I am working my way through the Compendium 3.0.0 and when I create a new test key pair the dialog that it says should be there several minutes just flashes by briefly. If I uncheck the box to protect the key with a passphrase I do not see the dialog at all.
Running Win10 Pro x64 on an older PC with GPG4Win 4.4.0 and Kleopatra 3.3.0. I did not make any changs under Advanced options and it seems to use curve25519 by default.
Is there a way to verify the test key pair was created properly?
Hi @AustinFastER,
note that the Compendium 3 is outdated, though a number of sections still have useful information. (This is why we still have it out there.)
curve25519 is the currently recommended default for GnuPG (the crypto engine running behind the scenes).
And yes, the creation can be fast - even on an elder machine. 
Is there a way to verify the test key pair was created properly?
Encrypt and sign a file for yourself. And then decrypt and verify it.
That is a very good first test.
Regards and thanks for using Gpg4win!
Bernhard
I remember the first time I saw that dialog - it can be a bit confusing if you aren’t expecting it! Basically, GnuPG needs ‘entropy’ (randomness) to create a secure key. If your system is fresh or doesn’t have much activity, it just waits for you to move the mouse or tap keys to generate that randomness. If you’re on a server without a mouse, running something like haveged in the background usually speeds things up instantly.