What does it mean to disable aero. How to enable Windows Aero and is it worth it?

Computers were not always multi-core, responding to user requests almost instantly. And one of the main factors that directly affects performance is the display of graphical information. The simpler it is, the fewer resources are needed to render it.

Initially, the interface was text-based, then button frames and different colors were added to the text. Today, the Windows operating system comes with the Aero desktop installed by default. It is considered the most beautiful in the family and uses the latest advances in video card design.

Not only aesthetics, but also functionality

Aero is available in some versions of Windows Vista and all editions of Windows Seven, and is installed and used by default. Therefore, some users do not even suspect the existence of this software and design product, and also that they only work with this design.

Windows 7 Aero was designed to combine a seamless user experience with stunning graphics. The most noticeable effect of this desktop is transparency. In addition to it, smooth animation of windows has been added if the functions of moving, resizing, and collapsing are applied to them.

When you hover over the taskbar, the selected window appears as a thumbnail. And if you point the cursor at the sketch, a window will open, filling the entire screen. Shake and Peek functions make it easy to organize your desktop. It is possible to scroll through open windows with a 3D effect, which is certainly convenient. The combination of Alt and Tab now displays not just program icons, but dynamically changing thumbnails.

Preparation

Aero has strict system requirements for hardware. The processor frequency must be at least 1 GHz. RAM capacity - 1 GB or more. The graphics accelerator must have 128 MB of memory and support the second version of shaders.

Since Windows Aero cannot be enabled unless certain requirements are met, you need to prepare your computer. First, make sure that the OS version supports this interface. To find out which edition you have installed, simply look at the computer properties.

Windows Aero cannot work with drivers written for Windows XP. You can find out which driver your computer is using by looking at the properties of the video adapter in Device Manager. If the version starts with the number 6, the driver is not suitable.

Since it is possible to enable Windows Aero only when the color quality is set to 32-bit, you need to check this too. The necessary settings are made in the "Display Properties" window.

Several ways to enable

Since enabling Windows Aero is very easy, you don't need to be an expert to perform this operation. You need to right-click on the desktop and select "Personalization". A selection of themes will appear in the window that opens. After selecting one of those that are under the inscription “Aero Themes”, the desired design will automatically turn on.

To activate Aero, you may need to evaluate the computer's performance, and it must be higher than value 3. If the result is lower, but you still want to try the design solution, you will have to “deceive” the system by using the second method.

How to enable Windows Aero on a weak computer?

The first step is to launch Registry Editor. Press the Win+R key combination on your keyboard. The Run window will open. In it, type "regedit" and press "Enter". Under "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM" there are two parameters: Composition and CompositionPolicy. The value of the first is set to 1, and the second to 2. After this, you must open the command line. It can be launched in the same way as the registry editor, only in the “Run” window you need to write “cmd”. Then execute two commands in turn: “net stop uxsm” and “net start uxsms”.

Possible problems

After launching Aero, the design may automatically switch to a different scheme. If the desktop behaves this way, first check the selected power plan ("Start" - "Control Panel" - "Power Options"). If you have the Power Saver option selected in your settings, Aero may experience occasional outages. After switching to Balanced mode, the deactivation of transparency will be disabled.

Running some older programs may force changes to your desktop display settings. After closing such an application, you will have to restore Aero manually. This behavior can only be prevented by updating the conflicting software.

Aero in versions of Windows without its support

Not every edition of Windows allows you to use Aero; simple user settings will not enable it. To activate all desktop functions, you will have to take other measures.

Download the Windows 7 Starter Aero Patch and run it as an administrator (right-click on the program icon and select "Run as Administrator"). Fortunately, today almost all software sites offer this tool. The program will automatically install and restart your PC.

Not without its drawbacks

There are no positives without negatives. The latest design schemes actively load the video processor with work. After installing a high screen resolution on a 4-5 year old computer, the animation will no longer please the eye, irritating the eyesight. The movement of windows will become as if in slow motion, or jerky. Often it is the resource-intensive design that forces you to look for ways to disable Windows Aero.

The interface will cause inconvenience to users who work for a long time in a single application. People with low vision will not be able to see text placed on top of a translucent window.

Don't like it? There is a solution

Since disabling Windows Aero is much easier than activating it, an experienced user can complete this procedure in a few minutes. You will have to act in the same order as when turning it on. Move the mouse cursor over an empty space on the desktop and right-click. Now left-click on the “Personalization” line.

