Hellbovine
Well-Known Member
This guide walks users through the creation of an optimized Windows 10 image designed for maximum performance, with the most common Windows annoyances addressed. These tweaks have been thoroughly researched and tested to provide a safe and official approach, suitable for gamers, power users, and everyday users too. The guide was created using the Home edition, but works on all others as well.
Windows 10 version 21H2 is recommended since there are many bugs in the 22H2 version that Microsoft released. There are no guarantees that all these tweaks will work on older versions, as many things changed throughout Windows 10's lifetime. Most of this guide will work on Windows 11, but it is not recommended either because new operating systems evolve often, taking several years to mature and stabilize.
Gamers have limited options these days, because numerous companies are now onboard with Microsoft's end of life road maps. Some major platforms (Steam, Blizzard, etcetera) have dropped support for older Windows, and there has been such a hard push in 2023 to make everything except Windows 10/11 obsolete, that in 2024 many developers will only support those, and this includes offline games and software too.
The long-term goal of this thread is to make a highly refined Windows 10 image, so that by the time it reaches end of life in October of 2025, we can take a completely finished guide (probably version 3.0 by then) and install a fully patched and optimized Windows that can be used for many more years, until too many developers drop support and users are eventually forced to migrate. This is a very popular strategy that countless users have settled on, jumping from Windows 98 > XP > 7 > 10, since the in-between releases tend to flop with the masses.
READ THIS FIRST
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
TWEAK METHODOLOGY
KNOWN ISSUES
RELEASE NOTES
STEP 1: GETTING STARTED
STEP 2: START MENU, TILES, AND TASKBAR
STEP 3: UPDATING POWER PLAN
STEP 4: UNINSTALL COMPONENTS
STEP 5: APPLY AND PROCESS (PART ONE)
STEP 6: IMPORT REMAINING REGISTRY FILES
STEP 7: APPLY AND PROCESS (PART TWO)
Visit the Gaming Lounge to find more guides like these.
Windows 10 version 21H2 is recommended since there are many bugs in the 22H2 version that Microsoft released. There are no guarantees that all these tweaks will work on older versions, as many things changed throughout Windows 10's lifetime. Most of this guide will work on Windows 11, but it is not recommended either because new operating systems evolve often, taking several years to mature and stabilize.
Gamers have limited options these days, because numerous companies are now onboard with Microsoft's end of life road maps. Some major platforms (Steam, Blizzard, etcetera) have dropped support for older Windows, and there has been such a hard push in 2023 to make everything except Windows 10/11 obsolete, that in 2024 many developers will only support those, and this includes offline games and software too.
The long-term goal of this thread is to make a highly refined Windows 10 image, so that by the time it reaches end of life in October of 2025, we can take a completely finished guide (probably version 3.0 by then) and install a fully patched and optimized Windows that can be used for many more years, until too many developers drop support and users are eventually forced to migrate. This is a very popular strategy that countless users have settled on, jumping from Windows 98 > XP > 7 > 10, since the in-between releases tend to flop with the masses.
READ THIS FIRST
This guide is for Windows 10, but can be used on others if you want to assume responsibility for adapting it to your needs, meaning I will not help you figure out Windows 11, because it is a different operating system and still evolving, so it needs new tweaks that are not relevant to older Windows. I discuss everything related to these topics in the sections below, and in replies to this and many other threads.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Question: "Can I use a version besides 21H2 with this guide?" and "Can I use Windows 11 with this guide?"
You can use a different version, such as 22H2, or even Windows 11. I am not going to guarantee that everything will work as intended though, since I have not specifically tested the guide for those scenarios. I am huge on quality control, and putting my name on something means it has to be in perfect working order. My research/testing indicated Windows 10 21H2 as the best of the modern options, which is why it was chosen.
Most of the guide should work on any build that is within a few years of Windows 10 21H2, including Windows 11. The tweaks that do not work will sit there and do nothing. As Microsoft updates things over time they change how features work, such as the new taskbar and start menu in Windows 11 which require different tweaks. I also do not use 22H2, because Microsoft added numerous bugs, and it has taken too long for them to be fixed, that I am waiting for 23H2 before I update this guide's tweaks.
