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| Aero on Windows 7 RTM. | |
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| Caption buttons | |
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| Taskbar | |
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| Notification area | |
| First seen | Longhorn 6.0.4039 |
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| Last seen | Windows 8 (8400) |
Aero is the translucent, glass-like visual style present in Windows Vista and Windows 7. It originated in Longhorn, first seen in Longhorn 4039.
In Windows Vista and Windows 7, minimum hardware requirements for Aero are a DirectX 9 GPU which supports the Windows Display Driver Model; Pixel Shader 2.0; 32 bits per pixel; and a minimum 128 MB of video memory. If capable hardware is not present, the operating system will fall back to the Windows Basic theme.
In Windows 8, starting with Milestone 2, Aero is capable of being rendered by the software, allowing one to use the visual style without the appropriate hardware, though this may results in degradation of system performance.
A variation of the original theme, called Aero Lite was first seen in Windows 8 Build 7955, being made translucent in Build 7989. The original theme was revamped in Windows 8 Build 8102, and was later flattened in the Release Preview, with a similar appearance to the Watercolor theme in Whistler.
Post-RP builds of Windows 8 have replaced the Aero theme with a flat, opaque theme that matches the new Modern environment.
Screenshots
Aero borders on Plex in Longhorn 4039
Aero in Windows Vista
Aero in Windows 7 RTM
Aero in Windows 8 Consumer Preview
Aero in Windows 8 Release Preview
