HONG KONG - 24 Jun 2021 (Updated 11 Mar 2022)
My favorite settings on Windows PCs of Chi Wah Learning Commons (智華館) @ HKU.
- Right click on taskbar -> ⚙️Taskbar settings -> Notification area -> Select which icons appear on the taskbar -> Turn on Always show all icons in the notification area
- Right click on taskbar -> Uncheck Show Cortana button
- (Right click on taskbar -> News and interests -> Turn off)
- Right click on Microsoft Edge -> Unpin from taskbar
- Right click on Internet Explorer -> Unpin from taskbar
Turn on App & browser control and handle any issue raised by Sophos Endpoint Security and Control in Virus & threat protection
- Settings -> Time & Language ->
- Show additional calendars in the taskbar -> Traditional Chinese (Lunar)
- Language ->
- Preferred languages ->
- Add a language -> Chinese (Simplified, China) -> Next -> Install
- Chinese (Simplified, China) -> Options -> Microsoft Pinyin -> Options -> General -> Default mode -> Choose IME default mode -> English
- Keyboard (For Windows 10 versions before 2004, it's Preferred languages -> Choose an input method to always use as default) -> Override for default input method -> Chinese (Simplified, China) - Microsoft Pinyin
- Preferred languages ->
- Region -> Change data formats ->
- Short date -> 05-Apr-17
- Long date -> Wednesday, 5 Apr, 2017
- Short time -> 09:40
- Long time -> 09:40:07
- (IME toolbar -> ⚙️ -> Hide IME toolbar)
- Settings -> Apps -> Default apps ->
- Web browser -> Google Chrome -> Switch anyway
- (Video player & Music player -> VLC media player)
Settings -> Ease of Access -> Keyboard -> Print Screen shortcut -> Turn on Use the PrtScn button to open screen snipping
- Brightness needs to be manually adjusted on the right side of the display on a Dell OptiPlex 7450 All-In-One PC; Or Settings -> System -> Display -> Change brightness for the built-in display on a Lenovo ThinkCentre M920z All-In-One PC.
- Settings -> System -> Display -> Night light settings -> Turn on/off now & Strength
- Task View (Win + Tab) -> New desktop
- Use Ctrl + Win + ←/→ to switch between them
Win + V -> Turn on
- Expand This PC
- Expand the Ribbon (Ctrl + F1)
- View -> Check File name extensions & Hidden items
- Pin to taskbar
- Enable any previously added extension (usually Skype and/or NCapture)
- Log into my Google accounts and turn on Sync
- Adblock Plus -> ⚙️ ->
- ACCEPTABLE ADS -> Uncheck Allow Acceptable Ads -> NO, THANKS
- LANGUAGE -> Change to 中文+English
- New Tab -> Youtube -> Change to my frequently used account for YouTube ->
- A video on Youtube with Subtitles/CC -> Turn off Autoplay
- New Tab -> Try each shortcut once until the favicon for each page is loaded and logging into some services
- Download any 2 PDF files
- Open with -> Choose another app -> Select PDF-XChange Editor -> Check Always use this app to open .pdf files -> OK
- Close when having multiple PDF files open -> Yes, and don't ask again
After installing and logging in, click on <User> -> Settings ->
- Display -> Turn off See what your friends are playing
- SHOW ADVANCED SETTINGS ->
- Startup and window behaviour ->
- Open Spotify automatically after you log into the computer -> No
- Turn on Close button should minimize the Spotify window
- Startup and window behaviour ->
Pin to taskbar
Pin to taskbar
If Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_<versionNumber>.msixbundle fails to install after double clicking on it, try and run this in Powershell:
Add-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_<versionNumber>.msixbundlePin to taskbar
I prefer tunneling (Advanced -> Connection -> Tunnel) through gatekeeper2.cs.hku.hk when connecting to HKUCS.
Go to C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Local, create a folder X2Go, Go into the folder and move the installer there.
Unzip the installer there. Right click on x2goclient.exe and send to desktop (create a shortcut).
Right click on the shortcut, select Properties. Add
--broker-url=https://x2gobroker.cs.hku.hk/x2gobroker/plain/inifile
to the Target.
Check for updates, or run the Microsoft_Teams_x64 in the ITS Software (Shortcut on Desktop or in the Start menu) if necessary.
Settings -> General -> Uncheck Auto-start application & Check Open application in background
- Printing size: If in need to change some printers' default printing size from Letter to A4 or other, go to Settings -> Devices -> Printers & scanners -> Select a printer -> Manage -> Printing preferences and find out where to change paper size
How come a PC's ethernet in Chi Wah is not in the same network as HKU (Or the same network after connecting to HKUVPN)? It's painful I can't access some intranet services while using the University-provided internet on your PCs. I can't even access HKU CS GPU Farm servers from the PC without port forwarding twice through a node that's considered in the same network as HKU.