I plan on testing Windows 10 vs 11 again after the 23H2 update is available as a new ISO build, which Microsoft releases around November of each year. I will then update all my guides accordingly, whether that means moving to Windows 11, or sticking with 10 and upgrading to 23H2.
Question: "Can I still use Windows Update with this guide?"
Yes, but Windows Update is paused by this guide, so you would need to manually run it. I do not recommend updates though, instead I would create a new image using this guide at the start of every year and cleanly install that, because this approach comes with a plethora of benefits, such as preserving the tweaks in the image, since updates will constantly undo that work. This guide is intended to be updated yearly for the latest Windows version, but due to the low quality state that Microsoft released 22H2, I stayed with 21H2 for now.
You can use a different version, such as 22H2, or even Windows 11. I am not going to guarantee that everything will work as intended though, since I have not specifically tested the guide for those scenarios. I am huge on quality control, and putting my name on something means it has to be in perfect working order. My research/testing indicated Windows 10 21H2 as the best of the modern options, which is why it was chosen.
Most of the guide should work on any build that is within a few years of Windows 10 21H2, including Windows 11. The tweaks that do not work will sit there and do nothing. As Microsoft updates things over time they change how features work, such as the new taskbar and start menu in Windows 11 which require different tweaks. I also do not use 22H2, because Microsoft added numerous bugs, and it has taken too long for them to be fixed, that I am waiting for 23H2 before I update this guide's tweaks.
I plan on testing Windows 10 vs 11 again after the 23H2 update is available as a new ISO build, which Microsoft releases around November of each year. I will then update all my guides accordingly, whether that means moving to Windows 11, or sticking with 10 and upgrading to 23H2.
Question: "Can I still use Windows Update with this guide?"
Yes, but Windows Update is paused by this guide, so you would need to manually run it. I do not recommend updates though, instead I would create a new image using this guide at the start of every year and cleanly install that, because this approach comes with a plethora of benefits, such as preserving the tweaks in the image, since updates will constantly undo that work. This guide is intended to be updated yearly for the latest Windows version, but due to the low quality state that Microsoft released 22H2, I stayed with 21H2 for now.
TWEAK METHODOLOGY
We need to define what "optimized" means, and why this custom Windows is unlike most others on the internet.
- This guide does not focus on component removals, instead it uses registry keys. This method ensures that nothing "breaks" in Windows, since all the keys are the same official method that Microsoft would use, and these tweaks can be reversed on a live install too. No apps have been uninstalled, no dependencies lost, it is just much faster and better on resource usage, with common annoyances resolved. In other words, Microsoft could release this as a "Gaming/Lite" edition of Windows 10.
- Every individual tweak has been meticulously tested to ensure they work for this operating system and version. They all integrate into a clean install, and apply to all users created. This is important because many tweaks on the internet are not tested properly, since most people go by "feel" which is usually placebo effect. Basically, I do not include tweaks if I cannot manually confirm they are doing something beneficial.
- This image was constructed in a modular way, meaning you can take pieces from it, or you could use the whole guide and layer it on top of other custom NTLite images, to enhance one of the built-in NTLite templates or a user's custom preset.
- This guide was first posted on August 23rd, 2022, and since then not a single issue has been traced back to this guide. The various bug reports in this thread's replies have been determined to be inaccurate or unrelated. This is a common occurrence on forums like these, because too many people add their own tweaks and third party tools while following a guide, then randomly place the blame without knowing where the true culprit is. It's been over a year, and at this point it is safe to say this image works flawlessly if you follow the instructions.
- This guide does not focus on component removals, instead it uses registry keys. This method ensures that nothing "breaks" in Windows, since all the keys are the same official method that Microsoft would use, and these tweaks can be reversed on a live install too. No apps have been uninstalled, no dependencies lost, it is just much faster and better on resource usage, with common annoyances resolved. In other words, Microsoft could release this as a "Gaming/Lite" edition of Windows 10.
