I wonder if there is a way to turn off as many features in Windows as possible.
I don't need:
- printer/fax/phone drivers
- probably many more drivers
- all telemetries
- most language packs
- many system software including Edge and all those MS store apps
I think there is definitely a way to painstakingly remove these elements from my installation but I could not find an exhausted guide. -
You could take a look at AtlasOS[0]. It's a patchset made to be applied on top of a fresh Windows 10 22H2 installation, and aims to perform many of the optimizations you've mentioned. I've been using it for about 8 months without any issues, but I still have a fresh Windows installation in a VM on hand in case of some emergency situation.
They're also currently in the process of making it easier to configure with more granularity, but the current version still allows you to toggle a lot of the important options post-installation.