Before We Start

I recently built a new PC, and to make it more pleasant to use, I downloaded some extra software. This article is meant to help me restore my computer to the style and setup I already like and am familiar with after reinstalling the system. It can also serve as a reference for others with similar needs.

Windows Extra Software

Here is some of the software I am currently using to make Windows more pleasant to use.

Software Settings

Rime

When we use fu pan to try to type 复盘, we find that it fails because of a bug (Traditional Chinese to Simplified Chinese conversion).

We can place a custom_phrase.txt file in the user folder with the following content:

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复盘  fupan   100
复盘  fp  100

Note: the separators in the middle must be Tabs, not spaces.

Then right-click Weasel and redeploy the service.

Sync Backup

The synchronization method officially recommended by Rime for multiple devices is to set sync_dir in installation.yaml, then use "Sync User Data".

The official documentation is very clear: during synchronization, user dictionaries are generated/merged into *.userdb.txt snapshots, and non-auto-generated YAML and .txt files in the user folder are backed up one-way to the sync directory. Typical files in the sync directory include installation.yaml, default.custom.yaml, weasel.custom.yaml, and *.userdb.txt.

1. Open installation.yaml in the user folder.
2. Add a line like this:

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sync_dir: 'D:\OneDrive\backup\Rime\backup'

1. Save it and redeploy.
2. Run "Sync User Data" in Weasel.

Note: syncing user data includes two actions: pull + push.

It first pulls the existing user dictionary snapshots from the sync directory and merges them into the current dictionary, then pushes the current user configuration and new dictionary snapshots back to the sync directory. If the sync directory is empty, it simply backs up the current configuration there; if it is not empty, it merges first and then backs up.

Edge Settings

Purpose: prevent search results from redirecting to cn.bing.com, and use the new Bing instead.

As the browser that comes with Windows, Edge may not always be as good as Chrome, but it is still sufficient for everyday use.

The first issue is that Bing forces the search region to China, which makes useful AI tools such as the new Bing unavailable.

The reason lies in the search engine settings for the address bar. Go to Edge Settings --> Privacy, search, and services --> Address bar and search --> Manage search engines, as shown below.

You only need to modify the query URL (add a new one again and set it as default).

After that, it should work. I referred to this article¹.

1. Vertical tabs

2. Hide the title bar

3. Other settings

You can explore the other homepage settings yourself.

Fliqlo Settings

Purpose: use a global shortcut key to start the desktop screensaver (note that this does not work when software is in full-screen mode).

Method 1: Pin the Fliqlo shortcut to the Start menu

1. Create a Fliqlo shortcut and place it on the desktop.
2. Open the Start menu folder. This folder is usually located at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs. Drag the shortcut into it (administrator permission is required).
3. Open the Start menu, find the Fliqlo shortcut, right-click it, and pin it to Start.

Method 2: Create a desktop shortcut directly, then assign a shortcut key

1. Note that with this method, you cannot hide the desktop shortcut. Otherwise, the shortcut key will not work the next time you try to launch it. This method leaves a shortcut on the desktop, and since I prefer a cleaner desktop, I abandoned this option.

Windows Terminal Optimization

Purpose: improve the terminal appearance and enable the terminal's built-in administrator privileges.

I mainly use the oh-my-posh theme to improve Windows Terminal.

Then there are some Windows Terminal beautification settings and command-line completion features².

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        "defaults": {
          // start transparent effect, set the transparency to 0.9
          "useAcrylic": true, 
          "acrylicOpacity": 0.9,
          "fontFace": "MesloLGM Nerd Font Mono",
          "fontSize": 14
        },

You can check the reference video for details.

Then there is enabling administrator privileges by default, using the elevate property so it always opens as administrator³, and setting the default startup directory to the project folder E:\\Personal_Project.

The JSON code is as follows:

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            {
                "commandline": "%SystemRoot%\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe",
                "guid": "{61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf}",
                "hidden": false,
                "name": "Windows PowerShell",
                // open the wt default as the administer
                "elevate": true,
                // set the default start directory
                "startingDirectory": "E://Personal_Project"
            }

PotPlayer Settings

Purpose: make the player easier to use.

This software has far too many settings, but the most important ones are hardware decoding (H/W, GPU decoding) and software decoding (CPU decoding).

See the reference video for details⁴.

Visio

Download and activation: Microsoft Visio 专业版 2019_visio 2019-CSDN博客

Reference