- 3Details
Overview
This wiki article is aimed at describing solutions for the most commonly requested 'Do It Yourself' (DIY) modifications to XCOM:EU/EW 2012.
The game developers put most parameters into the DefaultGameCore.ini file, commonly abbreviated to the DGC.INI. The Enemy Within (EW) DLC expansion moved even more to the INI files. Many of the following are simple changes to specific DGC.INI entries. For more detail about the various entries found in the DGC.INI, see the wiki article DefaultGameCore.ini settings - XCOM:EU 2012. That article and this should be your first stops when looking to make any change you think should be 'easy'.
Remember, to make any changes to DefaultGameCore.ini and DefaultLoadouts.ini take effect, you need to enable direct INI editing first (see below)! Other INI files, like DefaultMaps.ini, for example, are allowed to edit directly by default.
Programs and Tools
For detailed information see:
- Modding Tools - XCOM:EU 2012
- Notepad or Notepad++
Details
Specific solutions are presented here.
- XCOM:EUINI files are located in the <Steam install path>SteamAppscommonXCom-Enemy-UnknownXComGameConfig folder.
- XCOM:EWINI files are located in the <Steam install path>SteamAppscommonXCom-Enemy-UnknownXEWXComGameConfig folder.
Other solutions:
- XCOM How To Master Guide by GothikaGeist is a downloadable archive with many of these and some other solutions from the wiki and forums, including code.
How to enable direct INI editing
This step is essential to get changes made to 'loose' INI files read by the game instead of using the defaults embedded in the EXE 'resource cache'.
PatcherGUI (as of v5.2) includes options to 'Enable INI loading' and 'Disable phoning home' for you. This is the easiest and recommended method. See also the INI Loading Test entry.
Otherwise, here is how to do so manually.
For XCOM:EW:
1. Open XComEW.exe file, located in <Steam install path>SteamAppscommonXCom-Enemy-UnknownXEWBinariesWin32 with HxD.
2. Search for the string 'XComGameConfigDefaultGameCore.ini' as Unicode text, as follows:
3. Change the 'XComGame' string to something like 'YComGame'.
4. Repeat the search and change all other similar entries (should be two of them, one is actually a text message and affects nothing, but change both just to be sure).
5. Save file and quit HxD.
You may enable DefaultLoadouts.ini editing the same way, just search for XComGameConfigDefaultLoadouts.ini in HxD.
INI files for EW are located in <Steam install path>SteamAppscommonXCom-Enemy-UnknownXEWXComGameConfig; you can edit all of them with Notepad.
For XCOM:EU you need to perform similar operations on <Steam install path>SteamAppscommonXCom-Enemy-UnknownBinariesWin32XComGame.exe. INI files are located in <Steam install path>SteamAppscommonXCom-Enemy-UnknownXComGameConfig.
If you don't see INI changes in game, disable 'phoning home' as described in the Steam and mods article.
Most likely reason for any failure to load the DGC.INI is that (assuming you have the EW version of the game) you modified the DGC.INI in the wrong folder tree. EU is under 'XCom-Enemy-Unknown', while EW is under 'XCom-Enemy-UnknownXEW'.
INI Loading Test
Try this to test that the loose DGC.INI file is loading:
- Edit the DGC.INI as follows:
- Replace the Original 'eItem_Shotgun' line 'Properties[1]=eWPAssault' entry with '=eWP_Anyclass' as shown below. You can just copy and paste this SINGLE line with any text editor. (Save your '.BAK' file to restore the original DGC.INI.)
- Load any previous save where you are in the XCOM base (the Strategy game phase) or play a new game to that point, go into the Barracks, View Soldiers, and change the Loadout of a Support class (which couldn't without this change and doesn't have any other class restrictions that might prevent it, as is the case with a Heavy). The 'vanilla' DGC.INI that's in the embedded 'Resource cache' only permits an Assault to equip a Shotgun. With this change, any class can that doesn't have other built-in restrictions.
- Anyone other than an Assault class equipping a Shotgun proves you are loading the DGC from the correct 'config' folder.
