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Post-Installation Guide

Essential steps to take after installing AtomOS to optimize your system for performance, security, and usability.

First Steps After Installation

After successfully installing AtomOS, follow these critical first steps to ensure your system is properly configured and ready for use.

Verify System Integrity

Run the built-in AtomOS System Verification Tool to ensure all system components were installed correctly:
coresys verify --full

Check for Critical Updates

AtomOS includes a minimal update system for critical security patches. Run:
coresys update --security-only

Configure System Restore Point

Create a system restore point before making any changes:
  1. Press Win+R, type sysdm.cpl, and press Enter
  2. Go to the "System Protection" tab
  3. Select your system drive and click "Configure"
  4. Enable system protection and allocate disk space (5-10% recommended)
  5. Click "Create" to make your first restore point

Activate Windows (if needed)

If you haven't activated Windows yet, now is the time to do so to ensure full functionality.

Driver Installation

AtomOS comes with a minimal set of drivers. Installing the right drivers for your hardware is essential for optimal performance.

Avoid Windows Update for drivers - Windows Update often installs generic or outdated drivers that can cause performance issues or instability.

Manual Driver Installation

For the best performance and stability, download drivers directly from your hardware manufacturer's website:

Identify Your Hardware

Use Device Manager to identify unknown devices:
  1. Press Win+X and select "Device Manager"
  2. Look for devices with yellow warning icons
  3. Right-click on unknown devices and select "Properties"
  4. Go to the "Details" tab and select "Hardware Ids" from the dropdown
  5. Search the internet for the first hardware ID to identify the device

Download Official Drivers

Visit the manufacturer's website for each component:
  • Motherboard: Visit the motherboard manufacturer's support page (ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, etc.)
  • GPU: Download from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel's official websites
  • Network: Get drivers from your network card manufacturer
  • Audio: Download from Realtek, Creative, or your motherboard manufacturer
  • Peripherals: Visit the manufacturer's website for each peripheral

Install in the Correct Order

Install drivers in this recommended order:
  1. Chipset drivers (most important)
  2. Network drivers
  3. Storage controllers
  4. GPU drivers
  5. Audio drivers
  6. USB controllers
  7. Other peripherals

Verify Installation

After installing each driver:
  • Check Device Manager to ensure no warning icons remain
  • Test the functionality of each component
  • Create a new restore point after successful driver installations

Performance Optimization

AtomOS is already optimized for performance, but these additional tweaks can help you get the most out of your hardware.

General Performance Tweaks

Optimize Visual Effects

  1. Press Win+R, type sysdm.cpl, and press Enter
  2. Go to the "Advanced" tab and click "Settings" under Performance
  3. Select "Adjust for best performance" or customize by selecting only:
    • Show thumbnails instead of icons
    • Smooth edges of screen fonts
    • Show window contents while dragging
  4. Click "Apply" and "OK"

Optimize Startup Programs

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager
  2. Go to the "Startup" tab
  3. Disable unnecessary startup programs
  4. Focus on keeping only essential security and hardware-related programs

Storage Optimization

  1. For SSDs, ensure TRIM is enabled:
    fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify

    If the result is 0, TRIM is enabled. If it's 1, enable it with:

    fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0
  2. Disable Indexing for SSDs:
    • Open File Explorer, right-click on your SSD drive
    • Select "Properties" and uncheck "Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed"

Memory Optimization

  1. Configure virtual memory:
    • Press Win+R, type sysdm.cpl, and press Enter
    • Go to "Advanced" tab → "Settings" under Performance → "Advanced" tab
    • Click "Change" under Virtual memory
    • Uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size"
    • For SSDs: Select "No paging file" if you have 16GB+ RAM
    • For HDDs: Set custom size (Initial size = 1.5x RAM, Maximum size = 3x RAM)

Security Configuration

Protect your AtomOS installation with these essential security measures.

Configure Windows Security

AtomOS comes with Windows Security pre-configured, but you should verify all protections are active:
  1. Open Windows Security from the Start menu
  2. Ensure all protection areas show green checkmarks
  3. Run a quick scan to verify system integrity

Set Up System Backup

Configure automatic backups to protect your data:
  1. Connect an external hard drive or configure a network location
  2. Open Settings → Update & Security → Backup
  3. Add a drive and configure backup settings
  4. Enable automatic backups on a regular schedule

Update Privacy Settings

AtomOS has privacy-friendly defaults, but review these settings:
  1. Go to Settings → Privacy
  2. Review each category and disable any data collection you're not comfortable with
  3. Under "Diagnostics & feedback", set to "Basic" or "Required"

Essential Software

While AtomOS is minimal by design, here are some recommended applications to enhance functionality.

Utilities

  • 7-Zip - File archiver with high compression ratio
  • Everything - Instant file search
  • HWiNFO - System information and monitoring
  • PowerToys - Windows utilities to maximize productivity

Media

  • VLC - Versatile media player
  • IrfanView - Fast image viewer and converter
  • Audacity - Audio editor and recorder

Productivity

Browser

  • Firefox - Privacy-focused web browser
  • Chrome - Fast and compatible browser
  • Edge - Built for Windows

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with your AtomOS installation, try these troubleshooting steps.

For advanced troubleshooting, access the AtomOS Recovery Environment by pressing F8 during startup.

Common Issues and Solutions

System Performance Degradation

  1. Open Task Manager to identify resource-heavy processes
  2. Check for malware using Windows Security
  3. Clean temporary files with Disk Cleanup
  4. Check startup programs and disable unnecessary ones

Driver Issues

  1. Open Device Manager and look for devices with warning icons
  2. Right-click the problematic device and select "Update driver"
  3. Try the "Roll Back Driver" option if issues started after an update
  4. If problems persist, uninstall the driver and reinstall from the manufacturer's website

Boot Problems

  1. Access Advanced Startup Options by holding Shift while clicking Restart
  2. Select Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Repair
  3. If that doesn't work, try System Restore to a previous working state
  4. For persistent issues, use "Reset this PC" with the option to keep your files

Getting Support

If you need additional help with AtomOS: