Solved Compiling a truck load of registry tweaks

antspants · Jul 24, 2025

formerW11_hater said:
Thanks for your reply. And thanks for the Tutorial Index. I was not aware of its existence, which basically does what i was suggesting. Much appreciated.
I generally do an internet search (DuckDuckGo) on an issue or what i want to try and do, and look for results from elevenforum.com.
I have been using Brink's solutions for years and a number of windows versions and am extremely grateful for the solutions.

No problem.

There isn’t anything wrong with the search function here, but I like to search this site using Google

For instance:

Adding your query to a Google search bar in the following format

spotlight not working site:elevenforum.com

More often than not, results in Google will highlight or favour the threads that have a relevant tutorial in a post, or the tutorial page itself.

I can’t open terminal as admin site:elevenforum.com

Query[space]site:elevenforum.com

So to make life easier, I added the following to the address bar in Google and hit Enter

site:elevenforum.com

I bookmarked the page, now I just open the bookmark and add my query to the begining as Google will preload site:elevenforum.com into the Google search bar. Just add your query before it.

Just remember, there needs to be a space between your query and site:elevenforum.com

antspants · Jul 24, 2025

I don’t know if that works in DuckDuck, I’ve never tried it.

formerW11_hater · Jul 24, 2025

antspants said:
I don’t know if that works in DuckDuck, I’ve never tried it.

Thanks Again.
Excellent 'service'.

I will give your method a try.
Though, some 12 months since installing W11, i have pretty much got W11 to where i want it so my tweaking may be over.
But, MS seem to have a bent on changing things seemingly for changes sake, requiring new tweaks or re-tweaking to put back what they undid.
Prior to moving to W11 from W10, i was not looking forward to it at all as i was aware of some really bad comments about W11 & how it worked.
But i found i liked W11 in spite of what i though needing changing. And i have mostly found ways of tailoring it to my liking. Hence my forum Name.

cheers

pseymour · Jul 24, 2025

antspants said:
I don’t know if that works in DuckDuck, I’ve never tried it.

Indubitably, it do.

How to use advanced syntax on DuckDuckGo Search - DuckDuckGo Help Pages

Learn how to use syntax on DuckDuckGo Private Search to get the search results you want.

duckduckgo.com

formerW11_hater · Jul 24, 2025

pseymour said:
Indubitably, it do.

How to use advanced syntax on DuckDuckGo Search - DuckDuckGo Help Pages

Learn how to use syntax on DuckDuckGo Private Search to get the search results you want.

duckduckgo.com

I concur.
antspants taught me something new too :)

PhilB · Jul 25, 2025

OAT said:
It might be useful to put them in hive sequence though, just for logic alone.

What he said.

PhilB · Jul 25, 2025

antspants said:
Here? No.

Just run through the Tutorial Index, have a read. Check out what’s of interest and if theres a reg file, download both the add & remove tweaks. Catalogue them on your HDD

Yes, but how to organize them, to avoid where program 1 sets a tweak, but then program 2 changes that tweak. Say you use Winaero and also Explorer.Patcher or Chris Titus's Windows Utility.

PhilB · Nov 1, 2025

x509 said:
Yes, but how to organize them, to avoid where program 1 sets a tweak, but then program 2 changes that tweak. Say you use Winaero and also Explorer.Patcher or Chris Titus's Windows Utility.

No comments on this question? I'm a bit surprised.

OAT · Nov 1, 2025

x509 said:
No comments on this question? I'm a bit surprised.

Usually well-written programs such as those mentioned will read the registry and will report the value of the key.
There will not be multiple values set for the same key.

garlin · Nov 1, 2025

WinAero and CTT both add reg tweaks that run on the vanilla Explorer. Most tweak tools that run "ala carte" and allow users to choose, all basically perform the exact same function. The major differences is how they organize and present the tweaks.

ExplorerPatcher and StartAllBack hack Explorer or the desktop by DLL injection. Much like a virus, they re-route key UI functions to their own self-written functions that replace certain key parts of the original Windows code. This is why they're constantly broken by random Monthly Updates.

Because they're making a private function of their own design, they're under no obligation to have it obey a reg key that the original Window code would have done. Now they don't completely replace all of the Windows code, just selected parts. The untouched Windows functions would be expected to behave as before, and obey the normal reg tweaks.

Mixing and matching between "tweaks" and "DLL hijacking" leads to strange combinations. Modder beware.

PhilB · Nov 1, 2025

garlin said:
WinAero and CTT both add reg tweaks that run on the vanilla Explorer. Most tweak tools that run "ala carte" and allow users to choose, all basically perform the exact same function. The major differences is how they organize and present the tweaks.

I had the mistaken belief that all tools work this way. I guess I needed to be enlightened

garlin said:
ExplorerPatcher and StartAllBack hack Explorer or the desktop by DLL injection. Much like a virus, they re-route key UI functions to their own self-written functions that replace certain key parts of the original Windows code. This is why they're constantly broken by random Monthly Updates.

I had no idea about this. Thanks for this info. Makes me much less willing to use either of these tools, even at the expense of not getting some nifty tweaks done. This also tells me that it will be very hard to undo changes made by either of these tools. I'm going to guess that a Windows repair install would be needed.

garlin said:
Because they're making a private function of their own design, they're under no obligation to have it obey a reg key that the original Window code would have done. Now they don't completely replace all of the Windows code, just selected parts. The untouched Windows functions would be expected to behave as before, and obey the normal reg tweaks.

