Windows 10 optimization script - A community effort?

[Theobetley]

Here is a nice little registry hack! Please let me know if you like it!

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\SettingSync\EnableBackupForWin8Apps = 0

 

Do you need to reboot?

[lmitche]

Do you need to reboot?

Yes

[Theobetley]

Yes

Only listened a little bit. But what I heard was a bit more clarity and more air around instruments. I will do some more comparisons tomorrow. What do you hear?

[lmitche]

I think your description is good. Generally whenever one these logging processes are stopped there is an increase in transparency and smoothness. That happened with this tweak as well.

[Theobetley]

I think your description is good. Generally whenever one these logging processes are stopped there is an increase in transparency and smoothness. That happened with this tweak as well.

 

What other w10 optimizations do you have to share? I notice you did some of the 'macro tweaks' others have posted here. I have been reluctant to do these because I use my w10 pc for email/webb browsing and I kind of like how my HQP/Rendu combo sounds but I am open to changes perhaps on a small scale (such as the ones you have posted) so I can always revert if something goes wrong.

[blue2]

I think your description is good. Generally whenever one these logging processes are stopped there is an increase in transparency and smoothness. That happened with this tweak as well.

 

I guess you guys know about WTFplayer which turns your PC into a Linux music player using a bootable USB stick. So same hardware as you're trying to tweak, but absolute minimal software processes. Just a suggestion but it would be very helpful to those of us following these 2 threads on CA if some of you in the same area could get together and blind test the tweaks and WTFplayer solutions?

[lmitche]

I would be delighted to try wtfplayer but it doesn't support HQplayer, so is not useful here.

[blue2]

I would be delighted to try wtfplayer but it doesn't support HQplayer, so is not useful here.

If you are interested in pursuing this you could play PCM/DSD files natively on HQPlayer on a PC with various W10 scripted tweaks versus WTFplayer, so no upsampling. The idea is just to establish by DBT that W10 standard, or W10 with tweaks or WTFplayer delivers a distinguishably better SQ everything else being equal. Obviously we can all try this (and should) but a group DBT would be very interesting don't you think?

[lmitche]

I'm not really into the group DBT thing. I trust my ears and self discipline.

 

FYI - I have no problem supporting the idea that there are better OSes then Windows for use in audio playback. Unfortunately native DSD playback on Linux is problematic, so we are stuck on Windows for now.

[hasticus]

colleagues, can you help me? i'm doing changes according to edbk skript page 1, and when try to disable services using Powershell, I get a message "Cannot be configured due to following error access is denied" for mist of services. What I'm doing wrong?

[shadowlight]

colleagues, can you help me? i'm doing changes according to edbk skript page 1, and when try to disable services using Powershell, I get a message "Cannot be configured due to following error access is denied" for mist of services. What I'm doing wrong?

 

Assuming you started powershell as administrator. Is there a specific service that fails?

[Theobetley]

Hi Everyone,

 

I've installed windows 10 a few times already and am getting tired manually changing settings, removing/uninstalling apps and features.

 

So I've started with the makings of what will hopefully turn out to be a guide / script to do it all automatically for us. Unfortunately I have limited spare time for this project (out of many) so was hoping we could turn it into a community effort!

 

This is what I've come up with so far using windows powershell (included with my windows 10 Pro installation). Use at your own risk!!!

 

Before I was able to use Powershell I had to do a few things, I dont know if this is typical for every install but for me:

- Set your network to private: Start - Homegroup - Change Network Location - YES

- Start Powershell as administrator - Right click - Run as Administrator

- Once inside Powershell I had to enter the following 2 lines:

 

Now we can get started:

 

## To show installed apps enter:

 

 

## To remove apps, I selected a bunch of harmless looking ones:

 

 

## Show installed packages

 

 

## Remove packages:

 

 

## Show installed optional features:

 

 

## Remove optional features

 

This requires a reboot to activate!