How to enable UPK changes in XCOM:EU
XCOM:EU performs hash checks for some of the packages, like XComGame.upk and XComStrategyGame.upk. To disable it you need to edit XComGame.exe:
1. Open <Steam install path>SteamAppscommonXCom-Enemy-UnknownBinariesWin32XComGame.exe in HxD.
2. Search for the string 'XComGame.upk' as non-unicode text:
3. Change the string 'xcomgame.upk' to something like 'ycomgame.upk':
4. Repeat same operation for the string 'XComStrategyGame.upk'.
5. Save file and quit HxD.
XCOM:EW does not require this, as the hash checks were removed by the developers.
How to disable Revealed Alien Cutscenes
- For XCOM:EW:
NOTE: this only disabled the cinematic, not their movement into cover when revealed.
(This is in UPKUtils 'PatchUPK/PatcherGUI' format.)
Note: this mod disables cinematic only, aliens will still move when revealed. To disable reveal movement use No Alien Movement When Revealed mod which is also installed using 'PatcherGUI'.
How to disable Startup Movies
- For XCOM:EW:
- Navigate to My DocumentsMy GamesXCOM - Enemy WithinXComGameConfig and open XComEngine.ini with Notepad. Search for 'StartupMovies=' lines and delete those you don't want to see (or comment them out with a ';' semicolon).
- For XCOM:EU:
- Same, but change 'XComEngine.ini' located in My DocumentsMy GamesXCOM - Enemy UnknownXComGameConfig.
How to change the Cost/Requirements/Time for 'things'
Just edit the DefaultGameCore.ini file, once you have enabled direct INI editing.
First, you need to determine the 'balance category' of what you wish to change. Refer to the DefaultGameCore.ini_settings_-_XCOM:EU_2012 article for specifics. You can search that article using the bold part of these descriptions as your search string:
- Soldier/NPC UNIT Balance: bonuses/penalties units get on the various difficulty settings, as well as stat increases related to leveling up and a few various other unit settings.
- Country Funding Balance: funding you receive on a monthly basis from the various countries you have satellite coverage for, along with Continent bonuses.
- BASE Balance Factors: Make it cost more/less resources to build 'things' vs 'BASE cost' depending on what you set these to; 1 being BASE, 2 being TWO times BASE, 0.5 being half base. and 0 being FREE.
- Headquarters Balance Mode Values: Money you start with on all difficulty settings.
- BALANCE Mode Panic Values: Panic added/reduced to country/continent for missed/aborted Abduction mission.
- BALANCE Mode Panic Defection Chance: Amount of Panic levels for a country to leave the XCOM Project.
- ITEM Base Balance Costs: List of all items in the game and the BASE cost for them.
- FACILITIES Base Balance Costs: List of all the Facilities in the game and the BASE cost for them.
- FOUNDRY PROJECT Base Balance Costs: List of all the Foundry Projects in the game and the BASE cost for them.
- OTS Base Balance Costs: List of the Officer Training School upgrades and the BASE cost for them.
- TECHS Costs: List of all researchable technologies in the game and the BASE cost for them.
Then edit the parameter you wish to change, i.e. 'iCash=' to alter the 'cash cost'. Note the cost to purchase an item (see ITEM Base Balance Costs: 'iCash=') is separate from the cost to research it (FOUNDRY PROJECT Base Balance Costs or TECHS Costs). Use a zero value to make something 'free'.
Remember that BASE costs are subsequently modified by the 'Game Difficulty'/'Balance Mode' multipliers. This is discussed in the 'Soldier/NPC UNIT Balance' section of the DefaultGameCore.ini_settings_-_XCOM:EU_2012 article.
How to put the Arc Thrower in the pistol inventory slot
For both EU/EW: Edit the DefaultGameCore.ini (DGC.INI) file and find the line:
Weapons=(iType=eItem_ArcThrower,ABILITIES[0]=eAbility_ShotStun,ABILITIES[1]=0,ABILITIES[2]=0,ABILITIES[3]=0,ABILITIES[4]=0,ABILITIES[5]=0, Properties[0]=0,Properties[1]=eWP_NoReload,Properties[2]=eWP_CantReact,Properties[3]=eWP_Secondary,Properties[4]=eWP_Backpack,Properties[5]=0, iDamage=0,iEnvironmentDamage=0,iRange=27,iReactionRange=-1,iReactionAngle=200,iRadius=0,iCritical=0,iOffenseBonus=0,iSuppression=0,iSize=eItemSize_Small,iHPBonus=0,iWillBonus=0)
Replace 'Properties[0]=0' with 'Properties[0]=eWP_Pistol', and 'Properties[4]=eWP_Backpack' with 'Properties[4]=0'.
