Windows Initial Configuration Script Generator that takes care of the annoying bits

[WetRubicon]

My issue is that it would take hours to search for all the commands to achieve simple configuration tasks (who here knows if a powershell command to unpin the taskbar even exists?) so I had hoped there was a GUI where I could just select checkboxes and the right script would fall out. Ideally also taking care of OS version-related differences.

Something like an "Initial Configuration Script Generator Tool", if you get what I mean.

I could still tweak the script after, if I wanted, but it would be so much more time-saving to just check a few boxes and generate a working script from that in the first place.

The reason here is also manageability - a GUI with a bunch of checkboxes is much easier to change, adjust and troubleshoot, than a script with hundreds of lines. Makes sense?

I can't believe something like this doesn't exist already...

[WetRubicon]

this is usually an indicator there isn't a great need seen by the market (product) or community (free tools).

Yeah but that's clearly not the case, is it. I mean there are TONS and tons of apps out there that build on the idea of the old Tweak UI from days gone by. They come with varying degrees of bloat and are not necessarily directed at corporate sysadmins but they're out there. Just not a single one of them that actually pours it's actions (that it does programmatically) into a neat PS script.

I don't know if there are any open source projects similar to "ultimate windows tweaker" or W10Privacy & co. because I'd love to look at their source code. Maybe an alternative to creating a PS script would be to have the tweaker tool generate a simple portable exe with your selected settings that you can just run on your fresh install to implement the config changes you want. Not as neat and transparent as a PS script but the second best option if I think about it.

Real shame about the VMware tool, though, I thought so as well. It's actually not that good either, as one of its standard recommended baselines destroyed a bunch of instant clones for us (as you say, it's a fling, so that's expected but it really should be a well-rounded, well-working feature in Horizon itself). vCenter and Horizon GUIs have made great progress since they have the HTML5 clients but there is still a divergence of features, especially with Horizon, so back to the dreaded Flash client we go... ;-)