Turn off visual effects as default - WORKS

[edmundo]

Hi.

I have looked at the posts in the forum and didn't found any registry tweak to turn off the visual effects, all that I found doesn't work, I saw even people making programs to do that. Even the file with all the tweaks that is in the forum doesn't worked for me.

Well, here goes what I have done to make it works.

Appears that every time a new profile is created a shell object gets executed to set some defaults in the desktop.

regsvr32.exe /s /n /i:U shell32.dll

that is at:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4340}

This entry will undone all that "appears" to have worked.

What it does?

Looking with regmon from sysinternals, appears that executing this object some defaults are searched in the registry to decide what will be done.

It looks at HKCU for some "DefaultApplied" entries to know if the default was already applied.

If "DefaultApplied"=dword:00000000, it looks what is the default (in HKLM).

Follows the entries in HKLM that holds the defaults (they was already setted to turn off the visual effects).

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 

; Adjust to get better performance.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\AnimateMinMax]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\ComboBoxAnimation]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\CursorShadow]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\DragFullWindows]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\DropShadow]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
"DefaultByAlphaTest"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\FontSmoothing]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
"DefaultByFontTest"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\ListBoxSmoothScrolling]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\ListviewAlphaSelect]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
"DefaultByAlphaTest"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\ListviewShadow]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
"DefaultByAlphaTest"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\ListviewWatermark]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
"DefaultByAlphaTest"=dword:00000000
"DefaultByFontTest"=dword:00000000
"MinimumMEM"=dword:00000000
"MinimumCPU"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\MenuAnimation]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
"DefaultByAlphaTest"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\SelectionFade]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
"DefaultByAlphaTest"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\TaskbarAnimations]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
"DefaultByAlphaTest"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\Themes]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\TooltipAnimation]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000
"DefaultByAlphaTest"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects\WebView]
"DefaultValue"=dword:00000000

After applied this, when a new profile is created the defaults above will be setted.

Regards.

Edmundo Valle Neto

[Astalavista]

nlite does this automatically in tweaks.

[edmundo]

This is a project to get Win XP unattended installation from network: http://unattended.sourceforge.net

I use this to install Win XP from a Samba server.

But the way that it's executed is a little restrictive, I boot with a custom MS-DOS floppy loaded trough PXE, the installation gets started by command line and sees only filenames with 8.3 characters.

Anyway, I don't know were nlite put these changes or how it does, I use nlite for example to slipstream servicepacks of my installations, but had some problems installing tweaked versions made by nlite, so, my registry tweaks I made by hand and make them get executed by cmdlines.txt.

Regards.

Edmundo.

[Astalavista]

u should try the latest version

i also suggest the new registry maker my michael.

u can find it in the stickys.

good luck mate

[godan]

the new nlite tweak still didnt work for me, is it something with using the "net user" method posted on http://unattended.msfn.org/intermediate/users.htm to create my user account? this is one of the last few kinks i need to work out of my unattended xp cd.

[Sammy20]

So all I do is put 'regsvr32.exe /s /n /i:U shell32.dll' in my batch file, and all visual effects will be disabled? Or do I have to add those registry entries as well?

I too cannot use nlites tweak section - they never apply for me.

[edmundo]

No.

'regsvr32.exe /s /n /i:U shell32.dll' is already executed after the creation of every new profile. It´s already in the registry, it makes part of Windows.

Only the registry entries must be added. That entries will define the default configuration of the effects that will be setted by regsvr32.

Edmundo.

[Clint]

I don't know if you find this any helpful:

I use this tweak @ T-12 to loose those annoying effects.

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop]
"FontSmoothing"="0"
"FontSmoothingType"=dword:00000000
"SmoothScroll"=dword:00000000
"UserPreferencesMask"=hex(03):b0,32,01,80

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics]
"MinAnimate"="0"

works perfect, and sets it to default...so it will be applied to new users as well.

EDIT: hehe, well....what can I say...

Edited June 29, 2005 by Clint

[Abusor]

Big thanks to you, Edmundo!

This worked perfectly and helped me a lot.

[justin984]

[Removed]

Edited June 17, 2011 by justin984

[Abusor]

I may have to change my mind about this thing working. I tried it on another computer and it only worked partially. Some effects were still checked while others were unchecked.

However...

I think I have figured it out on my own.

I exported the settings under

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects]

on a newly installed Win XP machine and then checked the radiobutton for "Adjust for best performance" and then did another export.

The only difference between the two I could find was this:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects]

"VisualFXSetting"=dword:00000002

I changed HKCU to HKLM and...voilá...it works. Atleast on the three different computers I've tried on so far.

It would be nice if someone else could confirm this.

/Abusor

[Martin Zugec]

Well, why to make things complicated like this?

You can simple disable service Themes - it will remove additional layer instead of partially disabling effects.

I am using this on all my computers