Windows Desktop Manager Resource
Microsoft’s Windows operating system includes advanced imaging technology that controls the appearance and visual effects on the computer’s desktop. The Desktop Window Manager resource changes the way that pixels display on the user’s computer screen to offer improved high-resolution graphics.
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Function
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Microsoft introduced the Desktop Window Manager system in the Windows Vista operating system and continued with it in Windows 7. The DWM controls the operating system’s desktop composition technology, which uses the computer’s video memory to render the desktop instead of drawing the windows directly onto the screen, as was the case in versions of Windows before Vista.
Features
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The primary benefit of the Desktop Window Manager resource is that it allows a far greater range of animations and visual effects, such as glass window displays and three-dimensional transition animations. DWM also supports high-resolution display, and features such as Windows Flip. The purpose of DWM is to enhance the user’s computing experience by improving the computer’s desktop environment.
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Control
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The Desktop Window Manager is enabled as a default service on Windows Vista and Windows 7 computers. Users can disable the feature from the “Administrative Tools” section of the computer’s Control Panel, where the resource appears as a service with the “Desktop Window Manager Session Manager” label. Disabling the feature might speed up the computer, but it will result in a more basic display with the loss of transition animations and some desktop themes. Windows makes the DWM code available to third-party software developers to allow them to produce programs that use the display features.
User Configuration
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Access to the features offered by the Desktop Window Manager is available through the “Appearance and Personalization” settings section of the computer’s Control Panel. Users can select from a range of desktop themes that rely on the DWM resource to offer advanced features, such as animated transitions when opening, closing or resizing windows. The “Aero” selection of high-resolution, glass-effect themes all rely on the desktop composition technology controlled by the DWM resource.
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References
Resources
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