You didn't say what video adapter you're using, but if it's one of the infamous Intel 915 series, you're wasting your time. I have a tablet PC with that chipset and I can confirm that NONE of the registry hacks do any good. I tried them with Vista and retried these with Seven -- and nothing works.
If you have one of the newer Intel chipsets (945GM or newer), these hacks should work, but then, you should be getting Aero by default.
As for Aero-like effects, the basic problem is that without the newer
drivers, you won't get transparency, so even if you install custom themes, you won't see the same image the theme developer posts because that image uses transparency to get its effects.
I have a post in the Customization subforum dealing with non-Aero desktops, and several forum members have posted themes that will work well with Seven Basic. You can also subscribe to StarDock's Object Desktop Ultimate product and get their Beta 2 of WindowBlinds, but I've been using that on my Tablet PC with Seven and have encountered so many lockups that I quit using it.