It used to be a very common practice in the software world to use extra tools that activated your “Tweak” options, that is, small adjustments and customization options that the original application would not allow you to make. In this case, with Ultimate Windows Tweaker you can modify several aspects of your Microsoft operating system that you normally can’t touch by default.
The tool is available in two versions, one for Windows Vista and 7 and another for Windows 8, the latter of which includes new customization options for the ModernUI interface. In both cases the freeware tool (which takes up only a few kilobytes of space) does not require any installation whatsoever, and the .exe file is launched straightaway once you unzip it in the desired folder.
The program is divided into several sections accessible from a menu to the left of the interface window. In the Customization section you’ll find all sorts of options to customize your taskbar, the file explorer, the ModernUI interface (for Windows 8 users), the screen saver, and other additional elements. The potential changes run the gamut from details as insignificant as hiding the clock on your taskbar to modifying the behaviour of your context actions when you’re handling files.
In the User Accounts section you can modify the start and account login screen, while in the Performance section it’s possible to make highly specific changes, such as selecting the amount of time to allow applications or services to respond before shutting them down or specifying the size of the L2 cache on your computer. Many of these options obviously require a certain level of IT knowledge, although in large part you just need to apply a bit of good common sense.
In the Security section we can eliminate restrictions and security locks, even, if desired, deactivating all notifications and alerts that pop up when you do tasks that require administrator authorization.
Internet Explorer, Windows’s default browser, can be tweak as well, with potential changes including the options to make it always launch in fullscreen mode or to customize your browser toolbars.
Ultimate Windows Tweaker is without a doubt a practical tool to suit the most demanding of users, and brings together in a single place countless customization elements in just the same way that Ubuntu Tweak does for Linux. Both are basically essential as the next step to take after installing your operating system.
