Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency

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    Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency

    Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency

    How to Enable "Full Clear Glass Transparency" in Windows 7
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    Designer Media Ltd


    How to Enable "Full Clear Glass Transparency" in Windows 7

       Information
    By default when you enabled transparency in Windows 7, the transparency will be blurred a bit in the window borders. This will show you how to have the window borders fully clear and transparent like glass instead for your current account only, or for all user accounts on the computer.

    The Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic editions do not have Aero Transparency included in them.

       Note
    This will not make the taskbar clear, on window borders. One side effect though is that when you have a window border with text on top of another window with text, the text will tend to overlap each other since the window is clear instead of with a opaque (blurred) background.
       Warning
    You will only be able to apply this while logged in an administrator account.

    You will not have the Transparency option if you have a Basic and High Contrast Theme instead of a Aero Theme.

    Aero Requirements to be Enabled in Windows 7:
    NOTE: If Aero is not enabled, then Transparency will not work even when enabled.
    • 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
    • 1 GB of system memory
    • Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (in order to enable Aero theme)
    • You must be have True Color (32 bit) set instead of High Color (16 bit).
    • The desktop composition and Animate controls and elements inside windows options need to be enabled in Visual Effects.
    • The Desktop Window Manager Session Manager and Themes Services need to be set as Started and Automatic.
    • Refresh or update your WEI score. You will need an WEI score minimum of 2.0 in both Graphics & Gaming graphics in order for Aero to be activated.


    EXAMPLE: Full Clear Transparency and Default Blurred Transparency
    NOTE: Notice how the Computer window borders are completely transparent when this is enabled.
    Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-enabled.jpg

    Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-default.jpg



    STEP ONE

    Replace System Files to Make this Work


    NOTE: Credit goes to LFB for this addition. Thank you LFB.
    1. Click on the Download button below to download the DWM_32-bit_7127.zip or DWM_64-bit_7127.zip file for your 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) Windows 7 version.
    For 32-bit Windows 7:

    Download



    For 64-bit Windows 7:

    Download

    2. Click on Save, and save the .zip file to the desktop.

    3. Open the .zip file and extract (drag and drop) the dwm.exe and uDWM.dll files to the desktop.

    4. Right click on each the dwm.exe and uDWM.dll files (one at a time) on the desktop and click on Properties, General tab, the Unblock button, and on OK. (See screenshots below)
    NOTE: If you do not have a Unblock button under the General tab, then the shortcut is already unblocked and you can continue on to step 5.
    Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-unblock1.jpgTransparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-unblock2.jpg
    5. Stop the Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager Service. (See screenshot below)
    Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-services.jpg
    6. In Windows Explorer, navigate to and make a backup copy of the original C:\Windows\System32\dwm.exe and C:\Windows\System32\uDWM.dll files at these locations. (See screenshots below)
    NOTE: You will need these backups if you ever would like to restore them.
    Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-dwm.exe.jpg

    Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-udwm.dll.jpg
    7. In Windows Explorer, take ownership and give yourself full permission of the C:\Windows\System32\dwm.exe and C:\Windows\System32\uDWM.dll files at these locations. (See screenshots above)

    8. Copy and Paste the dwm.exe and uDWM.dll files on the desktop into the C:\Windows\System32 folder.

    9. Select Copy and Replace and approve the replacement of these default files with the downloaded ones.
    NOTE: If you ever run a sfc /scannow command, it will consider these as modified files, and will replace them with the default ones. You'll have to do this tutorial again to have the full clear transparency back.

    10. Start the Desktop Windows Manager Session Manager Service. (See screenshot below step 5)

    11. Do either OPTION ONE or OPTION TWO below.



    OPTION ONE

    For Current User Account Only

    1. To Enable Current User Full Transparency
    A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
    Enable_Current_User_Full_Transparency.reg
    B) Go to step 4.
    2. To Undo Current User Full Transparency
    A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
    Undo_Current_User_Full_Transparency.reg
    3. Save the .reg file to the desktop.

    4. Right click on the downloaded .reg file, and click on Merge.

    5. Click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted.

    6. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply.

    7. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.



    OPTION TWO

    For All User Accounts

    1. To Enable All Users Full Transparency
    A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
    Enable_All_Users_Full_Transparency.reg
    B) Go to step 4.
    2. To Undo All Users Full Transparency
    A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
    Undo_All_Users_Full_Transparency.reg
    3. Save the .reg file to the desktop.

    4. Right click on the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.

    5. Click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted.

    6. Enable Transparency and adjust the color intensity to the far left in all user accounts on the computer.
    NOTE: The current user account will have transparency enabled and color intensity adjusted automatically with this download, but any other user accounts on the computer will need to enable transparency to prevent a blending affect in the window borders.

    7. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply.

    8. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
    That's it,
    Shawn








  1. Posts : 145
    Windows 7
       #1

    Personally, I feel that the blurred glass transparency is more warm and appealing. It just feels more nice even though I don't know why. When a Window is open, seeing my Desktop Icon with Full Clear Glass Transparency feels irky. Thanks for the share anyways. Hopefully I will feel like changing to it after Blurred Clear Glass feels boring.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 71,978
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Hello Pestbest,

    Yeah, it's just another one of those fun options to keep things interesting.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 182
    Windows 7 7600 X64
       #3

    It's just me... Or this must be fixed?
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-confused.png  
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 6,305
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #4

    I like the full transparency, top notch Shawn, just a shame there's no registry edit to make explorer fully transparent. E.G. The white background where the icons reside
    Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-capture.png
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 71,978
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #5

    dannykard said:
    It's just me... Or this must be fixed?
    Hello Daniel,

    I'm not sure what you are referring to in the image. If you mean how long the address bar is, then you can adjust how long you want it to be instead.

    Windows Explorer Address and Search Bar - Change Size
    Last edited by Brink; 23 Jun 2009 at 11:45.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 182
    Windows 7 7600 X64
       #6

    Brink said:
    Hello Dannykard,

    I'm not sure what you are referring to in the image. If you mean how long the address bar is, then you can adjust how long you want it to be instead.

    Windows Explorer Address and Search Bar - Change Size
    Hello Brink, first of all I would like to congratulate you by this tutorial, it's just amazing .
    And second of all I have some (for example) words problems, to explain, please open your browser go to Google, now please open another page (not tab it must be a page) and go to Bing. Maximize the web pages and now look at the title.
    Don't you see any problem like mine? (On the picture).
    Or please open your Computer and Music and put it on the same position, one under the other.
    Do you see any problem or it's just me?

    Thanks,
    Daniel Cardoso
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-1.png   Transparency - Enable Full Clear Glass Transparency-2.png  
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 18,404
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #7

    Hi Daniel,


    That's the price you'll pay for having this option enabled. It can get somewhat confusing with having the text bleed through from one window to another. That's mostly why the transparency is opaque by default, so the text doesn't bleed thru like that. If you have this option enabled, you will have to get used to the text overlay, there's no way to fix that except to not have this option enabled. :)
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 182
    Windows 7 7600 X64
       #8

    OK Thanks a lot
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 71,978
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Daniel,

    Yeah, as Aaron posted, since it is clear, text will tend to overlap like that and appear jumbled if on top of each other.
      My Computer


 
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