I’m personally not a huge fan of the standard login screen (view screenshot), and Windows is locked down to a point where you can’t manually change the login screen background. However there are tools and programs which patch the system files for you and let you use whichever wallpaper you want from your own image collection.

1. Go here to the Stardock LogonStudio download page on Download.com.
   This is a free download and you can use it for as long as you like. VistaBase recommends this download for this article’s purposes.
2. After downloading, install the product (really easy).
3. Once it’s installed, go to Start, All Programs, Stardock, LogonStudio, then click on LogonStudio Vista.
4. You’ll see the main screen (view screenshot), click on the left hand side Create.
5. A new dialog will appear - enter a name for your new logon screen (this can be anything you want).
6. Click Browse, and search your computer for a background or wallpaper that you’d like to have as your logon screen wallpaper.
7. Click Save.
8. On the main screen, select your new logon screen then click Save.
9. Save the logon screen anywhere you like.
10. Press Apply on the main screen. This should load your new wallpaper, and also lock your computer to demonstrate.
11. Once you’ve logged back in, simply close LogonStudio by clicking the red cross in the top right hand corner.

Here you can see what a changed logon screen looks like - unfortunately I couldn’t screenshot the logon screen as it won’t let you, but I took a photo from my camera phone anyway (view screenshot).

If you’ve found that your using Vista and over a long period of time (more than 4 hours), the desktop might not seem to update properly. For example, you may notice that parts of the screen go black, parts of the screen become completely transparent, toolbars might not appear and the taskbar might have shifted from the bottom of the screen to another part of the screen.

Well the Microsoft Knowledge Base seems to have some workarounds which might help. Basically, there are two things you can do (some may notice that the knowledge base article has another method, but I wouldn’t recommend it as it sometimes doesn’t work).

Method 1
Download the hotfix which should repair your desktop and stop this happening again.

Update for Windows Vista for x86-based Systems (KB932406)
Install this update to resolve an issue where the Windows desktop may not refresh correctly.

Update for Windows Vista for x64-based Systems (KB932406)
Install this update to resolve an issue where the Windows desktop may not refresh correctly.

Method 2
Don’t download the hotfix, and just logoff and log back onto your computer - but you may find that this issue continues over long periods of time.

In some cases, Windows Aero cannot run properly because it doesn’t have enough memory to run (maybe you have loads of memory intensive applications running?) or perhaps an application is running which is incompatible with Windows Aero. Those who watch videos online and use DivX may experience this. Surely once you close DivX, Windows Aero in all it’s transparent goodness should reappear… but it doesn’t. Here’s the quick fix:

1. Click on  Start then Run (or press the Windows key + R), type in services.msc then press OK.
2. Under the Name column in the right hand pane, scroll down until you find “Desktop Window Manager Session Manager“. This service basically controls Windows Aero, your theme, and all the other windows open on screen.
3. Right click this service, then select Restart.

   The screen may flicker for a few seconds, but this is perfectly normal. If the screen remains off, wait a minute and ensure that the hard drive isn’t spinning (if there’s no clicking from the unit, you’re OK) then restart the computer by simply pulling the plug.

4. Windows Aero should now be working. Simply close the window by clicking the red cross in the top right hand corner.

There is a brilliant, innovative new program out there, completely free of charge, which animates the preview picture in the Start menu. Whether you hover over Search, the Control Panel, or nothing and you’re looking at your display picture, you can see it turn 3D and sway inwards and outwards.

It uses a small file to hook itself onto explorer.exe (which is what makes files and folders and actual windows pop up to browse through), so no actual program sits in the system tray.

All you need is Windows Aero to work, and you should be well on your way.
Download from Ave’s Vista Stuff.

This problem is stemmed from a “mapfile1: access is denied” message each time he started Internet Explorer or Windows Mail. Mapfi le1 is linked to software for ATI graphics cards, and the error is found on PCs that have been upgraded to Windows Vista from an earlier version of Windows.

The best solution is to locate new drivers and software from your graphics card manufacturer. Make sure it’s compatible with Windows Vista. If none is available, download the latest drivers from ATI instead, uninstall your existing graphics card software from the Add or Remove Programs control panel and then install this in its place.

Thanks to Windows Vista Magazine.

Install this update to resolve an issue where the Windows desktop may not refresh correctly. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

This update is provided to you and licensed under the Windows Vista license Terms.

Update for Windows Vista (KB932406)
Update for Windows Vista for x64-based Systems (KB932406)

Thanks Bink.

Does the fact of Aero zooming in and out all the time annoy you? Everytime you minimise or maximise a window, it zooms and when you open or close a window, it zooms some more!

