Release Notes Winhance v25.05.22

Winhance.exe & Winhance.Installer.exe is now Digitally Signed!

Installation Improvements

• Fixed Start Menu Shortcut Issue: Resolved the problem where Winhance shortcuts weren't appearing in the Start Menu (All Programs). Thoroughly tested on Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (24H2).
• Custom Installation Directory Support: Fixed issue #154 where the installer wasn't honoring custom installation directories. The installer now properly saves and persists the user's directory selection throughout the installation process, regardless of installation type.
• Windows IoT LTSC Compatibility: Verified Winhance compatibility with Windows 10 IoT LTSC 21H2 and Windows 11 IoT LTSC 24H2.
• Windows Sandbox Note: Investigated installation issues in Windows Sandbox, which appear to be related to known Windows Sandbox limitations affecting .NET applications rather than Winhance itself.

User Interface Enhancements

• New "More" Navigation Menu: Added a convenient "More" button in the Main Window providing quick access to:
  • Winhance Version (with update checker)
  • About Winhance
  • Winhance Logs
  • Winhance Scripts
  • Close Winhance
• Improved Toggle Visualization:
  • Enabled State: Green fill with a checkmark on the knob
  • Disabled State: Red fill with a cross/X on the knob
• Enhanced Scrolling: Improved scrolling speed across all views for a smoother user experience.
• Cleaner UI: Removed redundant "Selection Indicators" from the headers of the subviews in the OptimizeView.

Software & Apps Improvements

• Internet Connection Verification: Added internet connection checks before and during app installation to prevent timeouts and installation failures (Issue #155).
• Fixed Installation Status Reporting: Corrected issue where apps were falsely reported as installed after WinGet installation.
• Typo Correction: Fixed typo in custom dialog box that incorrectly displayed "installd" instead of "installed" (Issue #146).

Windows Apps & Features

• OneNote Uninstallation Fix: Resolved issue #141 where Winhance failed to remove OneNote on Windows 11. Added special handling to check for OneNote installation using registry keys and properly trigger its uninstaller.
• Xbox Integration Fix: Resolved issue #34, #123, #158 where removing Xbox would trigger the "Get an app to open this 'ms-gamingoverlay'" popup by adding the necessary registry entry.

External Software Additions

Added numerous requested applications to the External Software section:

• KeepassXC (Issue #133)
• PotPlayer (Issue #138)
• Wise Registry Cleaner (Issue #164)
• BCUninstaller (Issue #161)
• Explorer Patcher
• Volume2
• Crystal Disk Info
• TailScale
• StreamLabs OBS
• Input Leap
• Bulk Rename Utility
• AutoHotKey
• Text-Grab
• VenToy
• Unlocker
• Windhawk
• Lively Wallpaper
• Rainmeter
• Sucrose Wallpaper Engine

Note about Adwcleaner: While the download works correctly, when installed via WinGet, Adwcleaner requires launching via Terminal/PowerShell with the command "adwcleaner" as no direct executable is saved to the desktop or Start Menu.

Optimization Improvements

Windows Security Settings

• Enhanced UAC Controls: Improved UAC slider to match all available Windows options by changing from a three-state slider to a combobox with 4 options that match the Windows UAC GUI (Issue #166).

Gaming & Performance

• HPET Toggle: Added option to disable High Precision Event Timer for gaming optimization (Issue #139).

Notifications

• Added toggles for "Location Notifications" and "Windows Security Notifications".

Explorer Improvements

• Wallpaper Quality: Added option to prevent Windows from compressing wallpaper images (Issue #130).

Windows Updates

• Label Clarity: Changed "Exclude Drivers from Windows Updates" toggle label to "Do not include drivers with Windows Updates" to match Windows terminology (Issue #167).

Customization Improvements

Taskbar

• System Tray Icons: Added "Always show all system tray icons" registry entry (works on Windows 10 only) (Issue #18).

Explorer Improvements

• File Visibility Options: Added toggles to show hidden files, folders, drives and to uncheck "Hide Protected Operating System Files" (Issue #30).
• Lock Screen Control: Added toggle to remove lock screen (Issue #105).

Technical Improvements

• WinGet Integration: Refactored the WinGet installation process to download the latest version and dependencies directly from the winget-cli GitHub repo.
• Installation Process: Refactored the app installation process when installing apps with WinGet.
• Progress Reporting: Enhanced progress reporting for both WinGet installation and app installation.
• Dialog Improvements: Refactored CustomDialog to correctly display longer messages.
• UI Organization: Created SoftwareAppsDialog for App Installations and Removals, formatted into 4 columns for better readability.
• Code Architecture:
  • Created BaseInstallationViewModel to avoid code duplication in WindowsAppsViewModel and ExternalAppsViewModel.
  • Created ApplicationCloseService to handle showing the SupportDialog and closing the application to avoid code duplication.

Known Limitations

New toggles or items that were added has no visual indicators indicating that they're new.
New toggles or items will be skipped when importing existing config files. Robust handling will be implemented to prevent this in future releases.

The following items will not be added to External Apps due to unavailability through WinGet or the Microsoft Store:

• FileZilla
• CDBurnerXP
• Classic Task Manager
• NirCmd
• TriggerCMD
• SyncToy
• Minimize to Tray
• Serial Port Notifier
• Sereby AIO Runtime
• FlowFrames

Note: Apps with a generic direct download link that always download the latest available version may be added in future updates.

🔐 Winhance v25.05.22 Security Info:

• Winhance.Installer.exe

  • Size: 131223680 bytes : 125 MiB
  • SHA256: 5f20b7be5741ce37a8663041ae8228c28e45b32f7ca260036c34c38e436e634c

• Winhance.exe

  • Size: 165248 bytes : 161 KiB
  • SHA256: 58e1fc0707f25e71738388817b397cdb98aa8037b0c275424b6f56c74bc56b05

This release fixes #154, #155, #146, #141, #34, #123, #158, #133, #138, #164, #161, #166, #139, #130, #167, #18, #30, and #105.