Windows Basic

This article is about the Windows Basic theme used on Windows Vista and 7. For the Windows Basic theme included in Windows 8 and later operating systems, see Aero Lite.

Windows Basic is the main theme on Windows Vista and Windows 7 Starter edition (where Windows Aero does not exist). It may also be used when the Aero theme is not working or to provide compatibility with older programs.

The Basic theme is also utilized when the Desktop Window Manager is not present, as is the case for Windows Server Core and the Windows Preinstallation Environment from Windows 8/Windows Server 2012 onwards. The theme is also utilized in MDI child windows, and is also offered as a theme option in Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 as part of the optional Desktop Experience feature.