NWC Computers - Easily Switching The Aero Interface On And Off

Top Tips

Running the Aero interface requires quite a lot of system resources, unless you have at least 2gb of RAM, and a fast graphics card we wouldn't recommend activating Aero. However if your system is well specified then switch it all on, and enjoy Vista in all its transparent, 3D flipping, glory.

If you're unsure as to whether your system is capable of handling the Aero interface, the Control Panel has tools that wil help you 'score' your system, and assess its capability to run various parts of the Aero interface

For a few tips on squeezing more out of your system so that you can run Aero, see our seperate Speed Up Vista article.

Add an 'Aero' on / off switch to the right click menu.

If you regularly switch between having Windows Vista Aero interface on and off you will quickly tire of the series of mouse clicks required to switch between the two.

With a little tweaking of the registry it's possible to add options for switching the Aero interface on & off.

Warning - this tweak involves editing the Windows Registry, if you're unsure about what you're doing, please do not proceed. NWC strongly recommends that you have a backup of your registry before you attempt this tweak, NWC cannot accpet any responsibility for damage to your system caused whilst attempting to implement this tweak.

Click the Windows button and type in 'Regedit' into the quick search box.
Select the option for 'Regedit' to run the Registry Editor.
Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\Shell & right click on the 'Shell' part.
Click 'New' from the menu, and select 'Key', call the new key Aero On.
Right click the Aero On key and create a new sub key called command.
In the right hand pane of the editor, double click the command key and give it the value of Rundll32 dwmApi #102.
Right click the Shell key again and click 'New' from the menu, and select 'Key' and call the new key Aero Off.
Right click the Aero Off key and create a new sub key called command.
In the right hand pane of the editor, double click the command key and give it the value of Rundll32 dwmApi #104.
Close the editor, saving your changes when prompted.
Now when you 'right click' on a blank part of the desktop you will see options in the context menu for switching Aero on or off.