I had to enable Aero-Glass this week when recording a demo and as I found the various procedures on the internet to complex I created my own. This is what I had to do to enable Aero-Glass for RDP in Windows 2008 R2:
- Open the “Server Manager”
- Click on “Add roles”
- Enable “Remote Desktop Session Host”
- Enable “Desktop Composition” in “Client Experience”
- Reboot the server as required
- RDP back in to the server
- Right click the desktop and click “Personalize”
- Select the “Windows 7 Aero theme”
That is it, yes I know just a couple of steps but as it is something I don’t do daily I figured I would document it. All credits for this info goes to MSDN.
Here is the long form for those who want it….
1) Install latest Video Drivers for your machine. If your manufacturer doesn’t provide a Windows 2008 x64 ones, use Windows 7 x64 drivers. Aero doesn’t work with Standard Video driver provided by Microsoft.
2) Install Desktop Experience feature: Control Panel -> Programs -> Turn Windows features on or off -> Features -> Add Features -> Desktop Experience and reboot machine
3) Enable Themes service: set Themes service to Automatic startup and start service.
4) Adjust Windows for best appearance: Control Panel -> System and Security -> System -> Advanced system settings -> Performance -> Settings -> Visual Effects -> Adjust for best appearance
5) Set Aero theme: Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization -> Change Theme -> choose Windows 7 Aero Theme.