As a developer, what changes do you make to a vanilla Windows install?

Question

When I get a vanilla Windows system, there\'s a bunch of stuff I change to make it more developer-friendly.

Some of it I remember every time, other stuff I only do as an

Answer 1

Edi Weitz has a nice writeup of his customizations: Making Windows usable for old Linux farts

Answer 2

I install some set of *nix command utilities and process explorer at a bare minimum.

Also, on XP systems I disable any theming and use the windows classic coloration. Vista just doesn't look or work right without the Aero theme so I can't do that on Vista without going almost completely nuts.

Also forgot, I install Chrome. (Used to be Firefox but Chrome is nicer out of the box)

Answer 3

I always install the following to make it easier to manage and interact with windows

• Taskix - Reorder buttons in your Windows taskbar
• KatMouse - scroll the window directly beneath the mouse cursor
• WinSplit Revolution - organize your windows by tiling, resizing and positioning them
• allSnap - windows automatically snap to window edges and (optionally) the edges of other windows

Answer 4

I wipe it and install Linux. Everyone is always amazed by how productive I can be. It's because I don't spend half my time fighting with the machine.

Answer 5

I install Cygwin to have *nix command line tools and Xemacs to have a useful editor.

Answer 6

I install:

• The usual suspects: Visual Studio, Sql Management Studio, Firefox, Chrome, etc...
• Paint.Net
• Notepad++
• Launchy