- Every individual tweak has been meticulously tested to ensure they work for this operating system and version. They all integrate into a clean install, and apply to all users created. This is important because many tweaks on the internet are not tested properly, since most people go by "feel" which is usually placebo effect. Basically, I do not include tweaks if I cannot manually confirm they are doing something beneficial.
- This image was constructed in a modular way, meaning you can take pieces from it, or you could use the whole guide and layer it on top of other custom NTLite images, to enhance one of the built-in NTLite templates or a user's custom preset.
- This guide was first posted on August 23rd, 2022, and since then not a single issue has been traced back to this guide. The various bug reports in this thread's replies have been determined to be inaccurate or unrelated. This is a common occurrence on forums like these, because too many people add their own tweaks and third party tools while following a guide, then randomly place the blame without knowing where the true culprit is. It's been over a year, and at this point it is safe to say this image works flawlessly if you follow the instructions.
KNOWN ISSUES
There are no known issues with this custom image, but some notes are discussed below.
- The Xbox Game Bar will not run when you click on it from the start menu. This is by Microsoft's design, and is not intuitive. If you need to use the Game Bar just go to Start > Settings > Gaming > and toggle it on, then the Game Bar will run when clicked from the start menu.
- I tried to avoid group policy registry keys, unless it was absolutely required, but I had to use about a half dozen in total. This is not a bad thing, but the downside to policies is that they lock settings so the user cannot toggle them on/off in the Windows interface, until the policy is deleted from the registry. I will work to eliminate all policies in the future.
- On laptops, Microsoft alters the power buttons so that instead of turning off when "Shut down" is clicked, it goes to sleep instead (same for restart). I know that I can address this in a proper way, but it is consuming too much time, so I will solve it in the future. This is Microsoft's issue though, because Windows detects the power capabilities of a computer and then adjusts settings during install, which override ours.
- Defender and Firewall have been turned off for gamers (easily enabled again), but it is not as scary as some people will lead you to believe. Use a good browser (Chrome), practice common sense (download only from reputable sources, do not visit shady sites), and you will be fine. Install a good ad-blocker (uBlock Origin) though, since that will dramatically improve browsing security/performance, while also blocking ads everywhere (including YouTube). Also, use NAT in your router and do not directly connect your computer to the DSL/Cable modem.
- The Xbox Game Bar will not run when you click on it from the start menu. This is by Microsoft's design, and is not intuitive. If you need to use the Game Bar just go to Start > Settings > Gaming > and toggle it on, then the Game Bar will run when clicked from the start menu.
- I tried to avoid group policy registry keys, unless it was absolutely required, but I had to use about a half dozen in total. This is not a bad thing, but the downside to policies is that they lock settings so the user cannot toggle them on/off in the Windows interface, until the policy is deleted from the registry. I will work to eliminate all policies in the future.
- On laptops, Microsoft alters the power buttons so that instead of turning off when "Shut down" is clicked, it goes to sleep instead (same for restart). I know that I can address this in a proper way, but it is consuming too much time, so I will solve it in the future. This is Microsoft's issue though, because Windows detects the power capabilities of a computer and then adjusts settings during install, which override ours.
- Defender and Firewall have been turned off for gamers (easily enabled again), but it is not as scary as some people will lead you to believe. Use a good browser (Chrome), practice common sense (download only from reputable sources, do not visit shady sites), and you will be fine. Install a good ad-blocker (uBlock Origin) though, since that will dramatically improve browsing security/performance, while also blocking ads everywhere (including YouTube). Also, use NAT in your router and do not directly connect your computer to the DSL/Cable modem.
RELEASE NOTES
August 23, 2022: Released version 1.0 with 584 total registry keys. It took about 640 hours over 8 months to create it, and versions 2.0 and 3.0 are planned out, with heaps of other tweaks that require more time to evaluate. Since good testing is so time consuming, each new version takes several months or more to complete. If anyone finds any issues, those will be fixed and the guide updated with a minor version change.