If you have problems with the Arc Thrower not showing up in the pistol slot after the above mod, or with the change not staying after initially appearing, your problem is that the game is 'phoning home', which it attempts every time it is launched. If you are confident you have correctly made the changes to the 'hosts' file described in Steam_and_mods, then you may need to make the change described in the article Class: IniLocPatcher - XCOM:EU 2012 as a last resort.
How to get the 'eAP_Grapple' property to work properly with any Armor
Tested only for EU.
Prerequisites:
- INI files loading.
- Ability to MOD UPK files - in particular XComGame.UPK.
- You need to know just which XGArmor you want to modify! (By level I | II | III and Light | Medium -or- Psionic.)
Recommended Tools:
- Unreal Engine Explorer (a.k.a. UE Explorer by Eliot van Uytfanghe); I used version 1.2.7.1.
- UPKTools (a.k.a. PatcherGUI Author:wghost81 aka Wasteland Ghost); I used version 7.3.
Search for relevant Object Lines of desired Armor (i.e. 'eItem_ArmorSkeleton' from 'XComGame.UPK > XGArmor_LevelIILight.Init'):
The UPKTools (a.k.a. PatcherGUI) pseudo-code for the above object lines are:
The most common error is a MemSize issue - in this case a MemSize issue will probably kick the '//return;' line out of the function.
If (when viewing the modded Init Function in XComGame.UPK via UE Explorer) you have groups of four lines, all in the proper sequence, and ending with a '//return;' line - You most probably have a successful patch.
Else (using UPKTools) uninstall your mod and review your text file to see if you can spot what you did wrong.
If (when viewing the modded Init Function in XComGame.UPK via UE Explorer) you have groups of four lines, all in the proper sequence, and ending with a '//return;' line - You most probably have a successful patch.
Else (using UPKTools) uninstall your mod and review your text file to see if you can spot what you did wrong.
How to edit Perk Trees
For XCOM:EW you can edit perk trees directly in DefaultGameCore.ini. Open DefaultGameCore.ini with Notepad and search for the '[XComGame.XComPerkManager]' section. SoldierPerkTrees entries determine perk trees for soldier classes and MEC, PsiPerkTree entry determines the Psi tree and GeneModPerkTree entry determines the Gene Mod tree. RandomPerks entries determine perks, which can be randomized when using Second Wave Training Roulette option.
You can't change the number of available perk tree choices, however: i.e. you can't add a third choice like Corporal3 or add a second choice to the Major level.
Possible ePerk values are defined in enum EPerkType:
How to remove alien Aim and Crit bonuses for Classic and Impossible difficulty
You just need to edit DefaultGameCore.ini.
Unit stats modifiers for each difficulty level are set in corresponding BalanceMods_ entries. For Classic difficulty you have to edit BalanceMods_Hard and for Impossible edit BalanceMods_Classic entries.
Aim bonus is set in iAim variable; crit bonus — in iCritHit variable. Set both to 0 to match settings with those set in Easy and Normal difficulty.
How to change XP levels
You just need to edit DefaultGameCore.ini.
- Soldier XP levels are set by m_iSoldierXPLevels entries
- Psi XP levels are set by m_iPsiXPLevels entries.
How to make rockets 100% accurate
Edit DefaultGameCore.ini and change MIN_SCATTER=90 to MIN_SCATTER=100.
How to disable panicked friendly fire
Edit DefaultGameCore.ini and change SHOOT_WHEN_PANICKED=5 to SHOOT_WHEN_PANICKED=2.
The game rolls from 0 to SHOOT_WHEN_PANICKED-1, and if the roll result is less than HUNKER_DOWN_WHEN_PANICKED, the unit hunkers down; otherwise it shoots. So by setting SHOOT_WHEN_PANICKED to be less or equal to HUNKER_DOWN_WHEN_PANICKED you will disable firing and force hunker down.
How to lower Panic levels
(For more details about Keybinds, see the wiki article Keybind Commands - XCOM:EU 2012.)
