User:Lucas Brooks/RealAero
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| Developer(s) | Lucas Brooks |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Longhorn |
| Latest release version | 0.2 (pre-release) |
| Latest release date | 2021-11-10 |
RealAero is a reconstruction of Microsoft's private DWM theme for M7 builds of pre-reset Longhorn. Currently only the x86 retail compile of the WinHEC build (4074) of Longhorn is officially supported, although the theme file may work on other Longhorn builds. RealAero is based on TrueAeroPlus by the same author and some resources are from TrueAero and/or TWIWMTB.
Features[edit | edit source]
Basic Features[edit | edit source]
RealAero aims to be as close to Microsoft's private Aero theme as possible, so the following exclusive features of the private Aero theme are also in RealAero:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Automatic DWM | Turns DWM on automatically after logging in, no startup batch files needed |
| Ctrl + Shift + F9 DWM hotkey | Provides an easy way of turning DWM on/off, available in internal builds by default |
| Full Aero window frames | No truncated window frames seen in all other reconstructions of the Aero theme |
| Preview Pane Aurora | Contains working Preview Pane Aurora |
| DemoCheck protection | Prevents unauthorized uses of this theme, used by Microsoft to protect the private Aero theme |
Advanced Features[edit | edit source]
The full RealAero package contains a patched Microsoft.Windows.WCPClient.dll that gives more Aero features and a setup script that installs the package like how Microsoft installed their Aero package for their demo builds. Below are some advanced features of the RealAero package:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Aero Clock Sidebar tile | Gives the blueish looking Aero Clock tile |
| Aero Shell Folder icons | Switches to Aero Shell Folder icons |
| Aero/Jade gradients | Uses Aero/Jade gradients in the Preview Pane |
| Working Desktop Aurora | Contains a working Desktop Aurora BAML, allows applications to render Desktop Aurora |
If you would like to install the full package, please make sure you do so on a clean install of the unmodified Longhorn build.
Source Code[edit | edit source]
Source code of the RealAero theme is also included. While all modifications were done by resource replacement and hex editing, a decompiled version of the theme is provided for reference. It cannot be recompiled using the leaked version of Microsoft's Theme Packer because Longhorn uses a completely different theme format. Maybe in the future Longhorn Theme Dumper (another project by the RealAero author) will support recompilation of Longhorn themes.
Installation[edit | edit source]
You must modify the Registry to allow the Aero theme to be applied. Open Registry Editor, browse to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ThemeManager, create a DWORD called DemoCheckOverride and set its value to 64222 (or 0xFADE in hexadecimal).