December 28, 2022: Updated to version 1.1 after adding a registry key that prevents Windows from forcibly downloading and installing a display driver, even if Windows Update was paused. Also, cleaned up the guide's formatting and added information about the release of 22H2.
December 28, 2022: Updated to version 1.1 after adding a registry key that prevents Windows from forcibly downloading and installing a display driver, even if Windows Update was paused. Also, cleaned up the guide's formatting and added information about the release of 22H2.
STEP 1: GETTING STARTED
Before you begin, check that you have everything you need in advance.
1A) Download the attachments. The "Screenshots" folder contains images showing the Task Manager and LatencyMon results. Compared to a stock Windows 10 21H2 install, this optimized image has 17% fewer processes, 34% fewer threads, 23% fewer handles, memory usage down to 1.0 gigabytes, and many tweaks that improve the user-experience which do not have a way to be measured by a tool. The other folder is "Tweaks" and it contains the layout and registry files you will need to create the image. After downloading the folders, right-click on them and "Extract All", choose a destination, then click "Extract". Afterwards, delete the original zipped folders.
1B) Exit out of all open programs and reboot.
1C) Temporarily disable any antivirus, such as Defender, since they slow down NTLite and may cause image corruption.
1D) Right-click on NTLite and select "Run as administrator".
1E) In NTLite, click on the "Main menu" button on the top left (signified by 3 horizontal lines), then "Check for updates" and then click the first "Update" button, under the "Tool" header. If it is grayed out then you are on the latest version already.
1A) Download the attachments. The "Screenshots" folder contains images showing the Task Manager and LatencyMon results. Compared to a stock Windows 10 21H2 install, this optimized image has 17% fewer processes, 34% fewer threads, 23% fewer handles, memory usage down to 1.0 gigabytes, and many tweaks that improve the user-experience which do not have a way to be measured by a tool. The other folder is "Tweaks" and it contains the layout and registry files you will need to create the image. After downloading the folders, right-click on them and "Extract All", choose a destination, then click "Extract". Afterwards, delete the original zipped folders.
1B) Exit out of all open programs and reboot.
1C) Temporarily disable any antivirus, such as Defender, since they slow down NTLite and may cause image corruption.
1D) Right-click on NTLite and select "Run as administrator".
1E) In NTLite, click on the "Main menu" button on the top left (signified by 3 horizontal lines), then "Check for updates" and then click the first "Update" button, under the "Tool" header. If it is grayed out then you are on the latest version already.
STEP 2: START MENU, TILES, AND TASKBAR
This step prevents all the "bloat" from getting installed, such as links to trial products, games and apps you did not ask for, and other ads and sponsored software. You can still use live tiles and customize that panel, this tweak just cleans up the stuff that many users do not like.
2A) Load an unmodified, official, Windows 10 21H2 image into NTLite by going to "Add" then choosing "Image directory" and select the Windows image folder you want to use and NTLite will refresh. Now double-click on "Windows 10 Home" or whichever edition you have a license for, and it will begin loading. If you do not have an image to use, check my other guides (link) for instructions on how to create one.
2B) After the image has finished loading it automatically moves into the "Mounted" section, which means we can begin editing. Right-click on the "Windows 10 Home" that has a green circle and select "Explore mount directory".
2C) Left-click twice in the blank space of the address bar, to the right of "NLTmpMnt" and add the following text exactly as shown below.
\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\
Make sure it is one long address now, combined with the previous address, and no white spaces between anything, then press enter and it should take you to a folder that has 1 file inside.
2D) Next, copy and paste the custom DefaultLayouts.xml and LayoutModification.xml files that you downloaded earlier into this mounted Shell directory, choose the option to "Replace the file in the destination" when prompted, and then hit "Continue" on both screens to approve the action.
2E) Exit the mounted shell window now, but leave NTLite open.
