Tweak For Windows 10
Venice Sassone
This tweak/tip guide will be full of caveats. Why? Because tweak guides should be full of caveats, of course. There are always implications and side effects to any choices you make when customizing a system.
I also work with a number of good DAW PC OEMs (companies that build DAW PCs). They tend to do even more for their systems. If you buy a custom DAW PC from a DAW OEM, and they do something different from what I indicate here, I would trust them to know what is the most stable thing for their system. They know the subset of hardware they target, and they know what they need to be able to support over time. They also know which subset of software they support, and how to get the most from it.
Remember, sound travels approximately one foot per millisecond. So the typical stage monitor, for a guitar player, is around 5-12 milliseconds of latency away from them (if not using in-ear). For those of us with studio monitors, they are usually 2-5ms away. Headphones have less latency, but only if wired. Wireless and Bluetooth protocols add their own latency in communications to the headphones.
Additionally, laptops and tablets are very prone to throttling the CPU to reduce heat. The last thing you need while recording is the CPU to slow down. This happens a lot with any consumer laptop that is optimized for size and weight rather than heat dissipation. Note that you can mitigate this a bit with dedicated active cooling pads for your laptop should you need to, but those little fans still tend to be quite loud.
Desktops also tend to give you more options for USB connections, as well as the ability to use wired networking rather than wireless. These are both extremely important for systems that will use many external devices.
There are many professional musicians who have completely different gigging vs home studio rigs. They often have desktops in the studio, and laptops for gigs/road. If you can swing this type of setup, you get the best of both worlds. You can use tools like OneDrive to automatically synchronize your data files between them.
When it comes to memory, I recommend new builders use the memory compatibility list the motherboard manufacturer releases. Most memory will just work, but the compatibility list will remove all doubt and help ensure you are able to get memory that performs to spec in your setup. How much memory you need will depend upon your use, but I personally recommend 32GB if you can, especially if you have integrated graphics and you work with sample libraries. Most everything will work well enough on 16GB, of course. 8GB can be stretching it and will be limiting, but folks still use it with the limitations in mind. I have 64GB in my PC not because I use that much with a DAW, but because some of the other work I do on this PC really benefits from the additional memory.
Your laptop, desktop, or motherboard manufacturer will almost certainly have BIOS updates available. Read the notes and check online forums for problems. If they look reasonable, update to the latest before you even install the OS. Staying with an old BIOS will often mean you lose compatibility with later processors and memory. Many motherboards in the past have required BIOS updates to work with Thunderbolt 3 as well.
Musicians often want to remap keys and have greater control over managing windows on their desktop. The open source Microsoft PowerToys makes those, and more, very easy to do. You can download and install them for free. You can even contribute your ideas (or code!) to help make the product even better.
Finally, if you use a PCIe (or Thunderbolt) solution for your audio interface, and maybe NVMe drives, and you also use a discrete graphics card, you will have to consider processors that support the minimum number of PCIe lanes that you need, or understand the compromises. Note also that some chipsets work well with Thunderbolt, and others, not so much.
I think (yes not know) this is related to windows not really shutting down when turned of, so you never have a fresh OS start, cause it suspends to disk. Unless you choose restart. So you could be working on a machine that has been on (in a way) for days or weeks, until you restart.
I agree with everything that Nickeldome said. In fact disabling hibernation is one of the first things I do after installing Windows. I have never used it, the file takes up space, and it can cause issues for some programs.
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Winaero Tweaker is a free app for all versions of Windows that lets you adjust (i.e. tweak) hidden secret settings that Microsoft does not let you adjust from the user interface. In addition, it allows you to add extra value to existing Windows apps and tools with advanced context menus, options, and handy commands.
It is a powerful system utility that supports Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11 and includes hundreds of settings. It also includes many options that were earlier available exclusively in my standalone applications.
Microsoft is rolling out KB5040543, Build 26120.1330, to Windows 11 Insiders running the OS in the Dev channel. A new option to duplicate a tab in the tab row context menu, Narrator improvements, the ability to change the power mode for battery and when plugged in, the updated logic for the "End task" option in the taskbar right-click menu are among the changes.
Microsoft has announced a new feature for Windows 11 that provides wireless access to files and folders on a connected Android smartphone via File Explorer. It is reported that some participants in the Windows Insider program can now evaluate the innovation, regardless of the selected channel.
Thunderbird finally closes a 25-year-old request to add a new mail notification icon to the mail client. An indicator notifying of new mail via an icon in the system tray was requested for Thunderbird in November 1999.
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Build 22635.3936 to Insiders in the Beta channel. It comes with a new design of the Open with dialog, but disables the simplified system tray for the taskbar. There are also some improvements and fixes.
As you may remember, Microsoft is ending support for Windows Subsystem for Android beginning March 5, 2025. However, a new update is now available to Insiders in the Release Preview channel. Microsoft is most likely improving security for WSA's existing users.
Thousands of Windows computers around the world were hit with a blue screen of death (BSOD) this morning, due to a recent update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. The outage paralyzed some banks, airlines, television companies, supermarkets and many other businesses.
Starting July 17, Microsoft is releasing Windows 11 23H2 to users with eligible devices who manually check for updates. This means that the OS won't yet be installed automatically or forcibly. But if you check for updates manually, you will get it.
Tip: Winaero Twеaker is essential software for every Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7 user. It allows you to customize the appearance and behavior of the operating system in a flexible way.
Try Winaero Twеaker now!
Winaero Tweaker is a free app for all versions of Windows that lets you adjust (i.e. tweak) hidden secret settings that Microsoft does not let you adjust from the user interface. In addition, it allows you to add extra value to existing Windows apps and tools with advanced context menus, options, and handy commands.
I have created the initial version of Winaero Tweaker by merging years of development of my small free apps. It was a good idea to create an all-in-one application which will include most options available in my standalone Winaero apps. So that's how Winaero Tweaker was born.
Here are some screenshots of the Winaero Tweaker running on various Windows versions. Some of them are a bit outdated, since the app constantly evolving and receives a bunch of the user interface improvements, but they are useful to demonstrate the capabilities of the app.
This software is provided free of charge by Winaero.com but Sergey Tkachenko, called futher as "author", retains copyright. You are not allowed to make any copies or redistribute this software including but not limited to making the software available for download or making this software part of a software CD or any other media compilation. For the exception case you should contact the author directly via email to get the permission.
Version 1.62.1 has been released on February 15, adds 4 more fixes. The following options were incorrectly reporting their "enabled" status and appeared unchecked when you open the appropriate page.* Ads & Unwanted Apps > Personalized Ads
1.50 - The "Customize This PC folders" option now supports Windows 11. Several tweaks for Microsoft Edge. The ability to add classic System Properties to the This PC context menu. And more See the release notes.
0.15.1 - This version comes with a fix for the Compact OS context menu option (it wasn't get deleted when you untick the option), and includes the reliability changes for the Change Startup Sound feature.
How would the UEFI know when software is opened and what that software is asking? The software must interface with the operating system, which is what interfaces (gives instructions) with the hardware.
Now I am wondering, since we all now know Windows is checking this at a staggering 65+ times per second, what is Unix (bsd / mac) and Linux set to, and has it changed significantly over the last three decades?
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