The transparency of my screen turned off; How do I turn it back on?

Windows Vista reverted to Aero Basic

If you've lost all of the 3D effects, and your screen now looks like this:

Windows Vista Aero Basic 

Please read the Troubleshooting section for turning on Aero Glass.

Windows Vista lost window transparency

I've noticed that with some graphics cards, if you run at a high resolution or are using multiple monitors, the transparency of the screen sometimes turns itself off, resulting in this:

Windows Vista Aero Standard 

I'm not sure what causes this. My best guess is a bug in the graphics driver. In any case, here are some things you can do to try and get transparency back:

  • Download and install the latest driver for your video card
  • Restart your computer
  • Reduce your screen resolution until transparency comes back, then turn your resolution back up
  • If using multiple monitors, disable your secondary monitor, and then re-enable it
  • Try adjusting the personalization option for transparency:

  1. Click Start
  2. Click Control Panel
  3. Click Appearance and Personalization
  4. Click Personalization
  5. Click Visual Appearance
  6. Click the checkbox next to "Enable transparent glass" a few times, then make sure it is checked
  7. Click OK