Some Notes on the Machines

This works:

np:\\.\pipe\MICROSOFT##WID\tsql\query

The Powershell below, calls all of the tools listed for it here.

if (([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal][Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole] "Administrator"))
    {
    "Running elevated; good."
    ""
    } else {
    "Not running as elevated.  Starting elevated shell."
    Start-Process powershell -WorkingDirectory $PWD.Path -Verb runAs -ArgumentList "-noprofile -noexit -file $PSCommandPath"
    return "Done. This one will now exit."
    ""
    }

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls -bor [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls11 -bor [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12;

Import-Module BitsTransfer

$ps_script_list = @(
    'mma-appx-etc.ps1',
    'TweakMemTCP.ps1',
    'RunDevNodeClean.ps1',
    'wt_removeGhosts.ps1',
    'TweakDrives.ps1',
	'TweakSMB.ps1',
    'OWTAS.ps1',
    'OVSS.ps1',
    'CATE.ps1',
	'TweakHardware.ps1'
    )

$wco = (New-Object System.Net.WebClient)

ForEach ($ps_script in $ps_script_list) {
	$download_url = "http://cbt-tech-lab.centuryks.com/windows-tools/tools/$ps_script"

	""
	"--- Downloading $ps_script... ---"
	Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $download_url -Outfile ".\$ps_script"

	$run_script = ".\$ps_script"

	& $run_script
	Remove-Item ".\$ps_script"
	}

$wco.Dispose()

#end of script

The Powershell below, updates/installs all Microsoft redistributable libraries. The general repository is here.

<#PSScriptInfo

.VERSION 4.2

.GUID 03c695c0-bf45-4257-8156-89310e951140

.AUTHOR Jonathan E. Brickman

.COMPANYNAME Ponderworthy Music

.COPYRIGHT (c) 2024 Jonathan E. Brickman

.TAGS

.LICENSEURI https://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause

.PROJECTURI https://github.com/jebofponderworthy/windows-tools

.ICONURI

.EXTERNALMODULEDEPENDENCIES 

.REQUIREDSCRIPTS

.EXTERNALSCRIPTDEPENDENCIES

.RELEASENOTES
GetRedists
Retrieve, and install/update, all missing VC++ redistributable libraries
currently being supported by Microsoft, using the excellent
VcRedist module.

.PRIVATEDATA

#> 

<#

.DESCRIPTION 
GetRedists - Get all current Microsoft VC++ redistributables

#>

Param()


#######################################################################
# GetRedists                                                          #
# v5.0                                                                #
#######################################################################

#
# by Jonathan E. Brickman
#
# Retrieves and installs all of the Microsoft redistributable libraries
# currently being supported, using the excellent VcRedist package.
#
# Copyright 2024 Jonathan E. Brickman
# https://notes.ponderworthy.com/
# This script is licensed under the 3-Clause BSD License
# https://opensource.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause
# and is reprised at the end of this file
#
# GetRedists is entirely dependent upon VcRedist:
# https://docs.stealthpuppy.com/vcredist/function-syntax/get-vclist
# for which profound gratitude is!!!
#
#

""
""
"****************"
"   GetRedists   "
"****************"
""
""

# Items needing work:
# - Command-line option for location of repo folder
# - Error handling; if errors occur at any stage, terminate and print.

# Self-elevate if not already elevated.
if (([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal][Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole] "Administrator"))
    {
    "Running elevated; good."
    ""
    } else {
    "Not running as elevated.  Starting elevated shell."
    Start-Process powershell -WorkingDirectory $PWD.Path -Verb runAs -ArgumentList "-noprofile -noexit -file $PSCommandPath"
    return "Done. This one will now exit."
    ""
    }

# Sets TLS version.  Necessary for some situations.
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

$reportStatus = ''
$currentOp = ''
function ShowProgress {
	param( [string]$reportStatus, [string]$currentOp )

	Write-Progress -Activity "Get Microsoft Redistributables" -Status $reportStatus -PercentComplete -1 -CurrentOperation $currentOp
	# Write-Progress is not compatible with some remote shell methods.

}

'Preparing Powershell environment...'

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Force > $null

ShowProgress("Preparing Powershell environment...","Setting up to use Powershell Gallery...")

Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -Force -ErrorAction 'SilentlyContinue' > $null
Set-PSRepository -Name PSGallery -InstallationPolicy Trusted
If (Get-InstalledModule -Name PsWindowsUpdate -ErrorAction 'SilentlyContinue') {
	Update-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force
} Else {
	Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force
}
Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate

ShowProgress("Preparing Powershell environment...","Checking and preparing module VcRedist...")

# Install or update module VcRedist
If (Get-InstalledModule -Name VcRedist -ErrorAction 'SilentlyContinue') {
	Update-Module -Name VcRedist -Force
} Else {
	Install-Module -Name VcRedist -AllowClobber -Scope CurrentUser -Force
}

# Import VcRedist to this session
Import-Module -Name VcRedist

if ($False -eq (Test-Path C:\VcRedist -PathType Container)) {
	New-Item C:\VcRedist -ItemType Directory | Out-Null 
	}

''

'Getting list of currently installed redistributables...'

ShowProgress("Getting list of currently installed redistributables...","")
$InstalledRedists = Get-InstalledVcRedist

'Getting list of currently available and supported redistributables...'
''

ShowProgress("Getting list of currently available and supported redistributables...","")
$AvailableRedists = Get-VcList

ShowProgress("Checking and installing/upgrading as needed...","")

# Create blank array of redists to install
$RedistsToGet = @()

# Initialize...
$NothingMissing = $True

# Cycle through all available redists
# Using .ProductCode not .Version, .ProductCode will eliminate false downloads
ForEach ($OnlineRedist in $AvailableRedists) {

	'Checking: ' + $OnlineRedist.Name + '...'

	# Cycle through all redists currently installed,
	# checking to see if the available one being checked is there,
	# and if not, add it to the array of those to be installed.

	$IsInstalled = $False

	ForEach ($LocalRedist in $InstalledRedists) {
		If ($OnlineRedist.ProductCode -eq $LocalRedist.ProductCode) {
			'Already installed.'
			""
			$IsInstalled = $True
			break
			}
		}
	If ($IsInstalled -eq $False) {
		'Needed.'
		""
		$RedistsToGet += ,$OnlineRedist
		$NothingMissing = $False
		}
	}

If ($NothingMissing -eq $True)
	{
	"No VC++ redistributables missing."
	""
	Exit
	}

ShowProgress("Retrieving all needed redistributables to repo folder...","")
"Retrieving..."
""
$ListOfDownloads = Get-VcRedist -Verbose -VcList $RedistsToGet -Path C:\VcRedist

ShowProgress("Installing all needed redistributables from repo folder...","")
""
"Installing and reporting current list..."
""
Install-VcRedist -Verbose -VcList $RedistsToGet | ft

# The old brute force get-them-all code
#
# ShowProgress("Retrieving all redistributables to repo folder...","")
# Get-VcList | Get-VcRedist -Verbose -Path C:\VcRedist | Out-Null
# ShowProgress("Installing all redistributables from repo folder...","")
# Get-VcList | Install-VcRedist -Verbose -Path C:\VcRedist | Out-Null

ShowProgress("Removing repo folder...","")
Remove-Item C:\VcRedist -Recurse -Force | Out-Null
ShowProgress("Done!","")

# The 3-Clause BSD License

# SPDX short identifier: BSD-3-Clause

# Note: This license has also been called
# the AYA>A>??sA??.??oNew BSD LicenseAYA>A>??sA??,A? or AYA>A>??sA??.??oModified BSD LicenseAYA>A>??sA??,A?.
# See also the 2-clause BSD License.

# Copyright 2018 Jonathan E. Brickman

# Redistribution and use in source and binary
# forms, with or without modification, are
# permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

# 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the
# above copyright notice, this list of conditions and
# the following disclaimer.

# 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the
# above copyright notice, this list of conditions and
# the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or
# other materials provided with the distribution.

# 3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the
# names of its contributors may be used to endorse or
# promote products derived from this software without
# specific prior written permission.

# THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND
# CONTRIBUTORS AYA>A>??sA??.??oAS ISAYA>A>??sA??,A? AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
# INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES
# OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
# ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER
# OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT,
# INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
# (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE
# GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR
# BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
# LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
# (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT
# OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
# POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

This can sometimes save a lot of CPU and/or disk cycles. In administrative CMD:

schtasks /Change /Disable /TN "Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser"
sc delete DiagTrack
sc delete dmwappushservice
echo “” > C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Diagnosis\ETLLogs\AutoLogger\AutoLogger-Diagtrack-Listener.etl
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection /v AllowTelemetry /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Very interesting:

www.tomshardware.com/how-to/bypass-windows-11-tpm-requirement

This is the Internet DNS name of a Microsoft server. On a Windows operating system, immediately before any and all of a wide variety of things occur, the machine will contact this server for some bandwidth and connectivity tests.