In the window that appears, select the theme that is located under the words “Simplified or High Contrast Themes.” Ready.

Windows Vista presented the entire information world with a novelty in the form of transparent windows. This feature combined very nicely with the main interface and therefore quickly became loved by most users. But, unfortunately, you need to “pay” for this with resources - for example, RAM, which on some computers is quite an impossible thing, because Due to the leak, glitches and instability appear in operation. How to disable Windows Aero is an interest of many users with little computer experience, but we will also tell you some interesting things for those who have been working for a long time.

The first way to disable Windows Aero

The simplest and most banal at the same time. What is needed for this? Go to Personalization (RMB on the Desktop, Personalization). We move on to choosing a theme, and after that “Classic option”.

As a result, we get a standard theme with Aero disabled. You have already seen this theme before in XP or Millennium 2000, as well as Windows 95, 98. Actually, this method, in fact, stupidly replaces a transparent theme with an opaque one. Now your operating system will respond faster and work more stable.

The second way to disable Windows Aero

Now an option for the advanced. Now you will need to use the skills of working with “Run” - a utility for working with in-system programs. So, go to “Control Panel – Personalization – Taskbar – Start”.

Uncheck “Use Aero Peek” and click OK.

Next we need to disable Aero Snap. To do this, we need to go to “Control Panel”, then “Accessibility”, then “Facilitate concentration”. To directly disable the function, take the mouse and uncheck the “Disable automatic window ordering...” item and click OK.

The next step is to disable Aero Shake to get rid of Aero completely. For this action, go to “Run” using the Win + R key combination. After that, enter “gpedit.msc” into the field. In the open window we see a tree of folders, go to “Local Computer Policy”, “User Configuration”, “Administrative Templates”, “Desktop”. Go to the “Disable minimizing Aero Snake window” service. Check the “Enable” box and click OK.

If you use Windows 7, then you have the opportunity to install a cool Aero Glass effect - these are translucent window headers. The translucent windows feature isn't particularly necessary, but I like how it makes the desktop look better without being as annoying as other effects. To install the transparent window effect successfully, you need to have the latest drivers installed. I would also like to tell you about the main features that are included in Windows Aero:

- Windows Flip– when you press the "Alt" + "Tab" keys, thumbnails of open windows and their icons are shown. This is a new type of menu that allows you to switch between windows;

- Windows Flip 3D– another variant of Windows Flip, which, when you press “Win” + “Tab”, shows thumbnails of open windows that are lined up in 3D and can be scrolled with the mouse wheel;

- Active thumbnails– make it possible to view the current state of the window using Windows Flip and Windows Flip 3D;

- Active taskbar thumbnails– if you hover over the window button on the taskbar, window thumbnails appear;

- Aero Glass– the ability to use transparent headers and panels in windows;

- Aero Snap– allows you to expand the window to half the screen or the entire screen with one movement of the mouse;

- Aero Peek– without minimizing the window, you can display the contents of the desktop. To do this, place the mouse pointer on the button in the right corner of the taskbar or press “Win” + “Space”;

- Aero Shake– if you grab the window title and shake (move) a little, then all inactive windows will be minimized. If you move it again, the minimized windows are restored.

Below is an example of what it looks like Aero on Windows 7:

You won't be able to turn on Aero if your computer does not meet the following requirements:

○ RAM of the video card must be at least 128 MB

○ video adapter supporting DirectX 9 and WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) version 1.0 and older

○ 32-bit or 64-bit 1 GHz processor

○ 1 GB of random access memory (RAM);

To activate Windows Aero you need to check your overall computer performance rating.
To do this, do the following:

"Start" => "Control Panel" => "System" or "Start" => right-click on "Computer" and select "Property" .

The View Information About Your Computer window opens.
Follow the link "Windows Experience Index" .

To turn on the effect Aero d la Windows7 The overall performance rating of your computer should be no less than 3.0.

If your computer has an overall performance rating more than 3.0, then all that remains is to enable the effect Aero in Windows7.

To enable Aero in Windows7 do the following:
go to menu “Start” => “Control Panel” => “Personalization” .

right-click on the desktop. In the panel that opens, select "Personalization" .

Choose any Aero theme and that's it.

