Windows/Visual Styles/Windows Basic

Windows Basic (sometimes referred to as Aero Basic) is the low-end visual style included by default in the Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. Unlike Windows Aero, it does not use the Desktop Window Manager to display window content, making it appropriate for older hardware.

In the beta versions of Windows Vista, it was distinguished by its metal look, which was changed in subsequent versions of the operating system.

If Windows Vista RTM fails genuine validation, it will fall back to this theme, disabling Windows Aero. Service Pack 1 removes this limitation.

Because the Desktop Window Manager runs at all times in Windows 8, the Windows Basic theme was replaced with the Aero Lite visual style. There are some cases when the Windows Basic theme appears because of an issue in DWM.