There are often issues with this. If attempt is made and fails, Windows may throw up a popup in the lower-right corner, asking for a mouse-click. Sometimes DNS servers lack this record for some reason, causing odd and unusual troubles. There have been other consequences.

There are ways to turn this off altogether. So far testing has found zero gotchas for shutting it off, it is not clear whether it is essential. The simplest way to do so, is probably to enable this item in local or domain group policy:

Computer Configuration
Administrative Templates
System
Internet Communication Management
Internet Communication settings
Turn off Windows Network Connectivity Status Indicator active tests

This works well as of this writing.

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = "tls12, tls11, tls"
md -Path $env:temp\edgeinstall -erroraction SilentlyContinue | Out-Null
$Download = join-path $env:temp\edgeinstall MicrosoftEdgeEnterpriseX64.msi
Invoke-WebRequest 'http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=2093437'  -OutFile $Download
Start-Process "$Download" -ArgumentList "/quiet"
# placeholder for "enter" autokeyhit

This is a change to a replacement URL, and it will hopefully be a more lasting kind than the previous. The above works for AMD64 Windows; the URL comes from here:

techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/discussions/official-download-links-for-microsoft-edge-stable-enterprise/m-p/1082549

and there is support for other platforms on that page.

The overall cause of buildup of orphan shadows in “System Volume Information” folders, is physical storage not being able to keep up with demand.

The best first steps I have, are to run what I sometimes call general cleanup. After that, I run PrivaZer without checking traces in free space, which saves time and does not affect performance results. PrivaZer cleans up an amazing variety of NTFS issues, even new installs often benefit.

And after that, three registry entries. Here’s Powershell code to get them in and engaged.

$NewMaxShadowCopies = 8
$NewMinDiffAreaFileSize = 128

# http://www.tomsitpro.com/articles/powershell_registry-powershell_command_line,2-152.html

function setupDWORD {
    param( [string]$regPath, [string]$nameForDWORD, [long]$valueForDWORD )

    ##############
    # Error out if cannot touch the registry area at all
    If ( !(Test-Path $regPath) ) {
        Try {
            New-Item $regPath -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
            }
        Catch {
            Write-Error ("Could not visit or create registry path " + $regPath)
            Return
            }
        }

    #############
    # If an existing registry entry exists, store its value to report later
    Try {
        $oldValueProperty = Get-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name $nameForDWORD -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        $oldValue = $oldValueProperty.$nameforDWORD
        }
    Catch {
        $oldValue = ""
        }

    #############
    # Report the changes to make
    Write-Output ("DWORD to write: " + $nameForDWORD)
    Write-Output ("at registry path " + $regPath)
    If ($oldValue -ne "") {
        Write-Output ("Original value is " + $oldValue)
        }
    else {
        Write-Output "No original present."
        }
    Write-Output ("New value is " + $valueforDWORD)

    ############
    # Report no changes to make, set new registry entry, or error out
	If ($oldValue -eq $valueforDWORD) {
		Write-Output "No change to make."
		""
		Return
		}
    Try {
        New-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name $nameForDWORD -Value $valueForDWORD -PropertyType DWORD -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue > $null
        }
    Catch {
        Write-Error "Failed!"
        ""
        Return
        }

    "Succeeded!"
    ""
    }

setupDWORD "HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VSS\Settings" "MaxShadowCopies" $NewMaxShadowCopies

setupDWORD "HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VolSnap" "MinDiffAreaFileSize" $NewMinDiffAreaFileSize

setupDWORD 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows' 'DeleteStaleTaskCache' 1

""

"Restarting VSS..."

Restart-Service -Force -Name "VSS"

""

"Complete!"
""

If you can get to an administrative or system shell:

Reset-ComputerMachinePassword -Server DC.domain.local -Credential (Get-Credential)

Run this:

sysdm.cpl

Then go to the Advanced tab, and click the Settings button in the middle under User Profiles.

This works great under 10 also, but is a lot more hidden in 11.