 

I will be back with more and am really hoping some of you feel like chipping in :-)

Did all this stuff to remove packages, did the 1st 2 lines of text in PS, removed stuff and it seems to work. But when I reboot its still there when I run show all packages. Whats up?

[Theobetley]

I downloaded it but it wanted to download a couple network drivers needed. I bagged on it. I think it would run but honestly I don't know what good it would do. Really you need the change to occur within the players settings. In my case JRiver. I would think you would want the maximum setting at .5ms, as is in JPLAY. Don't know why setting to the minimum would help?? Less resolution so less of a bad source recording glimmering??? This is where it gets tricky, probably some kind of filter would be best to filter out any glowing highs.

Only some of my library is noticeable, the rest is extremely good.

I think it's electrical interference feeding into the high frequencies and causing a glimmer. Solve the electrical issues, solve the glimmer.

 

Downloaded timer tool. It seemed to work but as you said it tried to d/l other stuff which I stopped. So now it is stuck at 2.5 ms.

[hasticus]

I need a help from experts. After being happy a day with performed steps suggested at page 1 and some additional tweaks, I decided that 46 processes is too much and to disable some processes manually. Unfortunately I did not recorded the name of service which created problem: I can't run exe files, including regedit, and can't run windows power shell as administrator. Attached list of services. If somebody can ponit me to the sarvice I must enable( and how to do that) it would be great.

Thanks!

services_20161224.txt

[hasticus]

Problem solved! restarted in safe mode, enabled "application information". Still I will apprecitiate your recommendation what else can I disable. I can't imagine how you guys get ~25 processes. Macbook pro/bootcamp. Which services related to wifi? I have now ethernet connection, but may need wifi sometimes.

[rickca]

Have a look at Applications and Services Logs -> Windows -> Store -> Operational. I have thousands of entries in there, all pretty much incomprehensible.

I'm running Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Can anyone else verify they also see all this excessive logging? Any ideas how to suppress this activity (other than simply disabling the log)? Perhaps it's from some equally incomprehensible, undocumented scheduled task?

 

I've already uninstalled all the modern apps except the Store app itself.

[ElviaCaprice]

Problem solved! restarted in safe mode, enabled "application information". Still I will apprecitiate your recommendation what else can I disable. I can't imagine how you guys get ~25 processes. Macbook pro/bootcamp. Which services related to wifi? I have now ethernet connection, but may need wifi sometimes.

 

Once you think you have almost everything possible permanately disabled that is not critical to your format/media player playback, os boot. Then your final task is to open your media player and at the same time open task manager, bottom of the window right click. Click for all details. The first process I (end task) is Windows Explorer. Next (end task) all background processes except your media player. If one or two windows background processes won't (end task) no big deal, they will close themselves, eventually. Now you should be down to a total of about 25 processes running. Go ahead and set priority realtime for your media player. Lastly, and this is a big one for sound quality, right click and (end task) task manager under apps. That's it, all you should see is your media player. I just keep it open and my computer on all the time. Fantastic black background sound here.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot to add, don't keep your media player open fully on screen. Keep it reduced when playback is occurring.

 

Note: My HTPC is strictly for JRiver playback only with my own library, no internet connection or wifi abilities what so ever, all disabled. I have other PC's in the room for other tasks while listening to music.

[hasticus]

Thanks, ElviaCaprice. should I do that additional things each time manually or there is a possibility to make a batch file? BTW did you try AO? If yes, what you decided?

[ElviaCaprice]

Thanks, ElviaCaprice. should I do that additional things each time manually or there is a possibility to make a batch file? BTW did you try AO? If yes, what you decided?

 

Just do it manually each time, which is seldom if you keep your optimized PC powered at all times. No AO/fidelizer tried here, what for? to add another process. Nope, I just want my media player only, with the bare minimum stripped down windows 10. It sounds very good. Then you can concentrate on the usb stream isolation and overall system.

[AudioPhil]

What for? :-)

 

you still have no idea what you are missing. But i know its my fault, i never came back to you....