This only works during the Strategy/'XCOM Base' portion of a game session, and as such is intended for development and debugging purposes. It works on a 'per country' basis, where the country name is entered in lower case with the first letter capitalized (i.e. 'Australia'). See the wiki article Console Commands - XCOM:EU 2012 for other command syntax.
- For XCOM:EW:
Navigate to XEW/XcomGame/Config/DefaultInput.ini
Find [Engine.PlayerInput] in the file, and add:
Hit F12 and then check the Situation Room.
How to mod Panic levels
Edit DefaultGameCore.ini and search for ';Panic Values' (without quotes). Positive values increase panic; negative — decreases it.
Example: Disable Continental Abduction panic.
Change
PANIC_ABDUCTION_CONTINENT_EASY=1
PANIC_ABDUCTION_CONTINENT_NORMAL=1
PANIC_ABDUCTION_CONTINENT_HARD=1
PANIC_ABDUCTION_CONTINENT_CLASSIC=1
to
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PANIC_ABDUCTION_CONTINENT_EASY=0
PANIC_ABDUCTION_CONTINENT_NORMAL=0
PANIC_ABDUCTION_CONTINENT_HARD=0
PANIC_ABDUCTION_CONTINENT_CLASSIC=0
How to stop nations from defecting
Edit DefaultGameCore.ini and search for this lines:
PANIC_DEFECT_THRESHHOLD_EASY=5
DEFECT_THRESHHOLD_NORMAL=5
PANIC_DEFECT_THRESHHOLD_HARD=5
PANIC_DEFECT_THRESHHOLD_CLASSIC=5
PANIC_DEFECT_THRESHHOLD_NOT_HELPED_EASY=5
PANIC_DEFECT_THRESHHOLD_NOT_HELPED_NORMAL=5
PANIC_DEFECT_THRESHHOLD_NOT_HELPED_HARD=5
PANIC_DEFECT_THRESHHOLD_NOT_HELPED_CLASSIC=5
PANIC_DEFECTIONS_PER_MONTH_EASY=1
PANIC_DEFECTIONS_PER_MONTH_NORMAL=2
PANIC_DEFECTIONS_PER_MONTH_HARD=3
PANIC_DEFECTIONS_PER_MONTH_CLASSIC=8
PANIC_DEFECT_CHANCE_PER_BLOCK_EASY=10
PANIC_DEFECT_CHANCE_PER_BLOCK_NORMAL=10
PANIC_DEFECT_CHANCE_PER_BLOCK_HARD=10
PANIC_DEFECT_CHANCE_PER_BLOCK_CLASSIC=10
Change 'THRESHHOLD' values to something like 10, 'DEFECTIONS_PER_MONTH' to 0 and 'DEFECT_CHANCE_PER_BLOCK' to 0.
How to detect the UFOs that are carrying out abductions and terror missions
Open DefaultGameCore.ini, find
ShowUFOsOnMission=0
and change it toShowUFOsOnMission=1
You won't be able to see abduction UFOs anyway, because abductions only happen in countries with no satellites. But if you'll enable abductions in countries with satellite coverage (see XCOM Interface and Gameplay Tweaks mod), you will be able to detect UFOs with satellites.An alternative way is editing of XComStrategyGame.upk file. There is a DetectUFO function inside checking Country, Satellites, and so on;
prevents detection of UFOs on Abduction (=5) and Terror (=6) alien missions (by default, i.e. if ShowUFOsOnMission = 0). Hexadecimal code fragment including this check is
'if((class'XGTacticalGameCore'.default.ShowUFOsOnMission 0) && (kUFO.m_kObjective.GetType() 5) || kUFO.m_kObjective.GetType() 6)'
prevents detection of UFOs on Abduction (=5) and Terror (=6) alien missions (by default, i.e. if ShowUFOsOnMission = 0). Hexadecimal code fragment including this check is
'16 38 3A 24 05 16 18 3D 00 9A 38 3A 19 19 00 D7 3C 00 00 09 00 3A 4C 00 00 00 01 3A 4C 00 00 0A 00 63 28 00 00 00 1B 93 13 00 00 00 00 00 00 16 38 3A 24 06 16 16 16'
and can be found with HxD or another file editor. '16 38 3A 24 __05__ 16 18 3D 00 9A 38 3A 19 19 00 D7 3C 00 00 09 00 3A 4C 00 00 00 01 3A 4C 00 00 0A 00 63 28 00 00 00 1B 93 13 00 00 00 00 00 00 16 38 3A 24 __06__ 16 16 16'
- here two numbers (5 and 6) are selected; they can be changed, say, both to 5 - ignoring of Abductors (as they don't appear at satellite covered territories anyway, see above) and catching UFOs on terror missions avoiding civilian victims.How to increase PSI gift chance
Psi gift chance depends on soldier's will:
iChance = iTraineeWill/PSI_GIFT_CHANCE
PSI_GIFT_CHANCE is configurable via DefaultGameCore.ini: search for 'PSI_GIFT_CHANCE=4' and modify it accordingly. PSI_GIFT_CHANCE is floating point variable, so you can set it to 0.01 and make psi change 100 times greater than trainee will.
