Windows 7 - Strange window/icon behavior?

I was doing a fresh install of Windows 7 x64 Ultimate, and I was wondering if anyone noticed this issue that I've noticed regarding Windows 7. The windows, while maximizing and minimizing, stutter/pause for a millisecond before actually maximizing/minimizing. Vista x64 does not do this; the maximize/minimize animation is smooth. This happens on both my work rig and my home rig, which have both OSes installed as a dual boot.

Another thing I noticed are the way the folders icons look in Windows 7 as compared to Vista. In Vista, all the folder icon edges are smooth, but in Windows 7, I can actually see jaggies around the edges of the folders. I have sitting in front of me two computers, one running Vista x64 and the other Windows 7, and I tell you, I can clearly see jaggies around the bottom edges of a folder icon on Windows 7. Here is a screenshot. Check out the circled areas.



And just for the record, I have all the latest driver updates/what not. Plus, the hardware is different between 3 different rigs, and they all exhibit these issues. And just for the record, I already went into System Properties>Advanced>Performance Settings and chose the bullet to "Adjust for best appearance". This makes no discernible difference.

Thanks!

What are your settings for 'custom' visual effects? You could try looking at some of those and see what works best for you.

I tried all the 3 options above the 'Custom' visual effects, and this did not change anything. In addition, I'm not sure which one of the options effects the window icons. As a matter of fact, just for the heck of it, I disabled everything, and it didn't make any difference on the icon.

In addition, this icon behavior is exhibited whether physically at the machine, or through an RDC, so it's not an Aero effect or dependence.

Is you screen resolution set correctly?

Absolutely. The screen resolution is set to 1600x1200, which is the native resolution of the LCD.

I should mention that no matter what type of screen, I can reproduce this.

Sheesh .... I'm at a loss for this. You said 'fresh' installation with Windows 7 x64 Ultimate.
Is that an RTM download (or DVD) and from where did you get it? Is this an upgrade or clean install?

Brand new clean installation on a brand new 1TB Samsung HDD. This is Windows 7 x64 Ultimate. I got it from Staples (DVD). I also installed the RTM from a download at work, and it exhibits the same issue.

I have Pro x64 and I do not notice the distortion that you are showing in your screen shots. That is really weird... The only thing I could think of is something is wrong with either your graphics settings in windows, or with your video drivers.

If you use nVidia, then you can turn on anti-aliasing for windows and that would most likely fix it. You may be able to do the same with ATI, but I am not sure because I have not used ATI in many many years lol.

Tried that. I added an AA rule to DWM and Explorer.exe, turned on AA to 4x, restarted Windows, and neither had an effect.