itsfatduck/optimizerDuck v2.27.6

optimizerDuck v2.27.6 - Better Startup Manager, New Tweaks & Fixes

on GitHub

This release significantly expands Startup Manager, introduces a live taskbar progress indicator, and adds a fresh set of system, boot, and gaming tweaks. It also brings important safety improvements to the revert system, a more user-friendly bloatware warning dialog, and a range of quality-of-life enhancements. A huge thank you to @loliri for contributing numerous features and fixes to this release, and to @ether-btc for the detailed bug report that helped uncover and address issues in the revert system and Disk Cleanup.

New

Startup Manager gets much smarter, thanks to @loliri

• Modern packaged apps (UWP / MSIX) are now detected, including Windows Store apps that register themselves to start with Windows. You can toggle them on or off, and their state stays in sync with Windows Settings. Icons are pulled from the package automatically, so every app still shows a recognizable logo.
• 32-bit apps are now scanned as well. Many older apps and game launchers register under the 32-bit view of the registry, so optimizerDuck now shows them in the same list and lets you manage them alongside everything else.
• Real timestamps are now written when you toggle a startup item, matching what the native Windows Task Manager stores. You can tell exactly when a change was made.

Taskbar progress indicator

When a long optimization is running, the progress bar now appears directly on the optimizerDuck icon in your taskbar. You can keep working in other apps and still know how much time is left.

Bloatware safety dialog

Before removing any package whose name looks unusual or could be a system component, optimizerDuck now shows a clear confirmation dialog with the package name, publisher, version, and a risk badge, so you can make a safe choice and cancel the removal if something looks off.

Customizations, thanks to @loliri

• Combine taskbar buttons is a new option that controls how Windows groups taskbar buttons when you have many windows open (Always, When full, Never). The same setting applies on every monitor, so the taskbar looks the same on each screen. Windows 11 for multi-monitor support.
• Verbose Status shows a detailed step-by-step message during startup, shutdown, and logon. Useful when you want to find out why your PC boots slowly. Note: this only takes effect if DisableStatusMessages is not also set.
• UTC hardware clock sets your motherboard clock to UTC, so the time does not jump back and forth if you dual-boot Windows and Linux.
• Smart name resolution stops Windows from sending your DNS requests across every active network adapter.
• DLSS on-screen indicator lets you choose whether the small NVIDIA DLSS watermark appears in your games. You can pick Off, Debug only, or All versions. The option is shown only if your PC has an NVIDIA graphics card.

Optimizations, thanks to @loliri

• WebDAV file size limit raises the default WebDAV upload and download size from 50 MB to 4 GB, fixing the 0x800700DF error you can get when copying large files over a WebDAV drive. Requires the WebClient service to be running.
• Windows Update pause limit raises the longest time you can pause Windows Updates, giving you more control over when they install. Be aware that pausing too long can leave your system without security patches.

Improvements

• Source code viewer uses your installed version. Clicking "view source on GitHub" inside the app now opens the file at the exact release tag matching your installed version, instead of the development branch. You always see the code you are actually running.
• Smoother app during long operations. optimizerDuck stays responsive while running long optimizations, disk cleanups, and configuration loads. No more freezes during heavy work.
• Cleaner navigation and dialogs. Sidebar icons for Optimize, Startup Manager, and Scheduled Tasks have been refreshed. Spacing inside cards and detail popups has been tightened across the app.

Fixes

• Revert system is now safer on partial failure. When you undo a tweak that has several steps, optimizerDuck now keeps the undo record if any step fails. You can retry without losing your saved state, and the record is only removed when every step succeeds. Thanks to @ether-btc.
• Path safety check hardened. Strengthened the security check that loads revert files so it can no longer be tricked by unusual folder names. Thanks to @ether-btc.
• "Open file location" made safer. When you open a startup program's file location, optimizerDuck now validates the path and blocks attempts to pass extra arguments. Thanks to @ether-btc.
• Disk Cleanup no longer touches running .NET temp files. Fixed an inverted filter that could delete .NET temporary files while a .NET application was still using them, which previously could cause the running app to crash. Thanks to @ether-btc.
• Bing Search toggle works correctly, thanks to @loliri. The Bing Search customization now reads and writes both registry keys and group policies, so the on-screen state always matches what Windows actually uses.
• Taskbar alignment reads the actual default. On fresh Windows installs where the registry value is missing, the Customize setting now correctly reports Center (the Windows default) instead of showing a "Custom" or "Not set" placeholder.

New Contributors

• @loliri made their first contribution in #65

Full Changelog: v2.26.2...v2.27.6