{tocify} $title={Table of Contents}
Updated Oct 2024.
Reinstall Xbox Game bar to generate game's registry key in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\System\GameConfigStore\Children\
What happened?
I installed a debloated version of Windows (Windows 10 LTSC), which removed many features, including Microsoft Store and Xbox. I encountered a problem where an important registry key needed for tweaking the game's fullscreen behavior was missing from the Registry Editor.
This specific registry key stores information about the game, such as the installation path. It is created when you launch a game while having Xbox Game Bar installed however this debloated windows does not have it hence the registry key could not be generated.
Disabling fullscreen optimization (FSO) from the game's .exe won't actually give true fullscreen. Windows volume slider overlay will still appear on top of the game when adjusting windows volume.
You can check this reddit post to understand what registry key I am talking about.
Please note that this only works for DX11 games, if your game is on DX12 this won't do anything. I'm not sure about DX9.
How to reinstall Windows Store and Xbox app
To reinstall Windows Store for Windows 10 LTSC, check this github link below:
https://github.com/megakarlach/LTSC-Add-MicrosoftStore-2021
For Windows 11 users and other versions of debloated Windows, please search for a similar solution. The Microsoft Store is required to download and install Xbox. I don't have information on whether Xbox can be installed without the Store.
After installing Microsoft Store it may proceed to update itself, patiently wait for it. When done updating, search for and install Xbox app.
Open Xbox app and navigate to settings, general, then dependencies. Install Xbox Gamebar from here.
Once installed, enable Gamebar by navigating to Windows Settings, Gaming, then Gamebar. Its location is the same path as Windows Game Mode.
I am not sure if this next step is needed, but just to be sure everything is working as intended I would suggest to do it. Type SERVICES in the start and open it. Search for Xbox services and run them all.
Launch the game
Now the last step is to run the game. This is to generate the missing registry key mentioned earlier. Refer to the reddit post above to check if the registry key has now appeared. If it is present, you can follow the reddit post for disabling FSO for true fullscreen.
You can disable all Xbox services and Gamebar after.
Read also: Optimize Windows for gaming performance