Overriding Windows Experience Index (Activating Aero in low performance PCs) Aero Discuss Overriding Windows Experience Index (Activating Aero in low performance PCs) in the Vista Features forums; First of all, sorry my English... The Windows Experience Index is a benchmarking tool wich analyzes the different subsystems (processor, graphics, memory speed, etc), and uses the result to allow ...

[rogerioth]

First of all, sorry my English...

The Windows Experience Index is a benchmarking tool wich analyzes the different subsystems (processor, graphics, memory speed, etc), and uses the result to allow for comparision to other Windows Vista systems. Also, it activates/deactivates some features, like the Aero Glass UI, Windows Photo Gallery Albuns, Windows Media Center 3D accelerated interface, etc.



But, if you don't have enough hardware power and really want to see the new features of Windows Vista, there are some override tweaks that can be applied:

1. Aero
The Aero UI is deactivated if your Windows Experience Index is less than or equal 2.0. To force Aero in such systems, follow this procedure:
- Open the Registry Editor (Windows Key + R; type regedit and click OK);
- In the registry editor, browse to the key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft

- Create a Key named DWM if it does not yet exist;
- In this key, create a DWORD value named EnableMachineCheck with a value equal 0
- Create a DWORD value named Glass with a value equal 1
- Restart your computer
- Right click on your desktop, choose Personalize, Window Color and Appearance
- And Choose the Windows Aero Color Scheme
- Done! ^_^
(Tested with Vista RC1 Build 5600 - November 2006 in a PC with WEIndex = 2.0)

[rogerioth]

2. Windows Photo Gallery

The Windows Photo Gallery or Windows Vista Slideshow is a Photo Manager, just like ACDSee, but with a 3D Accelerated Slideshow.



If your Windows Experience Index is below 3.0 some set of themes (such as Premium or Ultimate SKU) are deactivated. To reactivate them, the following procedure:
(Keep in mind that there are no guarantees that they will run well!)

- In ther registry editor:
- Browse to the key

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Photo Gallery\SlideShow

- Create a DWORD Value named WinSATScore, with Value = 300
- Close the regeditor and restart your PC.

[rogerioth]

3. Windows Media Center

This version of Windows Media Center is extremelly beautiful.



But, if your video card has less than 64 MB, every animation is disabled.
To activate all visual features, open the regedit and browse to the key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Media Center\Display Settings

- create a DWORD value named DisableDxCheck, with value equal 1
- create another DWORD value named DisableDx9CapsCheck, with value equal 1
- open the Media Center.

- However, it probabily will not run as fast as it can because of your hardware...

[rogerioth]

If the first item don't work for some reason, I found another tweak to activate Aero:

- On the regedit, navigate to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM

- Edit values Composition (value = 1) and CompositionPolicy (value = 2)
Restart the DWM by restarting the Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager service. This can be done in services.msc or by typing

net stop uxsms

and

net start uxsms

at command prompt.

[rogerioth]

Enable New Boot screen in Vista Beta 2

Tired of the pathetic boot screen in current Vista builds? There is a new trick that will allow you to see what may be the new boot screen for Windows Vista. This new boot screen is still not what we have been expecting but is a move in the right direction compared to the white progress bar screen currently used.

Enable New Boot Screen:

1. Click on the start orb and type in "MSCONFIG" in the textbox.

2. Once the System Configuration tool loads, click on the Boot tab.

3. Under Boot Options check "No GUI Boot".

4. Hit OK and reboot to see the new screen.

^_^

[rogerioth]

Flip 3D Feature:

If your Aero interface is activated, the 3D Window Flip feature can be used by pressing the Windows Key + Tab (just like the old Alt+Tab). You can also use your mouse wheel to scrool throught the windows.

XD

[rogerioth]

Window Animations at Slow Motion (on demand)

If your Aero Glass is working, it is possible to hold down the shift key while opening, closing or miniming windows to see the animation in slow motion. To do that:

- Again, open the regedit
- Browse to HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\DWM
- Create a DWORD value named AnimationsShiftKey with value equal 1
- Restart your PC

Once you have restarted, just hold down the shift key to see any of the window animations in slow motion.

[rogerioth]

Selecting Multiple Items on Explorer - an alternative way

I know, this is not realted to Aero >.< but I think this can be useful.
For a thousand of years, to select multiple items on explorer we used Ctrl and Shift combinations while clicking to select / range / deselect items. Now, we can have checkboxes on explorer:

- Open any explorer window eg. Computer
- Hit Alt to bring the menu, click on Tools and Folder Options
- In the View Tab, under Advanced Settings frame, scroll down to the bottom of the list and click on 'Use check boxes to select items'.
- Click OK

^^

[rogerioth]

The Flip 3D Feature can be activated via shortcut! ^^

- Create a New Shortcut (the old way: Right click on desktop, New, Shortcut)
- On location, type RunDll32 DwmApi #105
- Click on Next. Enter the name of the shortcut and click on Finish
- Done XD

[rogerioth]

For those who are Visual Studio addicted like me XD

There's a guide on how to add Windows Glass to a Windows Forms Application in C#

By Add Windows Glass, I mean, extend the glass for beyond the default borders (like Windows Media Player on its playback controls, or the IE in it's address bar)

More details here:

http://blogs.msdn.com/tims/archive/2...18/578637.aspx