2A) Load an unmodified, official, Windows 10 21H2 image into NTLite by going to "Add" then choosing "Image directory" and select the Windows image folder you want to use and NTLite will refresh. Now double-click on "Windows 10 Home" or whichever edition you have a license for, and it will begin loading. If you do not have an image to use, check my other guides (link) for instructions on how to create one.
2B) After the image has finished loading it automatically moves into the "Mounted" section, which means we can begin editing. Right-click on the "Windows 10 Home" that has a green circle and select "Explore mount directory".
2C) Left-click twice in the blank space of the address bar, to the right of "NLTmpMnt" and add the following text exactly as shown below.
\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\
Make sure it is one long address now, combined with the previous address, and no white spaces between anything, then press enter and it should take you to a folder that has 1 file inside.
2D) Next, copy and paste the custom DefaultLayouts.xml and LayoutModification.xml files that you downloaded earlier into this mounted Shell directory, choose the option to "Replace the file in the destination" when prompted, and then hit "Continue" on both screens to approve the action.
2E) Exit the mounted shell window now, but leave NTLite open.
STEP 3: UPDATING POWER PLAN
This registry file is going to be integrated into all four parts of the Windows image (Install, PE, Setup, Recovery) which changes the default power plan from Balanced to High performance in each of those. This greatly increases the speed at which Windows will install, reducing the total install time by about 50%. This also fixes a bug in Windows, which causes certain older SSD to hang or be extremely slow during Windows Setup.
3A) Click "Registry" from the left menu, then "Add", choose "Registry files" and select the Reg_0_NTLite file you downloaded earlier and NTLite will refresh to show that those keys were added.
3A) Click "Registry" from the left menu, then "Add", choose "Registry files" and select the Reg_0_NTLite file you downloaded earlier and NTLite will refresh to show that those keys were added.
STEP 4: UNINSTALL COMPONENTS
This step is optional, but I strongly urge everyone to do it anyway. Here we are removing the only component in this guide, OneDrive. There are several reasons to do this, the biggest one being that it is a resource hog, and it is not integrated into Windows, instead it is a standalone installer that does not actually install until the first user is created, meaning it is not integrated into the image.
Even if you want OneDrive, it is better for users to directly access the OneDrive cloud via their web browser, than to use the app, because the app adds unnecessary resource usage to the background of Windows, eats up internet bandwidth, and you will inevitably experience syncing issues and/or file corruption. It makes more sense to adjust how you use OneDrive, than it does to try and optimize this unnecessary app.
4A) Click "Components" from the left menu, then expand the "Remoting and Privacy" tree and also expand "Cloud Files API" so that you can now uncheck "OneDrive".
Note: This is the only tweak in all my guides that require a paid NTLite license, while everything else works 100% on the free edition. However, a license is worth it, because it gives you much more power to do additional component removals and such, if desired. You will also be supporting the tremendous amount of work that has gone into the NTLite program, as well as indirectly supporting the volunteers here, since the community and the tool grow in relation to each other.
Even if you want OneDrive, it is better for users to directly access the OneDrive cloud via their web browser, than to use the app, because the app adds unnecessary resource usage to the background of Windows, eats up internet bandwidth, and you will inevitably experience syncing issues and/or file corruption. It makes more sense to adjust how you use OneDrive, than it does to try and optimize this unnecessary app.
4A) Click "Components" from the left menu, then expand the "Remoting and Privacy" tree and also expand "Cloud Files API" so that you can now uncheck "OneDrive".
Note: This is the only tweak in all my guides that require a paid NTLite license, while everything else works 100% on the free edition. However, a license is worth it, because it gives you much more power to do additional component removals and such, if desired. You will also be supporting the tremendous amount of work that has gone into the NTLite program, as well as indirectly supporting the volunteers here, since the community and the tool grow in relation to each other.
STEP 5: APPLY AND PROCESS (PART ONE)
At this point we are done with the first set of tweaks and ready to process this image into something we can install Windows with. You could stop after this step and have a great base image to do your own tweaking with, or continue with the guide to add these tweaks.