If you have a desire or would like to slightly change the appearance of the interface, namely adjust the colors or enable transparent headers and panels, then follow the link "Window color" .

If you need to disable or enable effects Aero At your discretion, you need to make the following move:
go
“Start” => “Control Panel” => “System” => “Advanced system settings” .

in the window "System Properties" under the word "Performance" click the button "Options" => “Visual effects” .

Here you can disable or enable the visual effect as you wish

or disable Aero completely all.
So to disableAero completely, select item "Provide the best performance" .

So, it seems, I wrote everything and forgot nothing. ABOUT! Still, I forgot to mention - if your computer has a general performance rating less than 3.0, but you want to set the effect Aero, then there is a way to cheat the performance evaluation system. How to do this? I'll tell you now!

Follow the indicated path: C:/Windows/Performance/WinSAT/DataStore .
Find in the folder DataStore file and open it in Notepad.

in the file Formal.Assessment (Initial).WinSAT find the text enclosed between the tag ...... . Look for tags ..... , and between them put the number 3 (after all, this is the kind of performance you need).

Save the file.

After restarting your computer, you should have Windows Aero. Try it.

One of the main graphic effects that distinguishes Windows 7 from previous versions of the Windows operating system is window transparency. This effect becomes available when Aero mode is enabled. Let's find out how to activate this graphics mode in Windows 7.

It should be noted right away that by default in Windows 7, Aero mode and window transparency are enabled. The mode can only be turned off if the user did it manually or due to system failures. For example, this happens when installing or uninstalling certain programs. In addition, you should know that Aero is a rather resource-intensive mode, and therefore not all computers can support it. The basic minimum requirements include:

Performance index – 3 points;
CPU frequency – 1 GHz;
Video card support for technology 9;
Video card memory – 128 MB;
RAM – 1 GB.

That is, if the system does not meet these minimum requirements, then it is unlikely that you will be able to run Aero. We will look at various ways to launch this mode on a PC that meet the specified requirements, and find out what to do if it was not possible to launch it using the standard method.

Method 1: Standard Aero activation

Let's consider the standard option of enabling Aero mode. It is suitable if your computer meets the minimum requirements and all the necessary services are enabled on it, which should be the default.

Method 2: Performance Settings

Another option to enable Aero is to adjust the performance settings if you had previously set a mode that provides the highest performance by disabling visual effects.

Method 3: Enable services

But there are situations when you open "Personalization", and Aero themes are not active in this section. At the same time, changes in performance parameters do not lead to the expected results, that is, it is impossible to enable the corresponding themes in the usual way. This most likely indicates that one of the services (and possibly both) responsible for the functioning of the themes is turned off on the computer. This means that these services need to be activated.

To go to "Service Manager" click the button "Start" and choose "Control Panel".

Next, select "System and Security".

In a new window, go to the section "Administration".

A list of utility utilities opens. Choose a name from them "Services" and click on it.

There is another method of moving to "Service Manager". Call the shell "Run", applying Win+R. Enter in the box:

Click Enter.

Starts "Service Manager" with a list of services in the system. Search among the names "Desktop Window Manager Session Manager". If in the column "State" The line corresponding to this service is empty, which means it is disabled. To enable it, go to properties. Double-click with the left mouse button ( LMB) by service name.

The properties shell opens. In the area "Startup type" choose a position "Automatically". Click "Apply" And "OK".

After returning to "Service Manager" highlight the name of this service and in the left area of the window click on "Run".

The service is starting.

But it also happens that the service is enabled, as evidenced by the display of the value "Works" in the field "State".Then it is possible that the service, although it is running, is not started correctly. Highlight her name and click "Restart".

If none of these options help, then in this case the reason Aero is unavailable is that the service is disabled "Themes". Find it and, if it is really disabled, move to the properties shell by clicking on the name 2 times LMB.

In the properties window, set the switch to position "Automatically". Click "Apply" And "OK".

Next, highlight the name "Themes" in the list, click on the inscription "Run".

If the service is running, then you can, as in the previous case, restart it by clicking "Restart".

Method 4: "Command Line"

But there are times when all the above actions do not lead to the desired result. More specifically, due to a certain failure, the service cannot be started "Themes" or it doesn't work correctly. Then it makes sense to try to correct the situation by using command expression input in "Command line".

