Make Aero Enabled Windows Run More Smoothly in Vista and Windows 7

One of the more annoying actions with the Windows Aero interface is how it opens and closes new windows. They show the contents when minimizing and maximizing which seems unnecessary and is just a sort of “wow” factor. Here we show you how to easily turn the features off and make the UI run snappier.
First type advanced system settings into the Search box in the Start menu and hit Enter.

The System Properties window opens and from here click on the Settings button under Performance.

In the Visual Effects tab select Custom and uncheck the box next to Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing and Show window contents while dragging then click Ok and close out of the System Properties window.

Now you’ll notice windows opening quicker and just an outline of a window while dragging it around on the screen.

Of course if you want to entirely disable Aero it will make the entire interface run more quickly, but isn’t as cool looking. Disabling these two features allows you to run through the interface smoothly while still enjoying the the nice look of Aero goodness. When I’m setting up or using a new Windows 7 or Vista machine, these are one of the first settings I disable.