Windows

I'm an avid critic of Microsoft - specifically of it's flagship OS Windows.

In recent years - what used to be an annoyance has quickly become malicious.

After you pay ~$140 for permission to use Microsoft's OS on YOUR hardware - you're left with a default OS that's bloated, insecure, and laden with adware &spyware. Not just adware from Microsoft itself through products like Onedrive and Edge - but from "trusted" 3rd party vendors like Facebook & Popcap Games...

Decoupling your PC from the invasive & prying eyes at Microsoft begins before your OS is even installed...

Warning/Disclaimer:

If you're planning on using any of this on your Work or School PC -- I would advise against it. Many of these customizations are built to give you (the user) more control over your machine.

This is often at odds with your organization's EULA/AUP^1.

At best, this may could trigger your organizations Enterprise Endpoint Protection (Antivirus). At worst, this could result in liabilities or even termination due to misuse of your organization's equipment.

Many of these configs, scripts, and applications require local admin access to run due to the nature & gravity of the configurations being modified.