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Windows 7 Tweaks

Posted by on Mar 17, 2014 in Microsoft Windows | 0 comments

These are tweaks that I use and have done on most computers I load.  Some of these tweaks are just because of my personal preferences and some are for speeding up Windows.  They involve editing registry keys and turning off system services and other settings.  Use at your own caution.
The links are to .reg files containing the registry settings.  You can save the file and view it in a text editor to see exactly what it’s going to do.

  • Remove Libraries in Windows Explorer
  • Remove home group from Windows Explorer
    • You need to leave a home group if you joined one before doing this.
    • Disable the home group listener and home group provider services.
  • Remove Shared Folder Synchronization – from an elevated command prompt:
    REG DELETE HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{6C467336-8281-4E60-8204-430CED96822D} /f
  • Right clicking My Computer tweaks – Registry File
    • Adds Device Manager
    • Adds Manage
    • Adds Services
  • Speed Tweaks:
    • Disable the Windows Search service
    • Turn off transparency
    • Set power options to High Performance
      Disable “Turn off hard drive after…”
    • SSD related
      • Disable Prefetch and SuperFetch (registry and Windows Service)
        Registry File
      • Disable drive indexing
      • Turn off Windows write-cache buffer
      • Turn on Trim
        To see it’s current state from a command prompt:
        fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify
        0 = enabled, 1 = disabled
        Enable Trim: fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0
      • Disable disk defrag scheduled task and Windows service
    • TCP Optimizer
    • Turn off system restore
    • Turn off page file (if you have a decent amount of ram)
      Also disable ClearPageFileAtShutdown and LargeSystemCache
      Registry File
  • Some other userful tweaks from computingunleashed.com
    Registry File
    Does the following:

    • Programs that are hung will be terminated quickly
    • Menus will be shown faster.
    • Adds – Take Ownership when you right click on files or folders.
    • Disable searching for a program that no longer exists when you click on a broken shortcut.
    • Adds – Copy To and Move To options to the right click context.
    • Speeds up ”Open With” right click menu option, gets rid of the search the internet choice.
    • Speeds up the navigation in Windows Explorer by disabling searching for network printers and scheduled tasks on network.
    • Disables the ”low disk space” message notification in your system tray.
  • Black Viper Windows services guides

Recipe: Crockpot Chicken Alfredo

Posted by on Feb 1, 2014 in Recipes | 0 comments

cooking spray
4 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup water
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped canned mushrooms
1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Spray the crock of a slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in crock. Combine Italian dressing mix, and water in a small bowl. Pour over chicken; sprinkle with garlic, cover, and cook on Low 4 hours.

2. After 4 hours, whisk softened cream cheese and cream of chicken soup together in a bowl. Pour over chicken; stir in mushrooms. Cover and cook on Low for 1 additional hour.

3. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the spaghetti, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.

4. To serve, spoon chicken and sauce over hot cooked pasta and sprinkle with parsley.