If you want to make psi chance equal to soldier's will, set PSI_GIFT_CHANCE=1.
How to adjust Fast/Slow motion
(For more details about Keybinds, see the wiki article Keybind Commands - XCOM:EU 2012.)
- For XCOM:EW:
Navigate to XEW/XcomGame/Config/DefaultInput.ini
Find [XComGame.XComTacticalInput] near the bottom of the file.Change slomo 'x' to get different values: x<1 = slow, x=1 = normal, x>1 = fastAdd:
Change F3 to whatever key you want (make sure you change each line) and disable that key wherever it was previously defined in the same file with a semi-colon like this:
.Bindings=(Name='F3', Command='F3_Key_Press | onrelease F3_Key_Release', bPrimaryBinding=True)
How to adjust Pitch control
(For more details about Keybinds, see the wiki article Keybind Commands - XCOM:EU 2012.)
This cycles through different pitches. Parameters are FOV, Distance, & Pitch. You may want to change the distance to suit your needs. You can also set the pitch to various:
- -90 is overhead,
- 0 is parallel to ground,
- 45 is looking diagonally up,
- -45 is looking diagonally down.
Also note that after you use this command, you can still zoom in/out using normal methods, so the distance value isn't set in stone.
- For XCOM:EW:
Navigate to XEW/XcomGame/Config/DefaultInput.ini
Find [XComGame.XComTacticalInput] near the bottom of the file.Add:
How to change Rank names
For EU: in 'XComGameLocalisationINTXComGame.int'.
For EW: in 'XEWXComGameLocalisationINTXComGame.int'.
Locate the section '[XGTacticalGameCoreNativeBase]', and find the entries beginning with 'm_aRankNames'.Change the string values as desired.
Then find and change the corresponding rank abbreviations beginning with 'm_aRankAbbr'. Bear in mind that rank abbreviation must be no more than four characters (including any punctuation such as periods).
Example: Vanilla values for EU.
How to Rotate the Hologlobe
EW broke the ability to rotate the Hologlobe in the Situation Room on PCs. This has been patched by Amineri and is available in the mod XCOM Interface and Gameplay Tweaks, by wghost81 aka Wasteland Ghost.
For those who wish to customize or understand the solution: These keybinds in DefaultInput, [Engine.PlayerInput] will set up the functions keys to point to the five interceptor bases:
Note that only the original 16 Funding Council countries have the art assets to be displayed in the Situation Room. The ones that are listed here (by continent) are where Satellites can be placed. See the wiki article Enum Table of Countries - XCOM:EU 2012 for the complete countries and Funding Council tables.
Don't forget to remove the coordinates comma separator from the table when pasting into the Bindings 'GlobeLookAt' entry.
Enum | Country Name | Coordinates |
---|---|---|
0 | USA | 0.2170, 0.2830 |
15 | Canada | 0.2200, 0.1800 |
21 | Mexico | 0.2190, 0.3790 |
19 | Brazil | 0.3610, 0.5510 |
20 | Argentina | 0.3210, 0.6940 |
3 | UK | 0.4950, 0.2020 |
5 | France | 0.5060, 0.2400 |
4 | Germany | 0.5280, 0.2150 |
1 | Russia | 0.6100, 0.1760 |
7 | India | 0.7170, 0.3670 |
2 | China | 0.7870, 0.3100 |
6 | Japan | 0.8850, 0.2970 |
8 | Australia | 0.8730, 0.6150 |
18 | Egypt | 0.5810, 0.3510 |
25 | Nigeria | 0.5200, 0.4470 |
22 | South Africa | 0.5690, 0.6620 |
Weapons scaled down to 85%
Some people find the weapons 'oversized'. This mod scales them down for both sexes to 85% of the original.Original script by wghost81 scaling down to 85% for male pawns and 75% for females from the Nexus 'Mod Talk' forum thread Big Guns for Girls.
