midnightrun
New member
- Local time
- 9:40 AM
- Messages
- 6
i have a text file which describe all steps and a folder with stuff to install. in this order (summed):
- make a bootable usb install device, with Windows 7 SP1 (according on the hardware you have, you may want to patch with USB3 drivers).
- boot on Windows 7 SP1 usb drive.
- set "System Reserved partition" to 2GB so you can use the "Back up and Restore" feature no matter what's the size of the recovery partition.
- proceed to installation: do not enter product key and uncheck "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online" and choose "Ask me later" when Windows is asking about automatic updates.
- control panel: disable autoplay.
- plug the usb drive and copy the folder with stuff to install on C:\
- hide Recycle Bin on desktop.
- apply windows classic theme (i do tweak some colors, to make it look more minimal).
- unpin these icons from the taskbar: internet explorer, explorer, media center.
- taskbar properties: use small icons, never combine (you may want to customize icon tray area notifications).
- customize the start menu to only show "Computer" and "Run..." (you may want to show Control Panel, as well).
- i do enable the "Links" menu in taskbar, this is from where i start my apps.
- configure time & date to your preferences (for instance, HH:mm and Monday as first day of the week).
- in a new explorer window: disable "Details pane" & "Navigation pane".
- control panel / action center: turn off Action Center.
- control panel / folder options: check show hidden files, uncheck hide extensions for know file types and uncheck show pop-up description for folder and desktop items.
- control panel / power options: according to your preference.
- control panel / programs and features: disable internet explorer 8, media features & windows gadget platform.
- control panel / sound: no sounds, and disable play windows startup sound.
- control panel / system / advanced system settings / advanced tab / performance settings: uncheck show shadow under mouse pointer, as well as use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop (applying these settings restore Windows 7's default theme (Aero) which cancel the tweeks you've made on classic theme, therefore you better change these settings earlier in the process.
- if you're using an SSD drive, you must disable automatic defragmentation (by default, scheduled every Wednesday at 1AM - because this is totally useless for an SSD and it's reducing it's life span).
- set resolution, according to your monitor.
- restart the computer (this is required, after you have disabled internet explorer 8, media features etc).
- copy your shortcuts.lnk in "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Favorites\Links" these could be portable apps on the folder you've copied on C:\ or apps you're about to install (Sony Vegas...).
- i do change the login background to a dark grey, this is possible changing a key in the registry.
- i've found a way to pin "Computer" & "Recycle Bin" as quick launch incons in the taskbar, next to the "Start" menu.
- set desktop wallpaper (if needed).
- set a simple digital clock as screensaver.
- patch shellstyle.dll with a modified version using "Se7en File Replacer" or similar utility, to hide the menu bar in the explorer (see screenshot at the end of this comment).
- install directx 11.
- install C++ Redistributable, according to your preference (2005>2008>2010>2012>2013>2015>2017>2019).
- install updates for Windows 7 SP1: KB3020369 & KB3125574-V4, then restart computer.
- install .NET Framework according to your preference (1.1>4.0>4.5>4.5.1>4.6.2>4.7.2>4.8).
- activate Windows using RemoveWAT.
- install drivers for your hardware (Audio, Video, USB3...) you may want to install Wifi drivers later, right after the system image is created (Backup and Restore) this way your setup is 100% offline.
- install & configure Firefox-esr from offline installer + uBlock Origin (install addon from file).
- install apps: Irfanview, 7-Zip, Sumatra PDF, VLC, Winamp + FLAC plugin, WinCDEmu, etc.
- about VLC: you may want to enable "Launching applications and unsafe files" in inetcpl.cpl to avoid a security warning, everytime you open a video file.
- configure files associations: Irfanview = GIF/PSD, Sumatra PDF = PDF/EPUB/CBZ/CBR/MOBI/DJVU etc.
- empty trash bin if needed, delete Temp files, restart computer & create a system image using the "Backup and Restore" feature, on a secondary partition - empty space will be compressed (mine is 30GB with apps installed, including Autodesk Maya 2014/2016/2018, Sony Vegas 10, Photoshop CS3 Portable & various stuff).
- now that you have created a system image, you can blow things up: install wifi drivers and go on the internet, install & try new apps you don't really need, bla bla bla, all this can be reset to zero with a simple "Restore" which takes 5 minutes, and start from a fresh-installed OS (i do ghost my PC every week, on average). you can update the system image if needed, it's 3 clicks away and it takes 10 minutes.
- some apps i've copied on C:\ are here just in case i need it: CutePDF, Fraps, LibreOffice, QuickTime Pro, Skype, Steam, etc.
- some apps i've copied on C:\ are portable, and therefore have an icon in the "Links" menu: 4K Video Downloader, Photoshop CS3 Portable, Gammy (check Matthew Walker's interview with Joe Rogan), Shutdown Timer (.BAT files), Transmission, link to Downloads, link to Temp folder & a .BAT file to empty the Temp folder.
- if you're browsing the web safely, you're security shouldn't be compromised.
tho, i do have a free antivirus (Panda Security) and i'm happy when i'm clicking on suspicious .exe which i haven't checked on virustotal.com, in addition to that you can install "TinyWall" it's a great firewall.
if you're paranoid, you can browse the web only using a virtual machine (VirtualBox) with a minimal distro like "BunsenLabs" which is based on Debian.