Method 5: Changing the performance index

As mentioned above, if the performance index is below 3.0, the system simply will not allow Aero to start. In this case, as is known, the performance mode is calculated based on the weakest component. For example, such a weak component may be the data transfer speed of the hard drive, rather than the graphics component. Theoretically, even with a very slow hard drive, you can run Aero mode, but since the overall performance index will be below 3 due to the hard drive, the system will not allow you to do this. But there is one tricky way to fool Windows by manually changing the performance index.

To find out the computer performance index, click "Start". Next press RMB paragraph "Computer" and choose "Properties".

The PC properties shell opens. In a group "System" there is a position "Grade". If you have never completed an assessment before, the value will be displayed here "System rating not available". Click on this caption.

The section opens "Performance counters". To make an assessment, click on "Rate your computer".

An evaluation process is in progress, during which the screen may temporarily go dark.

After the procedure, the PC performance index value will be displayed. If it exceeds 3 points, then you can try turning on the Aero mode in the standard way. If you can’t do this, then you need to try to do it using one of the other methods described above. If the score is below 3.0, then the system may block the inclusion of Aero mode. In this case, you can try to “deceive” her. How to do this will be described below.

If you have already made an assessment before, its value will be displayed immediately after opening the window "System" opposite the parameter "Grade". As mentioned above, depending on the value of this score, you can either proceed directly to activating Aero, or try the trick that will be discussed below.

Attention! Please note that you carry out all further actions at your own peril and risk. Enabling Aero in this way involves providing the system with false information. It's one thing if this information is not directly related to graphics processes. In this case, the system will not be exposed to any particular danger. But, when, for example, you artificially increase the rating of a video card, a weak video adapter may simply not withstand it if you use Aero, which will cause it to fail.
In order to “deceive” the system, you need to edit the performance evaluation report file using any text editor. We will use standard Notepad for this purpose, launched with administrative rights. Click "Start". Next select "All programs".

Open the directory "Standard".

Find the name "Notebook" and press RMB. Choose "Run as administrator". This is a basic condition, since, otherwise, you will not be able to edit and change an object located in the system directory. And this is exactly what we will need to do.

The text editor is open. Click on it "File" And "Open" or dial Ctrl+O.

The opening window opens. In its address bar, paste the path:
C:\Windows\Performance\WinSAT\DataStore

Click Enter.

The directory for finding the report file we need opens. But, given that it has an XML extension, the file will not be displayed in the window. In order for it to appear, you should set the format switch to the position "All files". After that, look for an object whose name contains the following expression: "Formal Assessment". There may be several of these objects if the systems have been assessed more than once. In this case, search for the most recent object by date, select it and click "Open".

The contents of the file open in the Notepad shell. We are interested in the block enclosed in the tag "WinSPR". This block is located closer to the beginning of the document; it is where the general assessment of the system and the assessment of its individual components are located. The overall assessment of the system is enclosed in the tag "SystemScore". Other block tags contain ratings for individual components. We make sure that the score in each of them is at least 3.0. If the score is lower, replace it with any value greater than 3.0. After the required component values have been set, find the lowest score of those that you received as a result of the assessment (it must be greater than or equal to 3.0). Enter this value between the tags "SystemScore", where the overall performance index is indicated.

After the data has been edited, click "File" and press "Open" or use a combination Ctrl+S. After this, Notepad can be closed.

Now, if you go to the computer properties, you will see that the performance index has changed and is within the acceptable limits for activating Aero. Now you can restart your PC and try to start this mode in the standard way.

Method 6: Forced Enablement

There is also a way to force Aero mode. It is also applicable even in cases where the performance index is less than 3 points. This method has the same risks if the hardware power is insufficient. This is done by editing the system registry and entering the command via "Command line".

Attention! Before you start working in "Registry Editor", create .

To open "Registry Editor", call window "Run" by pressing Win+R. Enter:
Click "OK".

Opens "Registry Editor". The left area of the shell contains registry keys. If they are not visible, then click on the inscription "Computer". Next, go to the sections "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" And "Software".

Then look for the name in the list "Microsoft" and click on it.

Click "Windows" And "DMW". After selecting the last section, go to the right area of the shell, where the parameters are located. Search for parameter under name "Composition". In the area "Meaning" this parameter should be "1". If a different number is set, you need to change it. To do this, double-click LMB by parameter name.

