[Windows 11] Disable lnk resolver

Windows has a set of features on NTFS file systems called "shortcut resolver" that allow the system to search for a shortcut target in the filesystem if it gets moved around after a link to it is created.

This is convenient normally in case you create a shortcut to something, then move said something somewhere else as usually the shortcut would stop working and throw an error when accessed instead. However, it can lead to security issues as a new attack vector is introduced that could allow a malicious actor to hijack the target and point to something unwanted instead.

The features can be disabled on Windows 11 by enabling some group policies (Start->Run->gpedit.msc):

• User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar\Do not use the search-based method when resolving shell shortcuts
• User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar\Do not use the tracking-based method when resolving shell shortcuts
• User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\File Explorer\Do not track shell shortcuts during roaming

Additionally the "Distributed Link Tracking Client" service can be disabled (Start->Run->services.msc)

[Bing] Disable AI search clutter

AI is seemingly unescapable these days and annoying generated content is being shoved everywhere without consent.

To disable AI content clutter (copilot answers, video results, similar content and related searches) on Bing searches you can add a small rule to uBlock Origin extension under "My Filters" section:

www.bing.com##.b_ans

This will obviously break as soon as Microsoft pushes any update that changes the page content setup, however the workaround will be the same and will simply require finding out which element(s) to block.

uBlock Origin also has a very handy element picker mode that allows selecting a page component to create a rule to block it. Naturally the same can be achieved also by inspecting the page with Developer Tools (F12 usually) and finding the element tag(s) to block.

[Lenovo] Fix PSR screen issues with AMD graphics

Some recent Lenovo laptops come with displays theoretically supporting PSR (Panel Self Refresh) techology which supposedly would improve battery life.

On systems with AMD graphics, both the proprietary drivers and the ones packaged by Lenovo incorrectly implement support for it, leading to issues such as screen flickering, screen tearing and video stuttering.

The workaround is to force disable PSR in Windows registry, by opening regedit and looking for this entry:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\0000

then modifying or creating a key DWORD 32 bit named DalPSRFeatureEnable with value 0

Afterwards simply reboot the system.

Even though in theory disabling PSR could lead to worse battery life and higher GPU temperatures, I have not seen noticeable differences after a month of use, naturally it might vary for others, therefore monitor your system to detect issues in case.

To reenable it, simply change the value to 1

[Windows 11] Uninstall widgets app

If you do not need the widgets functionality on your Windows machine, you can disable it from settings or completely remove it with:

winget uninstall "windows web experience pack"

[Windows] Hash a file

Windows offers a builtin tool to compute the hash of a file (example MD5):

CertUtil -hashfile FILENAME MD5

To view the list of supported options and hash algorithms:

CertUtil -hashfile -?

[Windows 11] Disable telemetry and diagnostic data

Windows 11 collects some data and allows some configuration under Settings > Privacy & Security > Diagnostics & Feedback however you are not allowed to completely disable it. If you wanted to do so, you could apply a policy using the Local Group Policy Editor app (gpedit).

Find the Local Computer Policy > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds > Allow Diagnostic Data

Click to modify it, enable it and set it to "Diagnostic data off"

You can then logout and login again or run from a terminal the command to force reload policies:

gpupdate /force

[Windows 11] Remove PhoneLink app

Removing the PhoneLink app on Windows, is as easy as running (from administrator shell):

Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.YourPhone -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage