[Guide] Minimal Windows

By sanctified
in Microsoft (Windows)

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Grand Master

sanctified Veteran

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The goal of this guide is to show what can be done with simplicity in mind. I managed to build a very slim yet feature complete OS installation in windows.

What its the advantage of it? Well, in my opinion:

* A very slim OS solution that can be a breeze in backups

* An effective HD space saver for those with old systems, people who want to build a cheap computer (hardware and software wise) or simply space freaks like me since I have 250gbs in HD space and still I dont like the idea of having big apps when I can use smaller alternatives.

* An OS installation like this is very compatible with portability, that is great for students like me, since I can use a lot of my small apps in my USB thumbdrive.

Now, just to be clear. The apps installed on my system are only my own suggestions. You can try and experiment with other (even smaller) alternatives that works just as good if not better. This is only a reference and should be followed as that.

Another thing. This guide is far from complete. I want to keep experimenting in order to update this periodically, some things left to do are:

***To-Do list (Program Files)***

* Find a way to slim down the following apps: MSN Messenger, AVPersonal and VLC Player.

* Keep tweaking (EVEN MORE) Photoshop CS2 and Illustrator CS2 in order to save space.

* Smaller file decompressor. Altho I think that will be asking too much. I cant imagine a program smaller than 7-zip with the same number of feaures.

***To-Do list (Windows Folder)***

* Keep shaving my system32 folder

* I am going to replace all the icons in shell32.dll and explorer.exe with smaller and simplier icons (This is totally a personal preference. I am still a fan of the old pixel art icons used before xP implemented alpha transparency)

Guide history

Dic 04, 2005: Updated. Program Files Folder Size in this revision: 564 mb Windows Folder: 692mb

Nov 14, 2005: Formatting, grammar correction and public release. Program Files Folder Size in this revision: 858 mb Windows Folder: 727mb

Nov 13 2005: First revision.

Now, lets take a look at the size of my Program Files folder, thats its now 564MB, and its contents:

g1.gif

Now, notice that this small sized folder has everything a normal university student needs, even maybe a little more.

I am trying a new word processor, Atlantis. Its extremely small (My installation, even with spell dictionaries, its a mere 1.32 mb). The only downside is that its not freeware but it worths the price.

Atlantis website

As a graphic designer I am free to make my presentations in non-common ways. That allows me to have the choice of not using powerpoint nor its alternatives. I just need the powerpoint viewer (as small as 1.5mb) to check my teacher's presentations.

Powerpoint Viewer

I have quite a good set of system mantenaince and monitoring tools:

* TuneUp Utilities for real system tweaking

TuneUp Utilities website

* Perfect Disk 7 came as a gift from my school computer department. I know, this is actually bigger than my last app (contig) but in this case I can sacrifice some megs in order to have needed functionality

* DriveUse is even smaller than iDisk 7 kb compared to iDisk?s323 kb> And displays the exact same capabilities. DriveUse is an app that scans my HD and tells me what folders are taking the most space in it.

DriveUse website[/b]>

*Daemon Tools (382kb)> for mounting disk images. With this I was free todelete> many useless features inNero.>

Daemon Tools website[/b]>

*AntiVir Personal>, the best freeware antivirus solution.

Antivir website[/b]>

Apps I have modified to use less space:

*DeepBurner>: A complete, freeware, burning suit that its just a tiny4mb>

DeepBurner website[/b]>

*i.Ftp> is a tiny FTP client that has enough features for the common FTP user.549 kb> in size.

i.Ftp website[/b]>

* Adobe apps: From a750+MB> installation (Including shared and common files) now its at253MB>. This is because I spent some time deleting help files, samples and other useless plugins for me. Now, due my career I need to use Adobe Products but if you are happy using alternatives like The Gimp[/b]> for bitmap and Inkscape[/b]> for vector then you can shave almost500MB> in space. That means an outstanding350 - 400 MB> Progam Files folder. Also I replaced Acobrat Reader for Foxit PDF Reader[/b]>, saving more space.

What did I delete from the adobe apps?:

* Most of the activation files. I just left the necessary ones for the program to start.

