Windows has been designed for a wide variety of applications. Unfortunately that means that, out-of-the-box, it works correctly for office or entertainment applications, but for DAW applications, several settings and features have to be fine-tuned.
Native users should also refer to this page for additional recommendations.
MassCore users should stick to Windows 10 Anniversary (1607) Creator (1703) or Fall Creator (1709 - requires Pyramix 11.0.6)
Merging highly recommends you "defer feature updates" in Windows 10, see Updates section below.
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In Windows 10, when you run a program by forcing it in “administrator mode” / “Run as administrator”, drag & drop to and from this application will be disabled.
DEVICE DRIVERS
Merging recommends to install WHQL (Driver certified by Microsoft) or if not available, the latest drivers from the manufacturer website.
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To access Windows 10 Anniversary (1607) Control Panel, right click on Windows Start and select Control Panel.
To access Windows 10 Creator Update (since 1703) Control Panel, type "control panel" in Windows Search box.
You can right click on the control panel icon from the search result and pin it to the Start menu or Taskbar.
For ease of use, it is recommended to set the Control Panel to Small Icons.
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Settings page can be accessed through Windows Start > Settings icon (and 
+ i)
System
In In Apps and features, uninstall all unnecessary applications.
(Since Windows 10 Creator Update, Apps is now only accessible through Settings > Apps)
Some applications cannot be uninstalled (Mail and Calendar for example), uninstall button will be disabled.
Bonjour is required for Merging products, do not uninstall it.
In .
Merging recommends you uninstall Xbox Live (Fall Creator).
You may also remove Feedback Hub, Get Office, Microsoft Solitaire Collection, Paid Wifi&Mobile, Print3D (Fall Creator), Skype and Tips.
In Default apps, Merging recommends you set Google Chrome as your default web browser (RAVENNA users).
Click on on Web Browser to to select Google Chrome (it must be installed before changing this setting).
In In Notifications & actions, you can configure which quick action tile and notification will be displayed.
Merging recommends to only have “All settings” & “Network” tiles active.
In the the Notifications section section, you can configure how and which application can send Notifications.
Merging recommends to disable the the “Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows” for for better performance.
MultiTasking
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Windows transparency can cause issues, especially on systems with low graphic resources.
Go in in Settings > Personalization > Colors.
Turn "Make Start, taskbar, and action center transparent" to to Off.
Start menu, Taskbar and notification area can be configured in in Settings > Personalization > Start and Taskbar.
Merging recommends to disable the “Occasionally show suggestions in start” option for the Start menu (Windows may download apps without notifications)
In the Taskbar section, disable the "Use Peek to preview the desktop ...."
(Fall Creator) You may disable the People icon 
in the taskbar through Windows Settings > Personnalization > Taskbar > Show contacts on the taskbar : Off.
Privacy
In Account info, it is recommended to set "Let apps use my advertising ID ...." to off, to reduce the OS internet traffic.
In Background Apps, Merging recommends you only enable the required apps for better performance.
(Fall Creator) Merging recommends you disable the "Show me suggested content in the Settings app" in the General Tab.
Gaming (Creator / Fall Creator Update)
In Game Bar, set "Record game clips, screenshots..." to off, and disable "Open Game bar ..." and "Show Game bar when I play ..."
In Game DVR, set both "Background recording" and "Recorded Audio" to off.
In Game Mode, set "Use Game Mode" to off.
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(Fall Creator) In TruePlay, set "True Play" to off.
ADDITIONAL CONFIGURATIONS
Cortana configuration
Merging recommends you disable Cortana, for better performance.
Anniversary and Creator:
Download this zip file MTWin10Optims.zip
Double click on the Disable Cortana.reg file.
Restart your computer for this change to take effect.
You can re-enable Cortana with the Enable Cortana.reg file.
Fall Creator :
Since Fall Creator, Cortana can be configured through Windows Settings > Cortana.
In the Talk to Cortana page, set "Use Cortana even when my device is locked" to off.
In Permissions & History, set "Windows Cloud Search" to off. Turning off "My device history" is optional.
In Notifications, set "Send notification between devices" to off (optional).
(Fall Creator) You can now enable or disable Windows Cloud Search rather than completely disabling Cortana (=Cloud Search disabled), through Windows Settings > Search / Cortana.
Apps auto-update
Merging recommends you disable the auto updates on Windows Apps, for better performance.
Open Windows Store, and click on the profile icon on the top right corner and select settings.
Set “Update apps automatically” to off.
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