In the field "Meaning" window that opens "Changing a DWORD Value" put "1" without quotes and click "OK".

After that, look in the list of parameters "CompositionPolicy". Here you need to set the value "2", if it costs something else. In the same way as last time, go to the parameter change window.

In the “Value” field put "2" and press "OK".

Then run "Command line" with administration rights. How to do this was stated above. Enter command to stop "Window Manager":
Click Enter.

To restart "Window Manager" enter the expression:
Click Enter.

Restart your computer, after which Aero mode should turn on automatically. If this does not happen, then enable it manually by changing the theme in the section "Personalization".

Solving problems with turning on the mode

Sometimes Aero mode cannot be enabled using any of the methods described above. In most cases, this is due to various malfunctions in the OS. You must first fix the problem, and only then activate the mode.

Most often, the problem with Aero activation occurs when system files are damaged. Then it is necessary to check their integrity and then restore them to "Command line" running as an administrator by entering the following expression:

The above problem may occur if there are errors on the hard drive. Then you need to carry out the appropriate check. It is also performed from under "Command line", but this time you need to enter the following command:

If logical failures are detected, the system will try to correct them automatically. If the violations are hardware in nature, the hard drive should either be repaired or replaced.

Another factor that caused the problem could be a virus attack. In this case, you should perform a PC scan procedure, not with a standard antivirus, but with one of the special utilities - this will help neutralize the malicious code. If the virus managed to damage system files, then you will also have to start the process of restoring them through "Command line", as stated above.

If you remember that Aero used to start normally and you have a restore point or a system backup made before the problem with activating the mode, then you can roll back the OS to an earlier state.

As you can see, there are several ways to enable Aero mode. The choice of a specific option depends on the situation. In most cases, installing the appropriate theme is sufficient. If for some reason this method does not work, you need to use other options, but, of course, first of all, you should establish the cause of the problem.

Do you have a very weak laptop or computer on which even Windows 7 is slow and glitchy? First, you can try to speed up the system. There are many ways, and one of them is to disable Aero on Windows 7.

What is this? Aero is a theme, a design style that appeared first in Vista and then in Windows 7. It is a translucent glass effect. It looks very stylish, but it also consumes a lot of resources.

Apart from beauty, this topic is of no use, so if your PC or laptop is very slow, you can try disabling Aero in Windows 7. Perhaps this will help you. For those who don’t know how to do this, below are 3 simple ways to disable Windows Aero in the “seven”.

Disable Windows Aero in 3 clicks

The first method is very simple and fast:

The appearance of your desktop will not be so great, but your laptop or computer may start working faster. Disable Windows Aero and check it.

In this case, you need to turn off Aero Peek, Snap and Shake

For those who don’t want to change the good old theme (or don’t like the classic style), there is a second method.

Let's start with the first option:

What does this option do? Aero Peek works like an X-ray. If you move the cursor to the lower right corner, the windows will become transparent and all folders and shortcuts will be visible. It can also be activated by pressing the Win+Space key. Do you often use this feature? If not, feel free to turn it off.

What does this function do? Expands a window to half the screen if you drag it to the left or right corner until the mouse cursor touches it. Or full screen - if you drag it to the top or bottom corner. In short, another useless option that no one probably knows about.

And the last step on Windows 7 Ultimate is to deactivate the Aero Shake function. To do this:

What does the Shake function do? Helps clear away clutter on your desktop. If you have many windows open, you can hold down the desired one with the cursor and move the mouse a little to the sides (not too much). This will make them all disappear (except the one you're holding). If you shake it again, everything will be restored as it was before. In general, this is already the second useless function that slows down your PC or laptop.

And the last method: advanced configuration

In this case, you can disable any unnecessary functions at your discretion.

Go to Start – Control Panel – System.
Select "Additional" system parameters".
Find the Performance field and click Options.

A new window will open with a complete list of all Aero functions on Windows 7. There is Aero Peek, transparency effect, shadows from shortcuts and the mouse cursor (who knew about them? 🙂) and much more.

You can disable everything you don’t need - just don’t forget to click “Apply”. If you don’t need anything at all, select “Ensure the best performance” - all the checkboxes will disappear in 1 click.

The Snap and Shake functions are not here, so they must be disabled manually (following the instructions above). And if suddenly the appearance of the Aero theme in Windows 7 has become worse, open this window again and check some boxes.