Modified script by ViperCanel to 85% scale for both sexes in the same thread is presented here.
Modified script by ViperCanel to 85% scale for both sexes in the same thread is presented here.
The following mod code can be installed with PatcherGUI:
How to customize Zhang
See the mod XCOM:EU Change Zhang's class. You can edit Zhang's Class, Rank, Aim, Will, and HP. The locations and acceptable values are clearly identified, so this is considered a 'simple' mod edit. Requires the UPKUtils/PatcherGUI tool set to install.
This simple mod (in PatcherGUI format) should enable all customization options for all special soldiers in EW:
How to Set the Alien Progression Rate for Long War(EW)
This simple mod (in PatcherGUI format) enables you to adjust how technologically advanced the aliens are by certain dates.Requires the UPKUtils/PatcherGUI tool set to install.
References
Referred to by this article:
- Modding_Tools_-_XCOM:EU_2012
- Notepad or Notepad++
That refer to this article:
[[Category:Mods]
Retrieved from 'https://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php?title=How_to_DIY_common_mod_solutions_-_XCOM:EU_2012&oldid=41571'
We originally published this article about a year ago, but in light of Lenovo’s Superfish fiasco, cleaning crapware off your PC is now more relevant than ever. For Superfish-specific instructions, see our handy guide here. But even if you don’t own one of the affected Lenovo PCs, the following guide should still prove helpful.
Long War Dev Console
Boot up a new PC for the first time, and you should be able to watch it fly. Instead, it may sputter and struggle to get off the ground, thanks all the preinstalled junk that vendors habitually dump onto new PCs.
Bloatware—also known as crapware—is more than annoying, because it actively consumes your computer’s resources. It’s worth your time to clean it off a new PC so you can use it to its full potential. Here’s how to do that with minimal headaches.
Bloatware 101: How manufacturers make PCs slower
But first, some background. Manufacturers install bloatware on new PCs because they’re paid to do so. PC profit margins are low, so preinstalling junk gives PC manufacturers a bit of extra money—and, to be fair, keeps your PC cheaper than it would otherwise be.
Beyond sucking up your computer’s storage, however, bloatware often loads at startup, increasing how long your PC takes to boot, wasting valuable RAM, and generally cluttering your system tray, desktop, installed applications, and context menus.
Many types of preinstalled software are just plain bad. You’ll often find antivirus programs that try to scare you paying up by saying your PC is at-risk, advertisement-filled games you don’t want to play, and trial programs that give you an hour free before becoming useless.
Not every program included on a new PC is useless, though. Tools worth keeping are the ones that help with your hardware, like the Nvidia Control Panel and GeForce Experience for tweaking your Nvidia graphics hardware settings.
Desktop vs. Store app bloatware
Windows bloatware has traditionally been confined to the desktop, often loading at startup and filling the system tray. On Windows 8 and 8.1 devices, bloatware sometimes comes in the form of preinstalled Windows Store apps—the new full screen apps that appear in the Modern-style Start screen’s tiled interface.
Even if you don’t like Windows 8’s new touch-first interface, this type of bloatware is much better. Such apps can’t start automatically at boot, so they won’t run in the background and slow down your system. Plus, they’re a cinch to uninstall—just right-click or long-press those tiles and select Uninstall. Done!
Refresh and Reset have been compromised
When Windows 8 was released, many people found that they could obliterate bloatware from new PCs with the built-in Refresh or Reset options. These restore Windows back to a clean state—they’re basically an easy way to reinstall Windows.
Unfortunately, Refresh and Reset probably won’t remove bloatware on new PCs. System manufacturers have realized that they can create custom recovery images full of bloatware, so refreshing your PC will simply restore all the same junk. Microsoft doesn’t prevent computer manufacturers from adding bloatware to their recovery images.
