How to activate and deactivate the Windows Vista Aero Theme

written by: Derek Coleman; article published: year 2007, month 02;


  

In: Categories » Computers and technology » Windows » How to activate and deactivate the Windows Vista Aero Theme

Works on Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate

If you ask Microsoft, the whole Aero thing (the look and the features) is a key benefit of Vista. Indeed, those glassy surfaces and see-through window edges are, in large part, where Vista got its name and its breathless marketing slogan ("Bring clarity to your world").

But there's certain to be someone, somewhere, who doesn't care for the new lookand Microsoft rarely takes a step forward without offering a step back to those who want it. You can not only change Vista's color scheme, you can also completely turn off the Aero look and features, if you so desire.


Tip: Aero Glass uses up some of your PC's horsepower, 24 hours a day. Changing your scheme from Aero to Basic (or simply turning off transparency) can give your computer a speed boost, because it no longer has to compute and draw fuzzy images of whatever is behind your window title bars.

Microsoft figures that's not something you'll want to do often, so the controls are a bit buried. But here they are, just in case you're a believer in opaque window edges:

  1. Right-click a blank spot on the desktop. From the shortcut menu, choose Personalize.

    The Personalization control panel opens.

  2. Click the first link, "Window Color and Appearance."

    If you've been using the Aero design, you now arrive at the dialog box where you can choose a different accent color for your windows, or adjust (or turn off) the degree of window-edge transparency, which will make your PC slightly faster.


  3. Click "Open classic appearance properties..." at the bottom of the window.

    The Appearance Settings dialog box opens.

  4. In the Color Scheme list, click the Windows design look you prefer: Windows Vista Aero, Windows Vista Basic, Windows Standard, or Windows Classic.

    With each click, you see a sample at the top of the dialog box.

  5. Once you find a design you like, click OK.

    The screen flickers, thunder rolls somewhere, and your screen changes.

legal disclaimer

1) Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article as well for any and all copyright infringements by authors and writers. E-articles is a free information resource. If you suspect this article for any copyright infringements, please read the Terms of service and contact us to investigate the problem.
2) The E-articles directory team is not responsible for inaccuracies, falsehoods, or any other types of misinformation this tutorial may contain and will not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by a user through the user's reliance on the information gained here. Please read the Terms of service

Useful tools and features

Translate this article to...    Send this article to you or to a friend

Link to this article from your page   
If you like this article (tutorial), please link to it from your web page using the information above. Linking to this page, this is the only way to help us improve our service, the same time providing your visitors with a way to improve their online experience.

related articles

1. Performing a Clean Windows Vista Install
The Windows Vista installation DVD is bootable and self-installing, so you need only put it into your DVD drive and reboot, and the installation program will launch. To configure your computer to boot off a DVD, you'll need to use your system's BIOS setup utility. When you first power on your machine, you'll see a text screen with a summary of your motherboard, processor, and installed memory. (If you see only a logo, try pressing the Esc or Tab key.) Here, you typically press F2, Delete, or some other key combination to...

  

2. What`s in the Start Menu: All Windows Vista Versions
All Programs When you click All Programs, you're presented with an important list indeed: the master catalog of every program on your computer. You can jump directly to your word processor, calendar, or favorite game, for example, just by choosing its name from the Start -> All Programs menu. In Vista, as you'll notice very quickly, Microsoft abandoned the superimposed-menus effect of Windows XP. Rather than covering up the regularly scheduled Start menu, the All Programs list replaces it ...

3. How to change the desktop background in Windows Vista
Vista has a whole new host of desktop pictures, patterns, and colors for your viewing pleasure. You want widescreen images for your new flat-panel monitor? No problem, Vista's got 'em. Want something gritty, artsy, in black and white? They're there, too. And you can still use any picture you'd like as your background as well. To change yours, right-click the desktop. From the shortcut menu, choose Personalize. In the Personalization dialog box, click Desktop Background. Use a Microsoft Photo...

4. Common Windows Vista and XP Filename Extensions
This tutorial lists many of the most common filename extensions that you'll find on your system, that you might download, or that you have received over the Internet. Extensions were universally used on DOS and Windows 3.1 files, but Microsoft has gone to some difficulty to hide them in Windows Vista. This is unfortunate, because they play a major role in the way Windows decides what application will be used to open a file, as well as which files will be visible when opening files in a given application. Although direct a...

5. Upgrading to Windows Vista from Earlier Versions of Windows
When you buy Windows Vista, you buy either a full version of the operating system or an upgrade. Ideally, you'd like to upgrade, because an upgrade is less expensive than buying the full version. Only PCs with Windows XP or Windows 2000 qualify for upgrades; users with PCs running earlier versions of Windows will have to buy the full version. Users who have Windows XP or Windows 2000 and can upgrade will have one of two choices when they do the Windows Vista installation. They can either perform an in-place upgrade or do ...

6. Potential Problems During Windows Vista Setup
Fully documenting all of the problems that could occur during the installation of Windows Vista would require a tutorial10 times the size of this one. Here, though, are some of the most common problems you're likely to encounter, and how to solve them: An out-of-date BIOS may cause a failed installation. Your motherboard will have a software-upgradeable flash BIOS. Contact the manufacturer of your system or motherboard for any BIOS updates it has available, but don't bother unless a BIOS upgrade is absol...

7. Windows Vista Sidebar and Gadgets
Gadgets perform automated tasks and display information; they live in the Windows Sidebar on the Desktop. To open Double-click the Windows Sidebar icon in the notification area. Control Panel -> [Appearance and Personalization] -> Windows Sidebar Properties -> Start Sidebar when Windows starts Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Windows Sidebar Description One of Windows Vista's most useful new features is the Windows Sidebar and the Gadgets that ...

8. How to Start Up Applications in Win Vista
Windows Vista has more ways to launch a program than just about any other operating system: Double-click on a program icon in Explorer, on the Desktop. Double-click on a file associated with an application to launch that application and open the file. Pick the name of a program from the Start menu. Click on a program's icon in the Quick Launch Toolbar to start it. This toolbar can include icons for any programs, although by default, it often has icons...

9. How to use the clipboard in Vista
A shared, system-wide storage area for temporarily holding and moving data. To open Edit -> Cut (Ctrl-X) Edit -> Copy (Ctrl-C) Edit -> Paste (Ctrl-V) Description The Clipboard is an invisible portion of memory, used to temporarily hold data as it's moved or copied from one application to another. Although you will never "see" the Clipboard, it's used every time you cut, copy, or paste something. Using the Clipboard is easy. Select a portion of text in your...

10. Deleting Windows Vista User Accounts
It happens somebody graduates, somebody gets fired, somebody dumps you. Sooner or later, you may need to delete an account from your PC. To delete a user account, open the User Accounts program, click the appropriate account name, and then click "Delete the account." Windows now asks you if you want to preserve the contents of this person's Documents folder. If you click the Keep Files button, you'll find a new folder, named for the dearly departed, on your desktop. (As noted in the dialog box, only the documents, t...