Windows 7 visual effects explanation

Question

I am trying to remove visual effects that are not necessary, so I am trying to understand what each effects does so I can decide if I should keep or remove it.

I haven't been able to find a reference on the internet and there is nothing in the help file to explain what each individual check box does.

Can someone explain the options and what they do?

I need an explanation of the following options:

• animations in the taskbar and start menu
• save taskbar thumbnail previews
• Animate controls and elements inside windows

Solution

What does "Animate controls and elements inside windows" do?

Turn this off to nix the slow-fade effect on buttons and tabs in dialog boxes, the cyclic pulsating effect on the default button, and the fading scrollbar arrows. Buttons will still glow blue as you roll over them with the mouse, but they’ll do it sans the delay.

What does "Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing" do?

This controls the squeezing and stretching that happens to windows when you minimize, restore, and maximize them. Leave it on to see where a window went when you minimize it, or turn it off to make windows pop into position when you minimize, maximize, and restore. This option also affects the disappearing/reappearing taskbar if you have both the Auto-hide the taskbar setting in Taskbar and Start Menu Properties and the Show window contents while dragging option (described later) enabled.

What are "Animations in the taskbar and Start Menu"?

This controls the animated jump lists (see Chapter 2), fading task thumbnail previews, and the sliding taskbar buttons. Turn it off to speed up the taskbar. This setting was named Slide taskbar buttons in earlier versions of Windows.

Source Windows 7 Annoyances: Tips, Secrets, and Solutions

Comments

[LPChip]

Which ones do you know what they do?

[HVNSweeting]

well i mainly dont understand what these options do "animations in the taskbar and start menu" "save taskbar thumbnail previews" "Animate controls and elements inside windows"

[DavidPostill]

Try disabling then and see if you still like what happens to your start menu, task bar etc.

[HVNSweeting]

@DavidPostill i did that exactly with the rest options (and found out what they do) , but these 3 don't seems to do anything.

[HVNSweeting]

Wow there is a book that is just discussing the annoyances of win 7 ? :)