Recommended Windows default changes, Firefox changes and exchanges to have and to avoid

Recommended Windows default changes, Firefox changes and exchanges to have and to avoid

I would appreciate what changes to Windows 11 default settings you might suggest and the reasons.

A clean Windows 11 installation comes configured to optimize for telemetry, background services, and discovery recommendations. Disabling unnecessary features, reducing distractions, and reclaiming control over your system can significantly improve performance, privacy, and day-to-day usability.   
PCWorld
Privacy & Distraction Removal
1. Disable Start Menu Ads & Recommendations

    Location: Settings > Personalization > Start

    Change: Toggle off "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more" and "Show recently opened items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer."   
    CNET

    Reason: Prevents Microsoft from cluttering your Start menu with app promotions, cloud file suggestions, and unsolicited recommendations.

2. Turn Off Diagnostic Telemetry & Targeted Ads

    Location: Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback

    Change: Turn off "Send optional diagnostic data" and expand "Tailored experiences" to set it to Off.

    Reason: Restricts background telemetry uploads to Microsoft and stops Windows from using your activity data to serve personalized ads or suggestions.

3. Remove Taskbar Clutter (Widgets & Search Highlights)

    Location: Settings > Personalization > Taskbar

    Change: Set Search to Search icon only or Hidden, and toggle off Widgets and Copilot (if visible).   
    MUO

    Reason: Stops accidental hover-popups (like news feeds from Widgets) and frees up valuable taskbar screen real estate.   
    MUO

Desktop Usability & System Behavior
4. Restore Full Context Menus in File Explorer

    Method: Run Command Prompt (cmd) as Administrator and paste:
    DOS

    reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" /f /ve

    (Restart explorer.exe or reboot to apply.)

    Reason: Replaces the simplified, two-click Windows 11 context menu with the classic, single-click Windows 10 right-click menu—eliminating the need to click "Show more options" constantly.

5. Show File Extensions and Hidden Files

    Location: Open File Explorer > Click View (top bar) > Show

    Change: Check "File name extensions" and "Hidden items".

    Reason: Vital for security and clarity. It prevents malicious files from hiding behind double extensions (e.g., document.pdf.exe) and makes navigating file structures straightforward.

6. Relocate Start Button (Optional)

    Location: Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors

    Change: Set Taskbar alignment from Center to Left.   
    PCWorld

    Reason: Returns the Start button to the bottom-left corner so its location remains fixed regardless of how many apps or windows are open.

Performance & Update Control
7. Trim Unnecessary Startup Apps

    Location: Settings > Apps > Startup (or via Task Manager > Startup apps)   
    PCMag

    Change: Toggle off auto-start for non-essential applications (e.g., OneDrive, Teams, Spotify, browser updaters).

    Reason: Reduces system boot time and prevents background background processes from consuming CPU/RAM resources.

8. Enable Clipboard History

    Location: Settings > System > Clipboard (or press Win + V)   
    PCMag

    Change: Toggle Clipboard history to On.   
    PCMag

    Reason: Allows keeping a history of multiple copied text snippets or images, letting you select and paste older items rather than just the last thing copied.   
    PCMag

9. Configure Active Hours for Updates

    Location: Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Active hours

    Change: Set to Manually and define your working hours.   
    Engadget

    Reason: Ensures Windows Update will not perform automatic restarts while you are actively working.   
    Engadget

Display & Hardware Settings
10. Verify Display Refresh Rate

    Location: Settings > System > Display > Advanced display

    Change: Ensure Choose a refresh rate is set to your monitor’s highest supported value (e.g., 120Hz, 144Hz, or 60Hz instead of defaulting to lower values).   
    CNET

    Reason: Windows 11 frequently defaults display monitors to lower refresh rates (like 59Hz/60Hz). Raising it makes motion and cursor movements significantly smoother.   
    CNET

To verify any setting change, close and reopen the corresponding panel (or restart File Explorer for registry edits) to ensure the behavior takes effect.

What is the safest way to remove pre-installed Windows 11 bloatware apps?

The safest method is to use Windows' built-in tools first. Microsoft allows most non-essential pre-installed apps (like Xbox apps, Spotify, Solitaire, or news apps) to be uninstalled directly without needing risky third-party scripts.

Follow these methods in order, from safest to most advanced.
Method 1: Standard Uninstall (Safest & Easiest)

    Press Win + I to open Settings, then go to Apps > Installed apps.

