Although it might seem hard to believe, Windows includes a good number of built-in tools that are extremely useful for its maintenance and cleaning. The problem is that most of them remain hidden, either because they lack a graphical interface, or because Microsoft has no interest in promoting them. The program Sys_Minion by Stefano Bordoni acts as a kind of “God mode” for those tools, with multiple shortcuts that let us run them with a single click.
If you want to make a “low-level” adjustment in Windows, you’ll likely end up with an elevated PowerShell session running kilometer-long commands. Unfortunately, this happens more and more often, since at Redmond they keep the idea of eliminating advanced options without restoring them in the new configuration section.
This also causes many useful tools to remain hidden for the user, or makes them very complicated to use. Italian developer Stefano Bordoni has recognized this problem, and his solution is called Sys_Minion. At first glance it looks like a common maintenance app, but its essence is a “God mode” for many of those tools and actions hidden in Windows.
How to run advanced Windows maintenance tools with Sys_Minion
The Sys_Minion interface is divided into nine general categories:
- Info, which presents the About and the license
- Common OS Tasks, which includes disk cleanup and SFC
- Component Store to reduce the size of the WinSxS folder and verify installation integrity
- Device Drivers, which helps us remove OEM drivers (very useful to avoid unwanted reinstallations)
- MS Store to uninstall Windows apps at user level and “provisioned”
- Boot Menu that re-enables the classic F8 at startup
- User Accounts to manage accounts
- Prompts with elevated shortcuts to PowerShell and the console
- And finally Legacy, which removes service pack backups (only works on Windows 7)
Logically, these tools are not intended for beginners, and Sys_Minion warns that incorrect use could cause damage, but the benefits far outweigh the risks. For example, the command to reset the component base and clean up unnecessary backups is quite long (dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase), but with Sys_Minion it is reduced to a single click.
Personally, I think the Component Store and MS Store sections are the most interesting, because they contain essential commands for a good cleaning session on any Windows installation. Sys_Minion is free, portable, and open-source, with 32-bit and 64-bit editions.
Official website and download: Click here
