Releases: jazir555/GamesDows
GamesDows V8 - Bug fix and Decky Installer Full Release
https://github.com/ACCESS-DENIIED/Decky-Loader-For-Windows/releases/tag/v0.2
ACCESS DENIIED has pushed the first full release of the Decky Installer scripts, which are now included in a separate zip file in the "decky" folder. I've also fixed a small regression in the Steam script which was using "query user" instead of "whoami" for the delayed explorer start script, which was preventing it from running correctly on Windows Home editions. Additionally, I've changed the set explorer as shell regkey to a bat file which should fix a bug that was recently reported.
GamesDows V7 - Bug fixes
Patches for the disable script, and both enable scripts.
GamesDows V6 - Playnite Variant Patch
Fixed a small bug in the Playnite variant which caused a command prompt window to appear when explorer launched in the background, and exiting to desktop now functions as intended. I updated V5 as well (that zip in the releases section is identical to this one), but I've created a new release just in case for extra visibility in case anyone had downloaded the previous version of V5.
GamesDows V5 - Steam Decky Loader Support
https://github.com/ACCESS-DENIIED/Decky-Loader-For-Windows
ACCESS-DENIIED's Decky Install Scripts are now included with GamesDows! Just run the separate install-decky.bat to get Decky automatically installed and configured for Steam! Please ensure Python and Steam have already been installed and configured, and make sure to already be signed into Steam before running the install script for Decky!.
Please make sure to check the original thread for the caveats described by ACCESS-DENIIED, the author of the Decky install scripts:
Below is the description of these scripts from ACCESS-DENIIED's repo:
Decky Loader for Windows
A Work-in-progress Python-based installer and build system for Decky Loader on Windows. This tool automates the entire process of building, installing, and configuring Decky Loader - bringing the Steam Deck's popular plugin system to Windows.
Features
- 🚀 Simple installation and build process
- ⚙️ Automatic dependency management (Node.js, npm, pnpm, Python)
- 🔧 Configures Steam for plugin development
- 🏃♂️ Sets up autostart for PluginLoader
- 📁 Creates proper homebrew directory structure
- 💻 Builds both console and GUI executables
Requirements
- Windows 10/11
- Steam installation
- Internet connection for downloading dependencies
GamesDows V4 - User Specific Context
A portion of the prior versions of the script were user-specific. However the shell changes and scheduled tasks were not user scoped and therefore applied globally system wide. In V4, I've added functionality to make the shell changes and scheduled task user specific. Some commands in the script do remain global (the performance tweaks and disabling the Windows logo).
Scheduled Task:
In the XML creation for the scheduled task, the tag and the element use the %USERNAME% environment variable. This ties the scheduled task’s execution and its logon trigger to a specific user account.
whoami Check:
Inside the batch file (DelayedExplorerStart.bat), there is a check using whoami and find /i "%USERNAME%" to verify if the current script is running under the expected user context. This ensures the script’s actions occur only when a particular user is logged in.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER Registry Keys:
Many registry modifications now target the HKEY_CURRENT_USER branch, which applies the changes to the currently logged-in user’s profile rather than system-wide.
The BCDEdit commands remain global to the entire Windows OS, you can remove that registry key line towards the bottom if desired to prevent that system wide change. Additionally, the performance tweaks included remain system wide.
This script will now have to be run by each individual user on the computer that wants to use GamesDows.
GamesDows Steam Starts As Admin
Steam now starts as administrator. If you have UAC enabled, you will have to press always start as administrator the first time Steam launches, and then you will not receive a prompt again. If you have UAC disabled, Steam will always start as administrator with no further action needed.
Additionally, the Disable Gamesdows.bat script has had fixes applied and now works correctly.
GamesDows V1
Removed the auto login registry key commands as they were causing bugs.
GamesDows V1 with a Playnite Variant
There is now a Playnite variant based on GamesDows V1.
I highly recommend downloading the reg key as well so that in the event there are any issues with explorer starting and you get a black screen when the Desktop is supposed to appear so that explorer.exe does not need to be reset to the shell manually via regedit if any errors occur.
Once explorer has been reset to the shell via the regkey, the Desktop will appear as expected when explorer.exe is run via task manager.
The process to access the Desktop if any errors occur is as follows for clarity:
Open task manager. Launch explorer.exe via task manager once. The file manager window will appear over the black screen. Navigate to the folder that contains the downloaded explorer-as-shell.reg, and then launch it and confirm the addition of the registry key. Then launch explorer.exe a second time via task manager and you'll be back into the desktop.
This version should not have these issues, but the registry key has been included as a precaution.
If anyone has previously used V2 and found it to be nonfunctional, and then run V1 and encountered this issue, there is likely a conflict between the V1 and V2 scheduled tasks, and the scheduled task must be removed in task scheduler after you get back into the Desktop. Once that is done, you should be able to rerun either the Playnite or Steam V1 scripts (this release) and you should be good to go.