You can create your own custom recovery images, too. When you get a new PC, first remove the bloatware and then create a custom refresh image. When you Refresh or Reset your PC, you’ll restore it to that clean state without any bloatware.
Get help removing bloatware
Several handy utilities can help you combat bloatware. PC Decrapifier is designed to make crapware eradication as easy as possible. Run this program and it will attempt to find known bloatware installed on your PC. It’s far faster than hunting through your Control Panel, uninstalling programs one by one.
Easy bloatware removal is the Should I Remove It? utility’s stock in trade. It displays the programs installed on your computer, informs you what they do, and shows you whether other users have chosen to remove it. This program’s website even lists common bloatware by manufacturer.
Uninstall the junk
You can also remove bloatware like you’d remove any other type of software. Open your Control Panel, view the list of installed programs, and uninstall any programs you don’t want. If you do this immediately after getting a new PC, the list of programs here will only include the stuff that came with your computer.
You can also check your system tray to see what’s running in the background, which can help you find some of the worst, most annoying offenders. Uninstall anything you don’t use to prevent it from coming back the next time you boot your computer.
When in doubt, perform a Google search for the program. You may be able to find bloatware removal guides for your specific model of laptop or desktop PC. An enterprising user may have written up a guide explaining what all that preinstalled software actually does, which programs are necessary, and which you’ll want to remove.
Reinstall Windows to get a clean system
You could also take more drastic methods. Many geeks insist on performing a clean Windows install on all their new PCs. Rather than trying to clean up the bloatware, they find it easier to obliterate everything and start from scratch. This works well, but it can be time-consuming and a bit tedious.
All you need is a fresh Windows disc. (If your new PC doesn’t have a DVD drive, you can put Windows installation media on a USB drive.) Insert the installation media into your computer and reboot. Install Windows normally and you’ll end up with a clean Windows system as Microsoft intended it, without any of that manufacturer-specific clutter.
Manufacturers generally don’t include Windows installation media with new PCs anymore. When they do, it’s often packing the same bloatware, so you’ll have to find fresh media yourself. Microsoft offers a way to download Windows 8.1 installation media, while Digital River lets you download Windows 7 ISO files—Digital River is a licensed distributor of Microsoft software, so this is legitimate. (UPDATE 2/25/15 Digital River no longer works; you can now download Windows 7 ISOs from Microsoft's Software Recovery website.)
When you reinstall Windows, you can use the same Windows product key that came with your laptop or desktop PC. You’ll often find it printed on a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) sticker on the PC itself. If you can’t find it, run a program like NirSoft’s free ProduKey to find the product key associated with your installed copy of Windows, and write it down ahead of time. Many new Windows PCs come with their product key embedded in their UEFI firmware and should automatically enter the key when you install Windows 8, so you won’t always have to do this by hand.
There are downsides to this route. You’ll have to spend some time reinstalling Windows whenever you get a new PC rather than using it immediately. Any files and programs currently installed on your PC will be erased, so this method should be used immediately after you get a new PC, not for cleaning up leftover bloatware weeks later.
You’ll also have to install any useful hardware drivers or utilities afterward. Windows will automatically fetch many hardware drivers and install them, but it won’t necessarily install everything. You’ll want to visit your hardware manufacturer’s website, locate the page for your specific model of computer, and download the appropriate drivers for it. (Here’s a guide to finding tricky drivers if you run into trouble.)
Burn it down to build it up
No matter which method you use to combat bloatware, the fun part begins when you’re done scraping out all the crap: Loading your PC back up with genuinely useful software. We can recommend a number of truly useful software and utilities that everyone should have.
Long War Beta 15f for Mac and Linux- 18 Jul 2015, 4:13PM
- 85.5MB
- 9.0k
- 11.0k
- b15f
- 09 Nov 2013, 10:43PM
- 23.3MB
- 20.5k
- 27.0k
- 2.12
EU PATCH 4 ONLY. ROLL BACK TO PATCH 4 WITH http://www.nexusmods.com/xcom/mods/450/. Overhaul mod with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EU Alternate- 23 Oct 2013, 7:55PM
- 23.3MB
- 4.0k
- 5.0k
- 2.12
EU PATCH 4 ONLY. ROLL BACK TO PATCH 4 WITH http://www.nexusmods.com/xcom/mods/450/. USE THIS VERSION IF X-COM IS NOT IN YOUR PRIMARY STEAM FOLDER.
