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WinSux handles software installation and removal automatically across three boots. This page documents every package installed, every app removed, and the reasoning behind what gets kept.

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Installed software

7-Zip

File archiver used both as an end-user tool and internally by WinSux to extract DirectX and GPU drivers.

Google Chrome

Installed with privacy and performance policies applied. uBlock Origin Lite force-installed via group policy.

DirectX

Full DirectX runtime extracted and installed silently. New NVMe driver feature flags enabled alongside it.

Visual C++ Redistributables

All x86 and x64 redistributable versions from 2005 through 2022, installed silently.

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7-Zip

Installed silently using 7zip.exe /S. After installation, WinSux applies two registry settings and cleans up the Start Menu entry. 
Start-Process -Wait "$env:SystemRoot\Temp\7zip.exe" -ArgumentList "/S"
KeyValueDataEffect
HKCU\Software\7-Zip\OptionsCascadedMenu0Disables cascading context submenu — items appear inline
HKCU\Software\7-Zip\OptionsContextMenu259Sets which context menu actions are shown
The installer places a shortcut inside a 7-Zip subfolder. WinSux moves it to the Programs root and removes the now-empty folder:
Move-Item -Path "$env:ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\7-Zip\7-Zip File Manager.lnk" `
          -Destination "$env:ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs" -Force
Remove-Item "$env:ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\7-Zip" -Recurse -Force

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Google Chrome

Installed silently with --silent --install. After installation, services, scheduled tasks, and the Active Setup logon activation are removed so Chrome does not run anything in the background. 
Start-Process -Wait "$env:SystemRoot\Temp\chrome.exe" -ArgumentList "--silent --install"
Policies applied via registry (HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome):
ValueDataEffect
HardwareAccelerationModeEnabled0Disables GPU hardware acceleration
BackgroundModeEnabled0Prevents Chrome from running after the window closes
HighEfficiencyModeEnabled1Enables memory efficiency mode for inactive tabs
ExtensionInstallForcelist → 1ddkjiahejlhfcafbddmgiahcphecmpfhForce-installs uBlock Origin Lite from the Chrome Web Store
Post-install cleanup:
  • All Active Setup entries matching *Chrome* removed from HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components
  • All services with Google in their name stopped and deleted
  • All scheduled tasks matching *Google* unregistered

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DirectX

The DirectX installer is extracted with 7-Zip, then run silently: 
& "C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe" x "$env:SystemRoot\Temp\directx.exe" -o"$env:SystemRoot\Temp\directx" -y
Start-Process -Wait "$env:SystemRoot\Temp\directx\DXSETUP.exe" -ArgumentList "/silent"
Three NVMe driver feature flags are also enabled at this stage to activate the newer inbox NVMe driver: 
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Policies\Microsoft\FeatureManagement\Overrides]
"735209102"=dword:00000001
"1853569164"=dword:00000001
"156965516"=dword:00000001
Safe boot entries are added so the new driver is available when booting into Safe Mode: 
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Network\{75416E63-5912-4DFA-AE8F-3EFACCAFFB14}]
@="Storage disks"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Minimal\{75416E63-5912-4DFA-AE8F-3EFACCAFFB14}]
@="Storage disks"

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Visual C++ Redistributables

All redistributable versions are installed silently in sequence. Installation uses hidden windows and no-restart flags throughout.
VersionArchitecturesInstall flags
2005x86, x64/Q /C:"msiexec /i vcredist.msi /qn /norestart"
2008x86, x64/q
2010x86, x64/quiet /norestart
2012x86, x64/quiet /norestart
2013x86, x64/quiet /norestart
2015–2022x86, x64/quiet /norestart

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Removed software

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Microsoft Edge

Edge is uninstalled through a multi-stage process that handles all known variants:
1

Stop all Edge-related processes

Terminates msedge, msedgewebview2, MicrosoftEdgeUpdate, Copilot, WidgetService, Widgets, and others.
2

Remove EdgeUpdate registration

Deletes EdgeUpdate registry keys from all eight registry locations (HKCU/HKLM, 32/64-bit, policy paths).
3

Uninstall EdgeUpdate

Runs MicrosoftEdgeUpdate.exe /unregsvc followed by /uninstall.
4

Uninstall Edge via uninstall string

Reads UninstallString from HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Microsoft Edge and runs it with --force-uninstall.
5

Remove Edge services and folders

Stops and deletes all services matching *Edge*. Removes C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft.
6

Remove Edge legacy package (Windows 10)

Finds Microsoft-Windows-Internet-Browser-Package in CBS and removes it with DISM:
dism /online /Remove-Package /PackageName:$EdgeLegacyPackage /quiet /norestart
The region is temporarily set to US (244) before uninstall and restored afterward. Some Edge uninstallers check the region.

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Microsoft OneDrive

All known OneDrive variants are uninstalled: 
# System32 variant
cmd /c "C:\Windows\System32\OneDriveSetup.exe -uninstall"

# SysWOW64 variant (Windows 10)
cmd /c "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\OneDriveSetup.exe -uninstall"

# Office 365 / per-user variants
Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Program Files*\Microsoft OneDrive", "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\OneDrive" `
  -Filter "OneDriveSetup.exe" -Recurse |
  ForEach-Object { Start-Process -Wait $_.FullName -ArgumentList "/uninstall /allusers" }
OneDrive scheduled tasks are also unregistered.

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Other removed applications

ApplicationRemoval method
Microsoft GameInputmsiexec /x {GUID} /qn /norestart
Remote Desktop Connectionmstsc /Uninstall
Old Snipping Tool (Windows 10)SnippingTool.exe /Uninstall
Microsoft Update Health Toolsmsiexec /x {GUID} /qn /norestart, registry key deleted, PLUGScheduler task removed

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Removed UWP apps

All AppX packages are removed for all users with the following exceptions. Removing these packages breaks core system functionality.
Package patternReason kept
*CBS*Required by File Explorer
*Microsoft.AV1VideoExtension*Codec
*Microsoft.AVCEncoderVideoExtension*Codec
*Microsoft.HEIFImageExtension*Codec
*Microsoft.HEVCVideoExtension*Codec
*Microsoft.MPEG2VideoExtension*Codec
*Microsoft.RawImageExtension*Codec
*Microsoft.Paint*Paint app
*Microsoft.SecHealthUI*Required by Windows Defender (Server)
*Microsoft.VP9VideoExtensions*Codec
*Microsoft.WebMediaExtensions*Codec
*Microsoft.WebpImageExtension*Codec
*Microsoft.Windows.Photos*Photos app
*Microsoft.Windows.ShellExperienceHost*Required by taskbar (Server)
*Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost*Required by Start Menu (Server)
*Microsoft.WindowsNotepad*Notepad app
*Microsoft.WindowsStore*Windows Store
*NVIDIACorp.NVIDIAControlPanel*NVIDIA Control Panel
*windows.immersivecontrolpanel*Required by Settings app (Server)

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Removed Windows capabilities

All optional capabilities are removed except those required for core networking or stability.
Capability patternReason kept
*Microsoft.Windows.Ethernet*Wired networking
*Microsoft.Windows.MSPaint*Paint (Windows 10)
*Microsoft.Windows.Notepad*Notepad
*Microsoft.Windows.Notepad.System*Notepad system component
*Microsoft.Windows.Wifi*Wireless networking
*NetFX3*.NET Framework 3.5
*VBSCRIPT*VBScript — removing breaks MSI installers
*WMIC*WMIC — required by monitoring programs
*Windows.Client.ShellComponents*Required by the UWP Snipping Tool (Windows 10)

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Removed Windows optional features

All optional features are disabled except those required for normal operation.
Feature patternReason kept
*DirectPlay*Legacy game compatibility
*LegacyComponents*Legacy component support
*NetFx3*.NET Framework 3.5
*NetFx4*.NET Framework 4.x — required by Windows Server features
*NetFx4-AdvSrvs*.NET 4 advanced services
*NetFx4ServerFeatures*.NET 4 server features — required by Windows Server
*SearchEngine-Client-Package*Windows Search — removing breaks search
*Server-Shell*Required by Windows Server desktop
*Windows-Defender*Required by Windows Defender on Server
*Server-Drivers-General*Required by Windows Server networking
*ServerCore-Drivers-General*Required by Windows Server networking
*WirelessNetworking*Required by Windows Server NVIDIA app

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Set Timer Resolution Service

WinSux compiles and installs a Windows service from the included C# source file (settimerresolutionservice.cs) to lock the system timer to its maximum hardware resolution. How it works: The service calls NtSetTimerResolution via P/Invoke on startup, setting the timer to MaximumResolution (the smallest interval supported by the hardware). This reduces scheduling jitter for games and real-time workloads. 
# Compile using .NET Framework 4.x csc.exe
Start-Process -Wait "C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\csc.exe" `
  -ArgumentList "-out:C:\Windows\SetTimerResolutionService.exe C:\Windows\Temp\settimerresolutionservice.cs"

# Install and start
New-Service -Name "Set Timer Resolution Service" `
  -BinaryPathName "C:\Windows\SetTimerResolutionService.exe"
Set-Service -Name "Set Timer Resolution Service" -StartupType Auto
Set-Service -Name "Set Timer Resolution Service" -Status Running
Global timer resolution requests are also enabled so that per-process timer resolution requests from applications are honoured system-wide: 
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\kernel]
"GlobalTimerResolutionRequests"=dword:00000001
You can verify the service is running with Get-Service "Set Timer Resolution Service" in PowerShell.

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