5A) Click "Apply" from the left menu, then select "Save the image and trim editions" which will eliminate all of the unused editions, such as Pro, Education, and Workstation, without affecting the edition that you have currently loaded in NTLite.
5B) Now expand "Reapply tasks across editions" and check the box for "Integrate - Registry".
5C) On the top left menu bar select "Process" to begin creating the customized image.
Note: It will take several minutes to process the image and a message will appear when it is complete. Also, do not try to combine this step with the remaining steps below. It is best practice to integrate registry keys after processing the removal of components, otherwise you may end up deleting some of the keys you integrated when the components are uninstalled.
5A) Click "Apply" from the left menu, then select "Save the image and trim editions" which will eliminate all of the unused editions, such as Pro, Education, and Workstation, without affecting the edition that you have currently loaded in NTLite.
5B) Now expand "Reapply tasks across editions" and check the box for "Integrate - Registry".
5C) On the top left menu bar select "Process" to begin creating the customized image.
Note: It will take several minutes to process the image and a message will appear when it is complete. Also, do not try to combine this step with the remaining steps below. It is best practice to integrate registry keys after processing the removal of components, otherwise you may end up deleting some of the keys you integrated when the components are uninstalled.
STEP 6: IMPORT REMAINING REGISTRY FILES
To finish this custom image, we need to load our previously processed image and add a few more layers into it.
6A) Click "Image" from the left menu, then double-click on the same "Windows 10 Home" option from earlier, to load it again, and it will now include all the previous tweaks we added. If you previously stopped after step 5 and are returning to this guide to add more tweaks, the image may not still be visible in NTLite, so you may need to repeat step 2A again. After it loads, click "Registry" from the left menu and then do the tasks below.
Load an unmodified, official, Windows 10 21H2 image into NTLite by going to "Add" then choosing "Image directory" and select the Windows image folder you want to use and NTLite will refresh. Now double-click on "Windows 10 Home" or whichever edition you have a license for, and it will begin loading.
6B) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_1_Power".
6C) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_2_Security".
6D) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_3_Settings".
6E) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_4_Control".
6F) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_5_Apps".
6G) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_6_Other".
Below are some highlights that these files are responsible for. To learn more, right-click and edit a registry file from within Windows File Explorer to read the comments inside. If you do not want a certain feature to be tweaked then you can delete those registry keys from the files before integrating them, but I highly recommend trying everything as-is for a week, to give this curated product a fair try, since a tremendous amount of time and effort went into this.
Reg_1_Power: Disables hibernation (saves several gigabytes of space, while still keeping sleep available), disables fast startup, converts the High performance power plan into the equivalent of the Microsoft Ultimate and Bitsum's power plans combined, plus additional improvements. Temperatures do not increase though, because the reduced overhead of the image makes up for that.
Reg_2_Security: This file has to do with the Windows Security center app, it disables Defender, firewall, and many of the overly aggressive security features which substantially interfere with gaming, especially multiplayer. This is where most gaming issues come from, and is the reason why older operating systems perform better, because they lack these features.
Reg_3_Settings: There are tons of tweaks in this file, and all of them are things that a user can toggle from within the Windows "Settings" pages. There are tweaks that fix DWM and theme management in Windows, disables syncing, disables telemetry, pauses Windows Update forever (can be manually resumed and paused again as desired), and so much more.
Reg_4_Control: Everything inside this file has to do with settings inside the Control Panel. A lot of annoyances are addressed here, such as disabling various user tracking, cleans some of the user interfaces, basic keyboard and mouse tweaks for gamers, disables the constant user account control nagging, and many other similar changes.
Reg_5_Apps: This file contains the settings that handle all the apps, and stops them from running in the background, but still allows them to work in case someone actually wants to use any of them.
Reg_6_Other: All the miscellaneous tweaks are here, along with a lot of the desktop and taskbar being cleaned up and made more user friendly. Also disables prefetch, disables superfetch, disables indexer, disables file compression, and a number of other tweaks to make things less annoying, more stable, or to reduce overhead.