Mixing and matching between "tweaks" and "DLL hijacking" leads to strange combinations. Modder beware.

Well I don't like the idea of DLL hijacking, not one bit.

Again, thank you for contributing this info.

@OAT Thanks for your comment about well written programs.

garlin · Nov 1, 2025

The whole point of ExplorerPatcher is Windows can completely change or remove UI functionality, that was formerly managed by a reg tweak. MS simply changes the code permanently. Some people are so fed up by UI changes, they're willing to allow EP to do its job and take the risk that a future update breaks it for a period of time.

EP is written by a talented and dependable dev, so it's not really a security threat. But whenever EP breaks, it might take him a while to reverse engineer some changes and get EP's functionality restored.

You don't need a repair install to remove EP. It does the DLL hijacking in a graceful manner, and it's upfront about what it's doing.

PhilB · Nov 1, 2025

Turns out that I can fix explorer.exe by using the System File Checker (sfc /scannow) and Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth) tools from an elevated Command Prompt

garlin said:
EP is written by a talented and dependable dev, so it's not really a security threat. But whenever EP breaks, it might take him a while to reverse engineer some changes and get EP's functionality restored.

Not an acceptable situationf for me. I consider myself pretty skilled in Windows compared with the "great unwashed masses" but the skill levels and expertise in the crowd in this forum makes me realize just how much I don't know.

garlin said:
You don't need a repair install to remove EP. It does the DLL hijacking in a graceful manner, and it's upfront about what it's doing.

Good, because a repair install is a pain in the buttski. How do I reverse the effects of DLL hijacking? Asking also for everyone else who reads this thread and goes "uh-oh" about DLL hijacking.

garlin · Nov 1, 2025

You do realize EP can be uninstalled thru normal means? Including "ep_setup.exe /uninstall".

Installer How To

dacrone · Nov 1, 2025

If you’re that concerned about that methodology, there are a ton of tweak tools that you can’t use lol. SAB, EP and WH are the top 3 but there are plenty more…

PhilB · Nov 1, 2025

garlin said:
You do realize EP can be uninstalled thru normal means? Including "ep_setup.exe /uninstall".

Installer How To

Yes, and I already uninstalled it using Revo Pro. I guess I'm about to expose my limited understanding of DLL hijacking. So here goes. IfExplorer.Patcher has been uninstalled, does that remove the hijacked code in explorer.exe? My understanding is that Explorer.Patcher actually patches explorer.exe and deletes or comments out sections of code.

garlin · Nov 2, 2025

No, that's not how DLL hijacking works. When an application calls a library function, there's an implicit search order thru the DLL's until the desired function is found. By changing the library search order, you can impersonate functions by placing your function ahead of the legitimate one.

EP inserts dxgi.dll into "C:\Windows\System32", to take advantage of a minor function that Explorer needs to take care of. That's it's entry point. By removing the same file, Explorer is no longer detoured from its original search order.

EP can choose which functions to pass thru to their original Windows functions, and which ones to override with its own code. It doesn't need to modify the DLL's and cause DISM errors.

Straight from the horse's mouth:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows11/comments/q4kaav/comment/hg2zgl7

Edwin · Nov 2, 2025

garlin said:
EP can choose which functions to pass thru to their original Windows functions, and which ones to override with its own code.

StartAllBack works in a similar way...,
... that's how you can go from this...

to this, and back, at the flick of a switch...
(Hooking the Shell I believe it's called)

Sheikh · Nov 2, 2025

antspants said:
Halo

I can pretty much bend Windows exactly the way I wan’t it using a lot of registry changes found here and a couple elsewhere.
Edwin introduced me to an option in Winaero Tweaker a while back (thanks my man) that allowes you to compile multiple registry tweaks into one file.

My concern is; I probably have over 40 registry tweaks. Does anyone see a problem with performing that many tweaks in one nuclear swoop? I don’t believe there are any conflicts between the tweaks, they are carefully selected and categorised in my PC.

Individually I have no problem with them at all, in one batch, I am wondering…

Grazie a tutti

Hmmmm... This topic might be a bit old, but for future generations of curious kids, I’ll say:
As you know, I'm a newbie here trying to modify those keys too—and I almost lost an eye editing a Windows image

. Based on my experience, it's better to create separate .reg files rather than one large file. A single typo can cause an error, and you won’t know where the problem is. By keeping them separate, you can edit each file more easily and reuse them later. Once everything works fine, you can combine them into one. Just like this (First, I tested it on a virtual machine, then applied it to my main system. In the end, everything was ruined—and I lost my hair too! So, in a moment of wisdom, I published it on my GitHub.)

antspants · Nov 2, 2025

Sheikh said:
Hmmmm... This topic might be a bit old, but for future generations of curious kids, I’ll say:
As you know, I'm a newbie here trying to modify those keys too—and I almost lost an eye editing a Windows image . Based on my experience, it's better to create separate .reg files rather than one large file. A single typo can cause an error, and you won’t know where the problem is. By keeping them separate, you can edit each file more easily and reuse them later. Once everything works fine, you can combine them into one. Just like this (First, I tested it on a virtual machine, then applied it to my main system. In the end, everything was ruined—and I lost my hair too! So, in a moment of wisdom, I published it on my GitHub.)

View attachment 151322

You funny

Not much room for typos. These are mainly Brink reg tweaks.
Winaero tweaker has a built in compiler. You point the compiler to your reg files and select them all. Add them to the compiler and let it join them.

Solved Compiling a truck load of registry tweaks

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