Long War EW Beta 10- 21 Jun 2014, 11:43PM
- 11.7MB
- 3.8k
- 4.1k
- b10
XCOM EW Long War Beta 10: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more
Long War EW Beta 11- 25 Jun 2014, 5:03AM
- 12.0MB
- 6.1k
- 6.9k
- b11
XCOM EW Long War Beta 11: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 12- 30 Jun 2014, 3:58AM
- 12.5MB
- 8.4k
- 9.6k
- b12
Long War EW Beta 12: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 12 XComGame upk fix- 01 Jul 2014, 5:42AM
- 2.7MB
- 4.1k
- 4.8k
- 3.0b12fix
Long War EW Beta 13
- 07 Jul 2014, 3:56AM
- 12.5MB
- 56.0k
- 75.5k
- b13
XCOM EW Long War Beta 13: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 13 for Mac- 27 Aug 2014, 3:20PM
- 17.7MB
- 1.0k
- 1.4k
- b13
- 15 Aug 2014, 5:18PM
- 2.2MB
- 514
- 665
- b13
Long War EW Beta 13 French translation by Kordolius. Beta 14 translation is included in full installer.
Long War EW Beta 13 Linux Version- 11 Aug 2014, 11:39PM
- 19.6MB
- 345
- 482
- b13
To install, unpack the archive and follow the steps described in LW-EW-LINUX-README.txt
Long War EW Beta 14 Frenchpack- 21 Oct 2014, 2:09PM
- 1.4MB
- 748
- 1.8k
- b14
Helpful files for French install; not required to play the mod in French
Long War EW Beta 14i- 04 Dec 2014, 8:17PM
- 21.3MB
- 46.1k
- 63.0k
- b14i
XCOM EW Long War Beta 14i: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 14i for Linux and Mac OSX- 05 Dec 2014, 3:51PM
- 29.4MB
- 1.9k
- 2.7k
- b14i
XCOM EW Long War 3.0 Beta 14i: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 14i French translation core files- 01 Feb 2015, 12:31AM
- 304KB
- 217
- 581
- b14i
- 02 Mar 2015, 1:41AM
- 52.6MB
- 12.3k
- 15.2k
- b15
XCOM EW Long War 3.0 Beta 15: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 15b- 11 Mar 2015, 8:33PM
- 58.4MB
- 22.1k
- 28.3k
- b15b
XCOM EW Long War 3.0 Beta 15b: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, new voicepacks, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 15c2- 13 Apr 2015, 4:29AM
- 70.2MB
- 6.6k
- 8.1k
- b15c2
XCOM EW Long War 3.0 Beta 15c2: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 15d2- 24 Apr 2015, 2:52AM
- 73.6MB
- 46.2k
- 62.3k
- b15d2
XCOM EW Long War Beta 15d2: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 15d2 for Linux and Mac- 24 Apr 2015, 10:39PM
- 71.6MB
- 1.7k
- 2.3k
- b15d2
- 20 Jun 2015, 11:39PM
- 85.4MB
- 25.7k
- 31.7k
- b15e
XCOM EW Long War Beta 15e: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 15e for Linux and Mac- 21 Jun 2015, 5:19AM
- 83.1MB
- 1.1k
- 1.5k
- b15e
- 16 Jul 2015, 5:43PM
- 87.1MB
- 24.5k
- 30.5k
- b15f
XCOM EW Long War Beta 15f: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 15f2- 13 Aug 2015, 4:42PM
- 89.9MB
- 5.8k
- 6.7k
- b15f2
XCOM EW Long War Beta 15f2: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 15f3- 19 Aug 2015, 3:08AM
- 93.2MB
- 71.9k
- 96.6k
- b15f3
XCOM EW Long War Beta 15f3: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.
Long War EW Beta 9a- 10 May 2014, 11:35PM
- 7.3MB
- 15.0k
- 17.6k
- b9a
XCOM EW Long War Beta 9a: Overhaul mod for Enemy Within with eight-soldier squads, new classes, base missions to retake countries, new perks and items, alien leaders, interceptor experience, and much, much more.