6A) Click "Image" from the left menu, then double-click on the same "Windows 10 Home" option from earlier, to load it again, and it will now include all the previous tweaks we added. If you previously stopped after step 5 and are returning to this guide to add more tweaks, the image may not still be visible in NTLite, so you may need to repeat step 2A again. After it loads, click "Registry" from the left menu and then do the tasks below.
Load an unmodified, official, Windows 10 21H2 image into NTLite by going to "Add" then choosing "Image directory" and select the Windows image folder you want to use and NTLite will refresh. Now double-click on "Windows 10 Home" or whichever edition you have a license for, and it will begin loading.
6B) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_1_Power".
6C) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_2_Security".
6D) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_3_Settings".
6E) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_4_Control".
6F) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_5_Apps".
6G) Click "Add", choose "Registry files", select "Reg_6_Other".
Below are some highlights that these files are responsible for. To learn more, right-click and edit a registry file from within Windows File Explorer to read the comments inside. If you do not want a certain feature to be tweaked then you can delete those registry keys from the files before integrating them, but I highly recommend trying everything as-is for a week, to give this curated product a fair try, since a tremendous amount of time and effort went into this.
Reg_1_Power: Disables hibernation (saves several gigabytes of space, while still keeping sleep available), disables fast startup, converts the High performance power plan into the equivalent of the Microsoft Ultimate and Bitsum's power plans combined, plus additional improvements. Temperatures do not increase though, because the reduced overhead of the image makes up for that.
Reg_2_Security: This file has to do with the Windows Security center app, it disables Defender, firewall, and many of the overly aggressive security features which substantially interfere with gaming, especially multiplayer. This is where most gaming issues come from, and is the reason why older operating systems perform better, because they lack these features.
Reg_3_Settings: There are tons of tweaks in this file, and all of them are things that a user can toggle from within the Windows "Settings" pages. There are tweaks that fix DWM and theme management in Windows, disables syncing, disables telemetry, pauses Windows Update forever (can be manually resumed and paused again as desired), and so much more.
Reg_4_Control: Everything inside this file has to do with settings inside the Control Panel. A lot of annoyances are addressed here, such as disabling various user tracking, cleans some of the user interfaces, basic keyboard and mouse tweaks for gamers, disables the constant user account control nagging, and many other similar changes.
Reg_5_Apps: This file contains the settings that handle all the apps, and stops them from running in the background, but still allows them to work in case someone actually wants to use any of them.
Reg_6_Other: All the miscellaneous tweaks are here, along with a lot of the desktop and taskbar being cleaned up and made more user friendly. Also disables prefetch, disables superfetch, disables indexer, disables file compression, and a number of other tweaks to make things less annoying, more stable, or to reduce overhead.
STEP 7: APPLY AND PROCESS (PART TWO)
For the last step all we have to do is process the addition of these remaining registry files.
7A) Click "Apply" from the left menu, then select "Process" to begin creating the customized image.
7B) Once processing has finished, exit NTLite and then copy the Windows files onto the root of a USB drive, then boot into that drive and install your custom Windows! If you are unsure how to handle this, see the other guides contained in the link at the end of this post for assistance.
Note: Unplug from the internet before installing Windows or it will force you to use a Microsoft account during setup, as well as potentially downloading updates which could undo some tweaks. This will be resolved in version 2.0 of the guide.
7A) Click "Apply" from the left menu, then select "Process" to begin creating the customized image.
7B) Once processing has finished, exit NTLite and then copy the Windows files onto the root of a USB drive, then boot into that drive and install your custom Windows! If you are unsure how to handle this, see the other guides contained in the link at the end of this post for assistance.
Note: Unplug from the internet before installing Windows or it will force you to use a Microsoft account during setup, as well as potentially downloading updates which could undo some tweaks. This will be resolved in version 2.0 of the guide.
Visit the Gaming Lounge to find more guides like these.
Last edited: