If you are running Windows Vista on a computer that is Windows Vista Capable, but find that the performance of Windows Aero is sluggish there are a few things which you can do to increase performance without having to use the Windows Vista Basic theme.
Change advanced performance options
- Click on Start, and then click on Computer.
- In the Computer window, click on "System properties".
- In the task pane (on the left hand side), click on "Advanced system settings", and if prompted by User Account Control for consent, click on "Continue".
- Under "Performance" click on the "Settings..." button.
- Uncheck the following items:
- Animated windows when minimizing and maximizing
- Enable transparent glass (optional, performance change will depend on the level of graphics card you have)
- Fade or slide menus into view
- Fade or slide ToolTips into view
- Fade out menu items after clicking
- Show shadows under menus
- Slide open combo boxes
- Slide taskbar buttons
- Click on the OK button to apply the new settings and dismiss the Performance Options dialog.
You should notice a gain in performance in terms of user interface responsiveness, although you will not see many of the cool transition effects.