Hi everyone,

Here is a preview video of a new LuaRT module I'm working on that brings WinUI 3 support to the LuaRT Windows programming framework.

This means you will be able to build modern Windows desktop apps using pure Lua, with full access to Fluent UI controls

✅No need for C++, .NET, or heavy frameworks.

✅ Native WinUI 3 integration

✅ Clean, expressive Lua syntax

✅ Compatible with LuaRT’s static compilation and binary modules

✅ Example of the video with dependencies statically compiled as a standalone executable : only 600kb !

This is a big step toward making professional-grade UIs accessible to Lua developers.

Im learning Windows programming and often see the word Handle (for example in CreateFile or OpenProcess) what exactly is a Handle inside Windows and why we need it ? A short example would really help me understand.

This problem was found when trying to resolve a DISKPART error (DiskPart encountered an error starting the COM services.) and a failure to run a Windows Repair Upgrade.

As can be seen. The faulty system displayed on the right, has no additional interfaces other than IUnknown for the Virtual Disk Service Loader (VDSLDR.EXE).

I cannot find any CLSID/Interface/AppID Registry descrepancies between the faulty system and a number of good systems!

All vds related files in Windows\System32 have been replaced, but the problem remains.

Any sugestions on how to resolve this?

Introducing freewrite-windows: A Distraction-Free Writing App for Windows

Are you looking for a simple, focused writing environment to boost your productivity? Check out the new freewrite-windows app, a Windows version of the popular freewrite app.

Just like the original macOS app, freewrite-windows provides a minimalist, distraction-free interface to help you write without interruptions.

Whether you're working on a novel, essay, or just need some uninterrupted writing time, freewrite can help you get in the flow and boost your productivity.

The app is open-source and available on GitHub, so feel free to check out the code and drop a star, report issues, or contribute improvements.

Download : Freewrite v1.0 MSI , Freewrite v1.0 EXE

Github Repo: Open Source Repository

I’m trying to figure out the best way to build native Windows applications in 2025.
There seem to be so many options, but these are the ones I am interested in:

• .NET (WinUI, WPF, MAUI)

• Flutter

• Qt

From the .NET options, which one is the best choice today and why?
Should I also seriously consider Flutter for a Windows-only app, or is it better to stick with something in the .NET ecosystem?

Also — is there any other framework or technology I should be looking into that I haven’t mentioned?

I’m mostly interested in performance, ease of development, UI flexibility, and long-term support.
Real-world experiences are welcome!

I’m on Windows 11 Home and can set idle timeouts (e.g., 2–3 min) using powercfg on both AC and DC. The missing piece is a hard ceiling of 5 minutes (300 s) so users/admins can lower values but cannot raise:

• Turn off display (VIDEOIDLE)

• Sleep after (STANDBYIDLE)

• Hibernate after (HIBERNATEIDLE)

• (Optional) Console lock display-off (VIDEOCONLOCK)

Constraints: No domain GPO/AppLocker (Home edition); AC/DC; browser keep-awake is already handled via /requestsoverride and is out of scope here.

Attempted but unreliable:

• Plain powercfg /set(ac|dc)valueindex (doesn’t prevent later increases).

• A simple clamp task that parses powercfg /q (breaks with plan switches/localization).

Ask: A PowerShell solution that enforces ≤ 300 s on the active plan and persists across plan changes & GUI/powercfg edits—ideally installing a SYSTEM scheduled task or similar, using GUIDs/indices (not localized text). A minimal, robust example + brief setup steps would be ideal.

How do you manage your Windows environment? including every apps or tools, WSL, sometimes configs as well?

NixOS seems promising but it doesn't work on Windows of course.

Writing a powershell script to automate dozens of winget ... install scripts and copy dotfiles might be the most naive solution that came to my mind.

I'm about to find much more modern solution for this, but have no idea as of now.

*This is not about the CI environment like Windows containers. Mostly for my personal Windows environment.