    Scroll through the list or use the search bar to locate the app you want to remove.

    Click the three dots (...) next to the app name and select Uninstall.

    Verification: The app will disappear from the list and will no longer show up in your Start menu.

If the "Uninstall" option is grayed out, move to Method 2.
Method 2: Native PowerShell Commands (For Stubborn Apps)

For core built-in apps that do not offer a standard uninstall button, you can safely remove them using native PowerShell commands.
1
Open PowerShell as Administrator

Right-click the Start button (or press Win + X) and select Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).
2
View Installed Provisioned Packages

To see the full technical names of pre-installed apps, type:
PowerShell

Get-AppxPackage | Select Name

3
Remove the Targeted App

Run the removal command for the specific app you want to uninstall. Replace *appname* with the app's identifier:
PowerShell

Get-AppxPackage *appname* | Remove-AppxPackage

Common Safe Examples:

    3D Builder: Get-AppxPackage *3dbuilder* | Remove-AppxPackage

    Bing News: Get-AppxPackage *bingnews* | Remove-AppxPackage

    Solitaire Collection: Get-AppxPackage *solitairecollection* | Remove-AppxPackage

    Feedback Hub: Get-AppxPackage *windowsfeedbackhub* | Remove-AppxPackage

4
Prevent Apps from Reinstalling for New User Accounts (Optional)

If you want to ensure the app does not reinstall when a new user account is created on the PC, run:
PowerShell

Get-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online | Where-Object {$_.PackageName -like "*appname*"} | Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online

Verification: Press the Windows Key and search for the app name. It should no longer appear in search results or the app list.
Important Safety Advice

Avoid running automated "debloat scripts" from unverified online repositories. These batch scripts often remove core dependencies like the Microsoft Store or Xbox Services, which can cause system instability and break future Windows Updates.

This is good; I will print it and work through them. Is something similar available for Firefox and Tixati?

Optimizing Firefox and Tixati involves cutting out unnecessary overhead, locking down telemetry, and streamlining the visual interface to put core controls front and center.
Firefox Settings
1. Privacy & Telemetry

    Location: Settings > Privacy & Security

    Enhanced Tracking Protection: Set to Strict. This blocks hidden trackers, fingerprinters, and cross-site cookies without breaking most websites.

    Data Collection and Use: Scroll down to Firefox Data Collection and Use and uncheck all boxes (e.g., Allow Firefox to send technical and interaction data to Mozilla).   
    CyberInsider

2. Startup & New Tab Page

    Location: Settings > Home

    Homepage and new windows: Set to Blank Page (or a clean custom URL).

    Firefox Home Content: Uncheck Shortcuts, Sponsored shortcuts, and Recommended by Pocket.

    Reason: Removes sponsored tiles, news feeds, and background requests every time a new tab is opened.

3. Interface & Tab Management

    Location: Settings > General

    Tabs: Ensure "Open new tabs in the background" is checked if you like opening multiple links without losing focus on your main page.

    Compact Density Mode (Optional via about:config):

        Type about:config in the address bar and press Enter.

        Search for browser.uidensity and change its value to 1.

        Reason: Shrinks padding around tabs, toolbars, and address bars to maximize web page viewing area.

Tixati Settings
1. Clean Interface & Mouse Behavior

    Location: Settings > User Interface

    Behavior:

        Main window close button action: Set to Minimize to system tray (prevents accidental shutdowns while seeding).   
        Support - Tixati

        When new transfers are loaded: Set to Show main window or keep in background without interrupting your current work.   
        Support - Tixati

    Widget / Display: Under User Interface > Output, adjust font sizes or toggle off unnecessary graphs (like real-time network activity gauges) to keep the transfer list clutter-free and easy to read.

2. Bandwidth & Network Fine-Tuning

    Location: Settings > Network > Bandwidth

    Outgoing Throttle: Set your global outgoing limit to roughly 70–80% of your maximum upload capacity.   
    Support - Tixati

        Reason: Leaving 20–30% of your upload headroom free prevents TCP ACK starvation, ensuring your download speeds and general web browsing won't stall out when seeding heavily.   
        Support - Tixati

    Incoming Ports: Navigate to Network > Incoming Ports and verify that UPnP / NAT-PMP is enabled, or assign a single fixed port to ensure incoming connections pass smoothly through your router.   
    Support - Tixati

3. File & Transfer Automation

    Location: Settings > Transfers > Locations

    Default Download Location: Set a explicit default folder for completed files and a separate temporary folder for incomplete downloads.