- questions are welcome
- screenshot:
https://i.ibb.co/bsxLrQ1/Desktop.png
- make a bootable usb install device, with Windows 7 SP1 (according on the hardware you have, you may want to patch with USB3 drivers).
- boot on Windows 7 SP1 usb drive.
- set "System Reserved partition" to 2GB so you can use the "Back up and Restore" feature no matter what's the size of the recovery partition.
- proceed to installation: do not enter product key and uncheck "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online" and choose "Ask me later" when Windows is asking about automatic updates.
- control panel: disable autoplay.
- plug the usb drive and copy the folder with stuff to install on C:\
- hide Recycle Bin on desktop.
- apply windows classic theme (i do tweak some colors, to make it look more minimal).
- unpin these icons from the taskbar: internet explorer, explorer, media center.
- taskbar properties: use small icons, never combine (you may want to customize icon tray area notifications).
- customize the start menu to only show "Computer" and "Run..." (you may want to show Control Panel, as well).
- i do enable the "Links" menu in taskbar, this is from where i start my apps.
- configure time & date to your preferences (for instance, HH:mm and Monday as first day of the week).
- in a new explorer window: disable "Details pane" & "Navigation pane".
- control panel / action center: turn off Action Center.
- control panel / folder options: check show hidden files, uncheck hide extensions for know file types and uncheck show pop-up description for folder and desktop items.
- control panel / power options: according to your preference.
- control panel / programs and features: disable internet explorer 8, media features & windows gadget platform.
- control panel / sound: no sounds, and disable play windows startup sound.
- control panel / system / advanced system settings / advanced tab / performance settings: uncheck show shadow under mouse pointer, as well as use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop (applying these settings restore Windows 7's default theme (Aero) which cancel the tweeks you've made on classic theme, therefore you better change these settings earlier in the process.
- if you're using an SSD drive, you must disable automatic defragmentation (by default, scheduled every Wednesday at 1AM - because this is totally useless for an SSD and it's reducing it's life span).
- set resolution, according to your monitor.
- restart the computer (this is required, after you have disabled internet explorer 8, media features etc).
- copy your shortcuts.lnk in "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Favorites\Links" these could be portable apps on the folder you've copied on C:\ or apps you're about to install (Sony Vegas...).
- i do change the login background to a dark grey, this is possible changing a key in the registry.
- i've found a way to pin "Computer" & "Recycle Bin" as quick launch incons in the taskbar, next to the "Start" menu.
- set desktop wallpaper (if needed).
- set a simple digital clock as screensaver.
- patch shellstyle.dll with a modified version using "Se7en File Replacer" or similar utility, to hide the menu bar in the explorer (see screenshot at the end of this comment).
- install directx 11.
- install C++ Redistributable, according to your preference (2005>2008>2010>2012>2013>2015>2017>2019).
- install updates for Windows 7 SP1: KB3020369 & KB3125574-V4, then restart computer.
- install .NET Framework according to your preference (1.1>4.0>4.5>4.5.1>4.6.2>4.7.2>4.8).
- activate Windows using RemoveWAT.
- install drivers for your hardware (Audio, Video, USB3...) you may want to install Wifi drivers later, right after the system image is created (Backup and Restore) this way your setup is 100% offline.
- install & configure Firefox-esr from offline installer + uBlock Origin (install addon from file).
- install apps: Irfanview, 7-Zip, Sumatra PDF, VLC, Winamp + FLAC plugin, WinCDEmu, etc.
- about VLC: you may want to enable "Launching applications and unsafe files" in inetcpl.cpl to avoid a security warning, everytime you open a video file.
- configure files associations: Irfanview = GIF/PSD, Sumatra PDF = PDF/EPUB/CBZ/CBR/MOBI/DJVU etc.
- empty trash bin if needed, delete Temp files, restart computer & create a system image using the "Backup and Restore" feature, on a secondary partition - empty space will be compressed (mine is 30GB with apps installed, including Autodesk Maya 2014/2016/2018, Sony Vegas 10, Photoshop CS3 Portable & various stuff).
- now that you have created a system image, you can blow things up: install wifi drivers and go on the internet, install & try new apps you don't really need, bla bla bla, all this can be reset to zero with a simple "Restore" which takes 5 minutes, and start from a fresh-installed OS (i do ghost my PC every week, on average). you can update the system image if needed, it's 3 clicks away and it takes 10 minutes.
- some apps i've copied on C:\ are here just in case i need it: CutePDF, Fraps, LibreOffice, QuickTime Pro, Skype, Steam, etc.
- some apps i've copied on C:\ are portable, and therefore have an icon in the "Links" menu: 4K Video Downloader, Photoshop CS3 Portable, Gammy (check Matthew Walker's interview with Joe Rogan), Shutdown Timer (.BAT files), Transmission, link to Downloads, link to Temp folder & a .BAT file to empty the Temp folder.
- if you're browsing the web safely, you're security shouldn't be compromised.
tho, i do have a free antivirus (Panda Security) and i'm happy when i'm clicking on suspicious .exe which i haven't checked on virustotal.com, in addition to that you can install "TinyWall" it's a great firewall.
if you're paranoid, you can browse the web only using a virtual machine (VirtualBox) with a minimal distro like "BunsenLabs" which is based on Debian.
- questions are welcome
- screenshot:
https://i.ibb.co/bsxLrQ1/Desktop.png
My Computer
At a glance
win 7 pro x64
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- OS
- win 7 pro x64
