormania - colour picker
- itunes
- spotify
- ditto - clipboard manager
- shmnview - for managing annoying shell extensions (run from command line as
shmnview
). this looks good. - shexview - for managing annoying shell extensions
- sysinternals - suite of system tools. "Autoruns.exe" does some stuff that shellexview can't
- imagemagick - because it does awesome stuff with images
- seer - macOS/OS X spacebar preview style functionality on Windows
- phraseexpress - tab text expansion based on user defined snippets. need to sync settings and phrase file
- hostsman - system level domain blocking manager
Pretty much the same as install-general.bat
, except that AOMEI Partition Assistant and VirtualBox are missing.
- steam
- cccp
- mpc-hc
- paint.net
- blender
- handbrake - for video encoding
- teamspeak
- mumble
- unity
- youtube-dl
- goggalaxy - Steam-like client for Good Old Games
- obs - open broadcaster software
- reaper - decent, modern digital audio workstation for windows
- evernote
- winauth - essentially authy for windows
- battle.net - for starcraft 2, really.
- intellijidea-community
- tomcat
- mysql
- mysql.utilities
- mysql.workbench
- heidisql
- svn
- slack
- ruby - for Sencha CMD
- eclipse - Chocolatey should install the appropriate architecture version
- googledrive - I can just use my work Google account to keep files in sync
- tortoisesvn
- pycharm-community - for python GUI debugging/dissecting
- intellijidea-ultimate
- jdk (x86) - just in case the 32-bit JDK is needed for Eclipse or Spring, etc
- clone dotfiles repository and run
dotfiles.bat
- disable OneDrive
- remove homegroup - guide is for Windows 7 but also works on 10
- remove Windows 10 apps
- alias dir to ls in cmd
- disable automatic updates
- set browser homepage
- configure Chrome Remote Desktop
- remove bullshit tiles from the start menu
- set file manager/shell
- You might need to reinstall the sublime package control chocolatey package at this point
- Partition drives (see below)
- Set up FileHistory on separate drive and restore data if necessary
- Configure BitTorrent Sync - see note on simplenote.com
- Relocate default "Documents", "Downloads", and "Music" folders to the separate drive
- Configure paging file
- Set power options and disable random waking from sleep
- Configure VPN profile for work (if applicable)
- Install manual software
- Set Steam libraries
- hide unnecessary system tray icons
- install graphics drivers.
choco install geforce-game-ready-driver
for nvidia GPUs
Remove more bullshit.
Get-AppxPackage *zunevideo* | Remove-AppxPackage
I've had numerous problems with Windows in the past and I now try to keep the OS partition containing as little user created data as possible, to reduce the amount of faff when I inevitably reinstall. The following partition scheme is what I aim to use.
- 100GB (minimum) operating system and applications drive. consider using this for games too, as they can be redownloaded
- Separate partition - ideally on a different physical drive - for documents and other data