Windows 7 Re-enabling Aero Glass without rebooting, after an app disables it

[Ross Presser]

I've got a stable Windows 7 Ultimate (x64) system. It's a Dell Vostro 410, 8GB RAM, Intel Core 2 Quad CPU @2.4GHz, WEI of 3.7. The on-board video adapter is an ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO with 128MB of dedicated video memory. I have two monitors, one connected to DVI and one to VGA.

Aero Themes work just fine on both monitors, I get Glass, Peek, all the goodies normally.

From time to time, I have to do one of the following:

• share my screen with GoToMeeting
• share my screen with Microsoft SharedView
• log in to my machine remotely with Remote Desktop, then later return home and log in normally

Doing any of these three things disables Aero Glass; I can readily understand that. What I can't understand is why there is no way to get it back without rebooting.

Rebooting brings it back just fine, but I don't see why it's necessary.

Things I have checked while Glass is temporarily disabled:

• Changing the theme to Windows Basic, then changing it back to the stock Windows 7 Aero theme does not re-enable Glass.
• The Aero Troubleshooter ("Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects") finds no issues.
• The Desktop Window Manager Session Manager service is running. Restarting it does not re-enable Glass.
• My video driver is up to date according to Windows Update. (Dell does not officially support Windows 7 on the Vostro 410, so I can't get a driver there. But it's working just fine, dammit.)

Clearly, these screensharing programs, and remote desktop, are doing something, perhaps to the video driver, to tell it not to use Glass. How can I tell it to start using it again?

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you are experiencing an issue where Aero Glass is disabled after using screensharing programs like GoToMeeting, Microsoft SharedView, or Remote Desktop, and you're looking for a way to re-enable Aero Glass without having to reboot your system. Here are some steps you can try to potentially resolve this issue without rebooting: 1. Restart the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Service: - Press Win + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter. - Look for the "Desktop Window Manager Session Manager" service. - Right-click on it and select "Restart." 2. Reset the DWM Process: - Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. - Find "Desktop Window Manager" under the "Processes" tab. - Right-click on it and select "End task." - The DWM process should automatically restart. 3. Update your Graphics Driver: - Although you mentioned that your driver is up to date according to Windows Update, consider manually checking the ATI Radeon HD 2400 PRO driver from the manufacturer's website. - You can search for the latest driver using the device manager or directly from the AMD website. 4. Toggle Aero Peek: - Right-click on the Taskbar and select "Properties." - Check and uncheck the box next to "Use Aero Peek to preview the desktop." - Apply the changes and see if Aero Glass comes back. 5. Check for Graphics Adapter Settings: - Go to Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization. - Click on the current theme and then click on "Window Color." - Ensure that 'Enable transparency' is checked. 6. Disable and Re-enable Aero: - Open an elevated Command Prompt (right-click and select "Run as administrator"). - Type the following commands:

 net stop uxsms net start uxsms

- This restarts the Desktop Window Manager that controls the Aero interface. If these steps don't help, it's possible that the screensharing programs are making deeper changes that affect the Aero Glass functionality. In such cases, a reboot might be the only way to fully reset the system to bring back Aero Glass.