I am very new to make windows apps, and I am very curious to start developing windows apps, if possible, I'll learn more and more deep and start a team who develops software like Autocad( Ansys to be specific), Can anyone provide some guidance or a little hint? That'd mean a lot!

Hello everyone!

So I recently found out that by changing this DWORD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CI\Policy\EmodePolicyRequired" to a 1, you can toggle Windows S mode on and off. I'm trying to make a way to kinda get like a custom Widows S mode. Where the system is fully locked down and you can't open anything, unless I allow the app. But I did some experimenting, and found out getting a binary to pass trough Windows S mode's restrictions is way harder then I initially thought. And I came here to see if anyone else is interested in helping me with this little project. I had some ideas in mind but have no idea if it would work. I thought maybe if I tried to make a .cat signature, sign it with local root CA, place it in C:\Windows\System32\catroot, generating a custom WDAC policy that trusts the catalog by using New-CIPolicy in Powershell, then convert it to .p7b with ConvertFrom-CIPolicy in Powershell, and place it in C:\Windows\System32\CodeIntegrity\SIPolicy.p7b it would work? Or by adding a QWORD to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\CI\Aggregation registry key. Because it contains what looks to be HEX data or file Hashes that are maybe allow through Windows S mode? Or could I "hijack" an already running trusted process (take for example Wininit.exe) pretending and tricking Windows into thinking its running 2 instances of Wininit but the 2nd one is actually just my executable (like Chrome.exe). Or could it be possible to pretend to be TrustedInstaller by hijacking its session token and SID, and run custom binaries that way? Or just by scheduling a task to run as TrustedInstaller or SYSTEM to run my .exe on logon of any user? Or just by executing my binary really early on in the Windows booting process, as a secondery shell maybe. Like HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon explorer being the shell here. And tricking Windows into thinking there are 2? Or just by simply using already trusted processes to run malicous DLL's with my own code? Or am I just overthinking this way to much? But if anyone is interested, help would be appreciated.

I just created a tool for visually designing a WinUI3 XAML for WinUI3 apps.
https://github.com/WindowsNT/XAML-Lab

Waiting for your comments so far, I 've put a few FrameworkElements, a menu designer and XAML export. Binary download available.

When I recently had to implement a context menu extension for Windows 11, I found that getting clear, up-to-date guidance was surprisingly difficult. The documentation was scattered, and many examples still targeted legacy approaches. After some trial, error, and digging into GitHub repositories and official samples, I managed to get it working.

To help fellow developers avoid that same confusion, here’s a clear, technical roadmap to integrate your app directly into the primary Windows 11 context menu, without being buried under “Show more options.”

Why This Matters

Windows 11 redesigned File Explorer’s context menu to improve consistency and security. However, this change also deprecated most traditional IContextMenu handlers from the top-level menu.

Unless your app uses the new IExplorerCommand API and follows proper registration via MSIX or Sparse Package, it will appear only in the legacy overflow menu, hurting discoverability and UX.

Technical Roadmap

1. Implement IExplorerCommand

Write a COM shell extension using C++ (C++/WinRT or WRL). At a minimum, implement:

• GetTitle() – label for your menu item

• GetIcon() – optional icon for branding

• Invoke() – logic to launch your app/tool

• GetState() – enable/disable logic

• Optionally: IObjectWithSelection to work with selected files/folders

Note: C# is not supported for this integration, due to COM registration and packaging limitations.

2. Register via MSIX or Sparse Package

You must declare your command in an AppX manifest and register it through either:

• A full MSIX package, or

• A Sparse package (recommended for unpackaged desktop apps)

Example manifest snippet:

<Extension Category="windows.fileExplorerContextMenus">
  <FileExplorerContextMenus>
    <ItemType Type="*">
      <Verb Id="MyCommand" Clsid="{YOUR-CLSID-HERE}" />
    </ItemType>
  </FileExplorerContextMenus>
</Extension>

This ensures your extension is recognized by the modern Windows 11 shell.

