Windows 7 - Aero - Enable in Unsupported Editions of Windows 7

**Jonathan_King**

How to Enable Aero in Unsupported Editions of Windows 7

Note

Your machine still needs to meet the minimum hardware requirements before it can run Aero.

For Home Basic users: Aero does not mean that transparency will be enabled. Only Aero taskbar thumbnails and maybe some other features will be enabled by this utility. There is no way to enable transparency on Windows Home Basic.

Here's How:

1. Download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to determine whether your hardware meets the requirements.

2. Download Aero Enabler from this site.

3. Extract the compressed files to a convenient location, and run the AeroEnabler.exe file.

4. Check the Disable Hardware Check box, and click Enable Aero.

There you go, you're done!

Related Tutorials

**SIW2** · 01-08-2010

Hi john,

I haven't tried the app.

It appears to save making the registry changes yourself.

**Jonathan_King** · 01-08-2010

Quote: Originally Posted by SIW2

Hi john,

I haven't tried the app.

It appears to save making the registry changes yourself.

Do you know what registry entries are changed?

**bagavan** · 07-26-2010

what registry entries are applied?

**Bill2** · 07-26-2010

Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM

If the DWM registry key does not exist, right click, then select New -> Key and name it DWM.

Under DWM key, create a new DWORD (32-bit value) named UseMachineCheck, and set its value to 0.

Again, under DWM key create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named Blur, and set its value to 0.

Again, under DWM key, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named Animations, and set its value to 0.

Restart the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager service in Services.

Paultx · 01-02-2011

Aero Enabler worked on this notebook of mine, but at a certain point the system began to be so slow that Windows itself recommended me to change to a 7 Basic theme, and this brought speed back. So I ask: what exactly do I need to upgrade to get Aero running without losing performance?

**Jonathan_King** · 01-02-2011

Hello Paul,

The you can try increasing the video memory in the BIOS; that's the best you can do, without upgrading the laptop.

amithoward · 04-22-2011

I also have Home Basic and I have partial Aero enabled (only Aero Peek). I did the registry changes and also ran the Windows Upgrade Advisor. It passed me through the test. But I checked Aeroenabler page and it clearly says there that it doesn't add glass transparency etc. So what does it really do? Apart from Aero peek that I already have?? What other features of Aero does it offer?

**Jonathan_King** · 04-22-2011

Hello,

This description might help:

Quote:

NOTE for Home Basic users: Aero does not mean that transparency will be enabled. Only Aero taskbar thumbnails and maybe some other features will be enabled by this utility. There is no way to enable transparency on Windows Home Basic.

amithoward · 04-22-2011

Home Basic users have Aero Peek (partial with Live Thumbnail Preview in Taskbar). Mouse hovering over Show Desktop button is not available.
Flip 3d is missing
Aero Shake is missing
Blur effect
Transparency
and of course Aero Themes

So for the ones I have noticed on my Home Basic (without Aero Enabler) are: (features according to Wikipedia article on Windows Aero)
Aero Peek (Live Thumbnail preview)
Aero Snap
Jump List
When hovering over the taskbar button for a running program, the button glows the dominant RGB color of its icon.
Progress bars can be used in the program's taskbar buttons. If a program is executing a process which takes significant time, its taskbar button will act as a progress bar by filling up with green as the operation progresses.

And probably a few more basic ones that might be slipping out of my head right now.

Windows 7 - Aero - Enable in Unsupported Editions of Windows 7

Aero - Enable in Unsupported Editions of Windows 7

Aero - Enable in Unsupported Editions of Windows 7 problems?