Windows 7 Transparency

Hornberger

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Mar 17, 2014
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4,510
After some windows updates, my windows 7 transparency is disabled and I don't get the color adjustment window in the tutorial - just the old 2000 and XP two-color windows selector,,, I can get it to work but only with a single monitor (actually just on the Laptop monitor) - when a second monitor is hooked-up and desktop is extended, transparency goes away. Everything worked fine before a bunch of windows updates... Tried everything! Help, this is making me crazy!!!

 

biohazrdfear

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Mar 1, 2013
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10,860
Update your graphics driver. Do you know if you have a graphics card installed on your computer, or do you know if you're using onboard graphics? If you can find this out, download and install those drivers and you should get your transparency back.
 

Hornberger

Reputable
Mar 17, 2014
5
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4,510


 
I think you graphics card (or cpu graphics) isn't powerful enough to support transparency on windows when you have 2 monitors hooked up.

You might still be able to force it back though.

Go to Start > Right click Computer > choose Properties > in bottom left corner choose Performance Information and Tools > In the upper left choose Adjust Visual Effects > instead of "Let Windows choose..." select "Best appearance" option.
 

Hornberger

Reputable
Mar 17, 2014
5
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4,510


 

Hornberger

Reputable
Mar 17, 2014
5
0
4,510
Thanks James and Biohazrdfear for your posts. Had already updated graphics card and CPU drivers to no avail... and I have a high-end machine that I run GIS and Remote Sensing software on so no worries there. After many things tried (that one can read about on various threads about Aero mysteriously stopping) it turns out, as I had orginally suspected, there is an offending Windows update that disables Aero: KB2670838, which is a prerequiste for IE 10. Uninstall that update and presto, all is good! Also, as potential causes (but not in my instance) are applications that have "mirror" drivers (i.e., LogMeIn, etc.).