[ElviaCaprice]

This is my experience:

 

I have used the script and settings in this thread with great succes, it makes a very big improvement in sound of my system.

 

But still I was realy looking forward to the release og AO2 for W10, and checking the website on a daily basis.

(I bought it about 2-3 weeks before it came out.)

Installed it on a fresh W10, but was very disapointed with the sound coming from the system with AO2.

Made 1 more fresh install, just to make sure everything was as as it should be, but it did not help.

I suppose it was system dependant, but still a bit disapointing anyway.

 

Went back to the script in this tread, and sound was again as good as it used to be before.

 

Maybe I will try AO2 on a server 2012 set-up one day, since a lot of people speaks highly of this.

(And as I already payed for AO2).

 

Regards Ove

 

What for? :-)

 

you still have no idea what you are missing. But i know its my fault, i never came back to you....

 

Phil, all we have for comparison is this one, above. Larry (lmitche) has used it in combination with glowing praise but I don't find where his real results are any better than mine, obviously not in a sound comparison.

 

I don't hold any grudge, your an outstanding contributor and industrial audiophile participant here. I just can't buy something that doesn't have any real concrete comparisons/reviews against a self optimized Windows 10. Obviously you don't know how good my sound is, as I don't know whether AO would bring anything further to the table.

I will say that my system sounds fantastic and really the only upgrade I can see needed is an isolation transformer, which I'm even questioning the need.

 

Other folks not wanting to tinker with Windows themselves should go right ahead and get AO.

[rickca]

you still have no idea what you are missing. But i know its my fault, i never came back to you....

Phil, perhaps you could tell us a couple of significant Windows 10 optimizations you do in AO that is not covered by what's in this thread apart from process lasso stuff like CPU affinity and process priority. Obviously, I don't expect you to reveal any secrets about how you do it.

I'm not sure I would want to run any software that doesn't show me the script it generates so I can see precisely what's been changed in my system. It means it's a black box that I can't troubleshoot independently. I suppose you can't risk someone unscrupulous leaking your intellectual property.

[baddog]

You know, I don't know if I ever thanked everyone who has contributed in a positive fashion to this thread. When I moved to my new NUC6i5 with Windows 10 Pro I found the information here invaluable for optimizing my system, so a BIG thank you to everyone!

[AudioPhil]

This is my experience:

 

I have used the script and settings in this thread with great succes, it makes a very big improvement in sound of my system.

 

But still I was realy looking forward to the release og AO2 for W10, and checking the website on a daily basis.

(I bought it about 2-3 weeks before it came out.)

Installed it on a fresh W10, but was very disapointed with the sound coming from the system with AO2.

Made 1 more fresh install, just to make sure everything was as as it should be, but it did not help.

I suppose it was system dependant, but still a bit disapointing anyway.

 

Went back to the script in this tread, and sound was again as good as it used to be before.

 

Maybe I will try AO2 on a server 2012 set-up one day, since a lot of people speaks highly of this.

(And as I already payed for AO2).

 

Regards Ove

 

Hello Ove

 

Hm, this does not sound too good to me. I have the impressions that something went wrong. Please feel free to contact me so i can personally have a look at your system, i am sure we'll find the culprit.

 

very best,

AudioPhil

[AudioPhil]

Phil, perhaps you could tell us a couple of significant Windows 10 optimizations you do in AO that is not covered by what's in this thread apart from process lasso stuff like CPU affinity and process priority. Obviously, I don't expect you to reveal any secrets about how you do it.

I'm not sure I would want to run any software that doesn't show me the script it generates so I can see precisely what's been changed in my system. It means it's a black box that I can't troubleshoot independently. I suppose you can't risk someone unscrupulous leaking your intellectual property.

 

Hi Rickca

 

Meanwhile it's quite a few tenthousand lines of code, but i'll try to give an overview withing the next days. Sorry that it will take some time to do so.

 

Best,

AudioPhil