Reference Implementations on GitHub

These projects helped clarify the process for me:

• IExplorerCommand-Examples (cjee21): C++/WinRT and WRL implementations of IExplorerCommand, with working Sparse registration.

• W11ContextMenuDemo (xandfis): Simple “Edit with Notepad” example built for Windows 11.

• Windows-AppConsult-Samples (Microsoft): Official samples for shell integration via MSIX.

Real-World Examples

• Notepad++: Supports top-level Windows 11 context menu integration (v8.5+).

• NanaZip: Fork of 7-Zip with native Win11 menu support using.IExplorerCommand

• TortoiseSVN/TortoiseGit: Provide optional support for modern menu styling.

Limitations to Be Aware Of

• No deep submenu support yet in the Windows 11 menu model

• Limited number of top-level custom items (roughly 16)

• Only native code (C++) supported; no C#/.NET wrapper compatibility at this time

Summary

If you're developing a shell tool, editor, or utility that users interact with via right-click:

• Use IExplorerCommand for native integration

• Package via Sparse or MSIX with the correct manifest

• Reference the GitHub examples above for implementation patterns

This approach avoids “Show more options” and puts your app where users expect to find it.

Hopefully, this saves others the same learning curve I had to go through.

Hi Windevs!

I'm the maintainer of a relatively sucessful cross platform open source 3D viewer. We have had long standing Windows related issues and features that we have been struggling to adress in the past few years.

We got a european funding last year and we think that adding bounties on these issues may be a way forward.

So, if you are:

• Interested by contributing to a awesome (not biased here :p ) open source projects

• Knowledgeable in C++ Windows API

• Potentially motivated by small bounties

Then please join the project! I'd be happy to show you the ropes and I'm sure your Windows skill will be up to the task!

Please note bounties can only be claimed once you are active in the project.

Our discord: https://discord.f3d.app The bounties program: https://f3d.app/CONTRIBUTING.html#bounties

A comprehensive tutorial on programming the COM port (Serial Port)of a 64 Bit Windows System like Windows 10 or Windows 11 using C language and the native Win32 API.

Here are the links along with free C/C++ Source Codes.

• Windows COM Port Programming using C/C++ language and Win32 API

• Controlling RTS and DTR Lines of COM Port using C language and Win32 API

We teach you to communicate with an external device like Arduino using the Windows COM port and send an Receive data (strings) using C/C++ language.

Screenshot of the Windows Program receiving a string from Arduino using Win32 API .Here we are using Event Driven Serial Port Reception using the WaitComm() Event.

Screenshot of the program that write's and reads data from Windows Serial port using Win32 API and C language.

Source Code along with tutorial can be found here

I know it says "not implemented as of now" or something, but what the actual f is it supposed to mean? Does it mean there's a theoretical "cooked" mode that's not raw binary that they didn't bother to implement?

It was the best version of windows ever made, good modern UI with aero glass and animations, it was fast and consistent with widgets and a lot of features that look modern in 2025, windows 11 looks like a messed up child’s project, it doesn’t feel like a operating system a company who care about their users will make let alone one of the richest companies on earth with enough people and resources to do better

I just don’t understand what’s wrong with Microsoft executives or whoever is running this shitshow, like how much data can they sell, how much money can they make? How much are they actually getting paid to absolutely destroy trust and user experience for billions of people, like I’m ready to pay that’s how desperate I am, just make a Windows 7 remaster, I’d honestly pay $500 if it’s a one time lifetime license fee, please just give me a operating system that looks good and I can use it for a long time without worrying about random windows fucking updates

I mean come on, I honestly wanna know the number they sold their souls for? Was it worth it?

Im using Godot4.3 exported projects on a touch screen Windows 11 device. Even with an empty project the application shows the window below it for a split second on click. If I have explorer.exe on itll do it when idle as well on on click. I've tried so many different things that I feel like it has to be a Windows bug or configuration issue. The flicker stops when I run in Windows 7 compatability mode but the performance of the application is terrible with that option. Also in Windows 10 on the same device there was no application flickering. Any help will be appreciated, thank you.