    Auto-Categorization: Configure auto-sorting rules based on tracker or file type (e.g., automatically sending .iso or media files to dedicated storage directories upon completion).

What are the essential about:config security and performance tweaks for Firefox?

Tweak Firefox's advanced configuration (about:config) carefully, as modifying the wrong preferences can break site layout or cause unexpected behavior.

To open the configuration editor, type about:config into the Firefox address bar, press Enter, and click "Accept the Risk and Continue."
Security & Privacy Tweaks

    Disable WebRTC IP Leakage

        Preference: media.peerconnection.enabled

        Value: false

        Reason: WebRTC can expose your actual local and public IP addresses even if you are using a proxy or VPN.

        How to Verify: Visit a site like [browserleaks.com/webrtc](https://browserleaks.com/webrtc). The Local and Public IP sections should show as disabled or unavailable.

    Disable Telemetry & Shield Studies

        Preferences:

            toolkit.telemetry.enabled → set to false

            experiments.supported → set to false

            app.normandy.enabled → set to false

        Reason: Completely shuts off background system reporting, performance metrics collection, and remote experiment pushes from Mozilla.

        How to Verify: Type about:telemetry in the address bar; it will display that data collection is disabled.

    Enable Strict OCSP Revocation Checking

        Preference: security.OCSP.require

        Value: true

        Reason: Forces Firefox to reject HTTPS connections immediately if the certificate revocation status cannot be verified with the certificate authority.

        How to Verify: Try accessing an expired/revoked test domain (like revoked.badssl.com); Firefox should hard-block access rather than bypassing the warning.

    Isolate Cross-Site Data (First-Party Isolation)

        Preference: privacy.firstparty.isolate

        Value: true

        Reason: Isolates cookies, cache, and local storage to the domain level, stopping cross-site tracking across different tabs. (Note: This can occasionally require re-logging into sites that use single-sign-on across multiple domains).

        How to Verify: Log into a website, open an offsite embedded frame, and verify via developer tools (F12 > Storage) that cookies are compartmentalized to the top-level host.

Performance & Resource Tweaks

    Disable Pocket Integration

        Preference: extensions.pocket.enabled

        Value: false

        Reason: Completely removes the background process, server polling, and UI elements tied to Mozilla's Pocket service.

        How to Verify: Right-click any web page link or open the Reader View; the "Save to Pocket" option will no longer exist in the menu.

    Disable Network Prefetching & DNS Preresolution

        Preferences:

            network.prefetch-next → set to false

            network.dns.disablePrefetch → set to false (or set network.dns.disablePrefetchFromHTTPS to true)

        Reason: Prevents Firefox from silently pre-downloading pages and resolving IP addresses for links on a page before you actually click them, saving memory and bandwidth.

        How to Verify: Hover over links on a fresh page while monitoring the Network tab in Developer Tools (Ctrl + Shift + E); no background requests will trigger until clicked.

    Tune Tab RAM Caching (Session History)

        Preference: browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewers

        Value: 0 (or a small integer like 2)

        Reason: Controls how many visited pages are kept in uncompressed RAM for instant Back/Forward navigation. Setting this lower frees up significant RAM if you keep many tabs open.

        How to Verify: Check Firefox's entry in Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) before and after navigating back through several heavy pages; memory allocation will remain lower.

Backup Your Profile First

Before making multiple changes in about:config, consider making a copy of your Firefox profile folder (found by navigating to about:support > "Profile Folder" > "Open Folder"). If a setting breaks a site you rely on, you can reset any preference back to default by clicking the Reset/Trash icon on the right side of the preference row in about:config.

What is a "user.js" file?

A user.js file is an optional, plain-text configuration file located inside your personal Firefox profile folder. It allows you to lock down and automatically apply specific about:config preferences every time Firefox launches.
Key Benefits

    Automatic Enforcement: Any preference set inside user.js automatically overrides manual changes made via about:config or the Firefox UI every time the browser starts.

    Easy Backups & Portability: You can copy your single user.js file to another computer or clean Firefox installation to instantly apply all your custom privacy, security, and interface settings.

    Prevents Reset on Updates: Occasionally, major Firefox updates reset certain about:config settings to their default values. A user.js file prevents this by re-applying your preferred settings on startup.

