Disable Windows 7 Aero Performance Warnings - Guide

Addressing Persistent Performance Notifications in Windows 7

It’s common for older computer systems to experience performance limitations. However, the repetitive notifications from Windows 7 suggesting color scheme adjustments can become disruptive.

This guide details the process of disabling these recurring prompts, allowing for a more streamlined user experience.

Understanding the Issue

Windows 7 periodically suggests altering the color scheme to potentially enhance system performance. While intended to be helpful, these notifications can be intrusive and unnecessary, particularly if the user is aware of their system’s capabilities.

The source of this question originates from SuperUser, a valuable resource within the Stack Exchange network of community-based question and answer websites.

How to Disable the Notifications

The process involves modifying a specific registry key within Windows 7. Proceed with caution when editing the registry, as incorrect changes can lead to system instability.

Here's a step-by-step guide:

• Open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Start Menu search box and pressing Enter.
• Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM
• In the right pane, locate the entry named ColorizationColor.
• Double-click ColorizationColor and change its value data from a hexadecimal value to 0.
• Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

By setting the ColorizationColor value to 0, you effectively disable the visual effects that trigger the performance-related notifications.

Important Considerations

Modifying the registry should be done with care. It is recommended to create a system restore point before making any changes, allowing you to revert to a previous state if necessary.

Disabling these notifications does not inherently improve system performance. It simply removes the persistent reminders to adjust settings that may or may not yield noticeable benefits.

Addressing Persistent Performance-Related Color Scheme Prompts in Windows 7

A SuperUser user, William Stewart, has reported a recurring issue with Windows 7 repeatedly prompting him about changing the color scheme to enhance performance.

Despite consistently selecting the option to retain the current color scheme and suppress future notifications, the dialog box continues to reappear, sometimes even within short intervals.

The Problem Explained

The prompt, as illustrated in the user’s screenshot, suggests that Windows has identified potential performance limitations and attributes them to the resource demands of the Windows Aero color scheme.

The system proposes switching to Windows 7 Basic as a potential solution, noting that any changes will be temporary, lasting only until the next user login.

Available Options Presented to the User

The dialog box offers three distinct choices:

• Change the color scheme to Windows 7 Basic: This option would switch to a less visually demanding color scheme.
• Keep the current color scheme, but ask me again if my computer continues to perform slowly: This option acknowledges the current preference but reserves the right to re-prompt if performance issues persist.
• Keep the current color scheme, and don't show this message again: This is the option the user repeatedly selects, yet it is consistently ignored by the system.

Possible Causes and User Context

William suspects that the prompts are triggered by his configuration of forced VSync and Triple Buffering for DirectX applications.

He is running Windows 7 x64 Professional, and the system’s failure to honor his selection to disable the notification is causing significant disruption, particularly when interrupting fullscreen applications.

It is evident that a different approach is required, as Windows is not respecting the user’s expressed preference.

Addressing Windows Aero Performance Warnings

A SuperUser user, known as A Dwarf, presents a straightforward solution to a problem reported by William. The issue centers around system resource limitations and the resulting Aero performance warnings.

If you understand that the system is indicating low resources and suggesting disabling Aero to maintain optimal performance, the following steps can be taken:

1. Open the Start Menu and enter “Action Center” in the search field.
2. Launch the Action Center – it should appear as the top result under “Control Panel”.
3. In the left sidebar, select “Change Action Center settings”.
4. Uncheck the box labeled “Windows Troubleshooting” within the “Maintenance Messages” section.
5. Confirm your changes by clicking the “Ok” button.

The following image illustrates the settings screen:

Alternatively, you can maintain the current settings and switch to Basic desktop mode before initiating applications that trigger the Action Center notification. Or, right-click the application icons, select “Properties,” and under the “Compatibility” tab, check “Disable desktop composition.”

This action disables the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager service during application execution, potentially increasing system and video memory availability and resolving application incompatibilities. This is particularly relevant if sufficient system and video memory are present, yet the message persists with specific games or full-screen applications.

Further Insights into Desktop Composition

Oliver Salzburg, another contributor, expands on the “Disable Desktop Composition” solution mentioned by A Dwarf. He shares his observations and testing results.

I frequently encounter similar situations, though not always with the exact same message, and have conducted some testing to understand the underlying cause.

The primary resource under stress appears to be GPU memory. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re completely out of memory. It may indicate that the Desktop Window Manager has detected a level so low that disabling a specific feature could free up additional memory.

To investigate, I began launching applications that heavily utilize GPU memory:

This represents above-average usage on my triple-screen setup with multiple applications running, including Visual Studio 2012, PhpStorm, Aptana Studio, Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. If you have a 1 GB graphics card and routinely use this configuration, you may already be experiencing memory limitations.

Further increasing the load with additional Visual Studio instances…

…brought the usage close to 1.5 GB, at which point…

…Windows completely disabled desktop compositing to free up resources.

Running Black Mesa at 2560x1440 with maximum details further demonstrated this behavior:

This reveals that while exceeding 75% desktop resource usage can trigger desktop composition disabling, the same limit within a fullscreen application doesn't necessarily have the same effect.

Both desktop and fullscreen applications require memory simultaneously. Windows may only report the memory situation after the game is closed.

Starting another Visual Studio instance after exiting Black Mesa…

Therefore, several approaches can be considered:

Potential Solutions

• Increase GPU Memory: A straightforward upgrade to your graphics card.
• Disable Desktop Composition (Per Process): Disable desktop composition for a specific executable, reducing memory consumption during its execution.

Disable Desktop Composition (Globally): While generally undesirable, desktop composition can be disabled entirely.

Simply removing the warning message doesn’t address the underlying issue. Ignoring resource warnings is akin to ignoring a low battery indicator on a phone – the device will eventually shut down. If the system reports low resources, it’s crucial to acknowledge and address the problem.

In some cases, Windows may misdiagnose the situation. Restarting the Desktop Window Manager service using the command net stop uxsms & net start uxsms can sometimes resolve the issue and restore composited desktop functionality, freeing up resources in the process.

Further discussion and alternative solutions can be found in the original Stack Exchange thread.