* Useles help files, samples, uneeded filters (this one is totally user independent), ImageReady apps, uneeded scripts, patters, etc

* Over 120+mb of useless fonts.

In multimedia I use VLC[/b]> for videos/dvds and music . At first it seems thatVLC> its bigger thanWindows Media Player> (I uninstalled it). But in the long term its a lot smaller since it doesnt need codecs. Still I installed Dvix for my DVD ripping needs. I removed the Billy mp3 player since it was redundant because VLC can play audio files too.

About my windows folder, I will not enter in big details since I just followed and already existing guide, here in neowin. I am talking about this valuable forum: https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=80511&st=0[/b]>

Now my windows folder its about692MB> and I am sure I can make it even smaller.

In total my OS installation is about1.2GB> and it can do everything I need as good as a system full of big and expensive apps.

I hope this is as useful for you as it was for me.

Edited by sanctified
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Grand Master

sanctified Veteran

Posted
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I dont see a purpose to doing this. Does not seem practical, if you have hundreds of gigs of hard drive space (120gb hard drive is 50 bucks over here) why not use it?

586808848[/snapback]

I listed my reasons right at the beggining to the guide.

Grand Master

sanctified Veteran

Posted
  • Author
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actually I don't think replacing icons with worse versions is a good idea, but the rest is ok ...

586812926[/snapback]

For me those are not worst versions. Like I said. I am an old school fanatic.

I love icons like these:

junje.gif

Proficient

tOta

Posted
Posted

Great guide, i downloaded all the apps :D deamon tools and some i already had.

You should try CCleaner, it is a fast and free cleaning app that cleans for me much more than

Tune Up 2006. And for ultimate tweaking you could try X-Setup. I use version 6, because the last

version 7 is not free ;)

For music player you should try foobar2000 ;) I tryed billy but stayed on foobar.

I like your style its my style also, minimalistic 4 ever :laugh:

And of course to not forget bbLean (Blackbox) for all minimalistic fans.

Proficient

tOta

Posted
Posted

Game you have a config what celeron @ 1.5Ghz or somethink like that.

I have a Athlon 900 and for to go to the my computer are needed 1-2 sec.

Tweaking tweaking and more tweaking :D

You should read the startup guide (guides by members section).

It basicly a startup guide but tweaks your PC to the core.

It should be on the first or the second page of the guides section ;)

Grand Master

sn00pie

Posted
Posted
Game you have a config what celeron @ 1.5Ghz or somethink like that.

I have a Athlon 900 and for to go to the my computer are needed 1-2 sec.

Tweaking tweaking and more tweaking :D

You should read the startup guide (guides by members section).

It basicly a startup guide but tweaks your PC to the core.

It should be on the first or the second page of the guides section ;)

586829520[/snapback]

It fixed itself. :rofl:

Proficient

tOta

Posted
Posted

Sanctified i dont about CS2, but on my pc Photoshop CS takes about 160mb.

What is so much diffrence between CS and CS2.

Just to ask you probably did, but did you tried Miranda IM.

I use it instead of MSN Messenger. Supports ICQ/MSN/AIM/Yahoo ;)

Size: Miranda 7.9 MB

MSN Messenger 15 MB

Just had it installed. Miranda is installed longer times

so MSN Messenger folder size will be larger a bite in time.

*Man did you got any PM from me*

Grand Master

sanctified Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted
Sanctified i dont about CS2, but on my pc Photoshop CS takes about 160mb.

What is so much diffrence between CS and CS2.

Just to ask you probably did, but did you tried Miranda IM.

I use it instead of MSN Messenger. Supports ICQ/MSN/AIM/Yahoo ;)

Size: Miranda 7.9 MB

MSN Messenger 15 MB

Just had it installed. Miranda is installed longer times

so MSN Messenger folder size will be larger a bite in time.

*Man did you got any PM from me*

586834912[/snapback]

If just miranda had the feature to receive custom emoticons, thats why I dont use any messenger alternative, because sometimes I cant understand what my other contacts said.

Nope, no pms from you.

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