How to Create and Set Up a user.js File
1
Open Your Firefox Profile Folder

In Firefox, type about:support into the address bar and press Enter. Locate the Profile Folder entry and click Open Folder (or Show in Finder on macOS).
2
Create the File

Inside that profile directory, create a new plain-text file and name it exactly user.js (ensure Windows File Explorer has file extensions visible so it is not saved as user.js.txt).
3
Add Your Preferences

Open user.js in a text editor (like Notepad) and add your custom settings using the user_pref("preference.name", value); syntax.
JavaScript

// Disable WebRTC IP leaks
user_pref("media.peerconnection.enabled", false);

// Disable Telemetry
user_pref("toolkit.telemetry.enabled", false);
user_pref("experiments.supported", false);

// Disable Pocket
user_pref("extensions.pocket.enabled", false);

4
Restart Firefox

Close and reopen Firefox.

Verification: Open about:config after restarting Firefox and search for one of the preferences listed in your user.js. It should reflect the custom value, and its status will display as "modified" or "locked."

What Firefox extensions are recommended and can you indicate any that should be avoided?

A streamlined setup for Firefox relies on keeping background overhead low and avoiding redundant tools that duplicate built-in features.
Recommended Extensions

    uBlock Origin (by Raymond Hill)

        Purpose: Wide-spectrum content blocker (ads, malicious scripts, coin miners, third-party trackers).   
        Firefox Add-ons

        Why: Extremely light on RAM and CPU. Unlike bloated ad blockers, it does not sell "acceptable ads." Firefox supports the full, unrestricted version of uBlock Origin.   
        Firefox Add-ons+ 1

    Bitwarden

        Purpose: Open-source password management.

        Why: Replaces browser-saved passwords with zero-knowledge, cross-platform encrypted storage. Operates cleanly in the background without injecting excessive page elements.

    Multi-Account Containers (by Mozilla)

        Purpose: Session isolation for identity and tracking boundaries.

        Why: Separates browsing contexts (e.g., shopping, news, banking) into isolated digital compartments so trackers cannot bridge user activity across sites without needing multiple browser profiles.

    SponsorBlock for YouTube

        Purpose: Crowdsourced skipping of sponsored segments, intros, and self-promotions in online videos.

        Why: Automatically bypasses built-in video ads and sponsor reads, saving time and bandwidth without breaking media playback.

Extensions to Avoid

    Multiple Ad Blockers (e.g., AdBlock Plus, AdGuard + uBlock)

        Why: Running more than one content blocker simultaneously causes script collisions, breaks site rendering, and increases CPU/RAM consumption unnecessarily. Stick to uBlock Origin alone.

    Redundant Privacy Extensions (e.g., Privacy Badger, Disconnect, Ghostery)

        Why: Modern Firefox already handles cross-site cookie isolation via Strict Enhanced Tracking Protection, and uBlock Origin handles tracker domain blocking. Adding standalone tracking extensions creates overlap, increases memory usage, and makes debugging broken pages difficult.   
        Firefox Add-ons

    Free / Commercial VPN Extensions

        Why: Browser-based VPN extensions are usually basic proxy tunnels that only route browser traffic (leaving the rest of your system exposed). Many harvest and monetize user browsing history. If a network proxy is needed, handle it at the operating system or router level rather than through a browser add-on.

    Stand-Alone "Tab Suspenders" or "Memory Cleaners"

        Why: Extensions that force-kill background tabs can cause state loss, corrupt web forms, and trigger extra network requests when tabs reload. Firefox's built-in process management automatically discards inactive tabs when system RAM runs low.

    Built-In Coupon & Shopping Assistants (e.g., Honey, Capital One Shopping)

        Why: These extensions require full read/write access to every page visited to track shopping behavior and URL parameters, creating significant privacy risks and adding constant background scripts to web pages.

Verification

To check if an installed extension is causing issues or excessive resource drain:

    Press Shift + Esc inside Firefox to open the Firefox Task Manager.

    Review the memory usage and CPU footprint for each running extension.

    If a page fails to render, click the uBlock Origin icon in the toolbar, click the Power Button to disable it specifically for that single domain, and refresh to verify if the issue resolves.   
    ublockorigin.com

Would you like assistance managing your extensions or tweaking Firefox performance?
Configure uBlock filter lists
Set up Firefox Containers


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