1. Go to Start, and in the search box type SystemsPropertiesPerformace then hit OK.
2. If UAC kicks in, select Allow or enter in your administrators password.
3. Untick the box that says “Animate windows when minimising or maximising”.
4. Click Apply then OK.

Text and icons on screen can be made to appear larger or smaller than usual. In doing this, you need to alter the dots-per-inch (DPI) scale; increasing the DPI scale makes the fonts and icons appear bigger and much easier to see on screen for those hard of sight.

1. Go to Start , Control Panel, then Personalisation.
2. In the left hand pane, select Adjust font size (DPI).
3. Adjust as appropriate to make the text smaller or larger.
4. Close all the windows down then restart Windows.

The changes will come into affect as soon as you reboot.

One of the nice eye candy effects in Windows Vista is the ability to have a “fading” effect on buttons, scrollbars, and other visual elements. If you are on a low-end system or just can’t stand the effects then you can easily turn them off in a few easy steps:

1. Click on Start, right click on Computer, and then click Properties.
2. In the task pane on the left hand side click on “Advanced system settings”.
3. If User Account Control prompts you for consent click on Continue.
4. Under Performance, click on the Settings button.
5. Uncheck “Animate controls and elements inside windows” and then press OK.
6. Close the Advanced System Settings dialog.

Source: Canucky.net

ClearType is a technology used in Windows XP and Vista which smooths screen fonts to make them appear better on flat-screen monitors. In Vista, it is enabled by default unlike XP which it wasn’t, and you can easily turn it on and off.

1. Push Start , then Control Panel, then Personalisation.
2. Click the Windows Color and Appearance link
3. Click the link for “Open classic appearance properties”.
4. Press the Effects button, then tick the box to enable ClearType, or untick the box to disable it. Make sure you select ClearType from the drop down menu option.
5. Click OK, OK then close the Personalisation window.

Here are some images you can use for each of the 5 Windows Vista editions - Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise and Ultimate. Just click on a thumbnail to enlarge then save on your computer.

Please do not link to these images directly - save them onto your own web server if you want to use them on your website.

Large icons, medium icons and classic icons - that’s not really enough for me and I’m picky about my icon size. There is a way to make the icons on your desktop exactly the right size that you want.

1. Right click the taskbar and select “Show the Desktop”.
2. Click once on a blank bit of desktop to bring the focus to the desktop and nothing else.
3. Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard, and scroll up on your mousewheel to make the icons bigger, or scroll down on your mousewheel to make the icons smaller.
4. Once you’ve got the right setting - let go of the Ctrl key and rearrange your icons how you like them.

Simple as that

You can alter how thick the borders are in each application or window you open up, and it’s really easy to do. Honestly, the default value of 4 looks good as it is, but if you’re a die-hard Windows XP fan then you can easily change it to look thinner or thicker if you so choose.

1. Right click your desktop and click Personalise.
2. Click on Windows Colour and Appearance, then “Open classic appearance properties for more colour options”.
3. Click Advanced at the classic Appearances properties dialog.
4. Under Item, select “Border Padding” then decrease or increase the value as you please.
   The default value is 4.
5. Click OK, then Apply and OK, then close the Personalisation window.

Because Windows Vista is still a beta product, not all the wallpapers, sounds and other graphics are not quite in place yet. Say for example the sounds and the wallpapers - we have some very simple basic wallpapers of which will satisfy the beta tester for the time being, until a public beta is available then a lot more wallpapers will be released. In the latest build, 5342, there are some wallpapers there which literally say “placeholder” and the file name of that wallpaper as the image - these are only here because they will be replaced at a later date when the more important bits of the operating system are finished.

At the moment, we see the same with sounds. Because the sounds of Vista haven’t been woven into the operating system, we still here Windows XP sounds. However, this is very much expected to change by the time that Vista becomes a public beta preview in April/May 2006.

Updated for Windows Vista 5365 and above
These placeholders have been filled! That’s right - the pictures have been filled and all the wallpapers have been added to the system. Beta 2 is now graphically complete, however we may see some more wallpapers being added in the near future.

This service will determine if your computer is capable of running Windows Vista. To do this, a small ActiveX control will be installed on your browser. No personal information will be collected. The installation needs to be completed only once.

The ActiveX control here is fully legitimate and is copyright to FutureMark Inc. which is a worldwide standard for games advice for Windows. VistaBase accepts no liability for problems to your computer that this may cause, and has no affiliation with FutureMark in any way.

When presented with the install, the information bar should appear. Simply click on it select “Allow” or “Run”. When the page refreshes, click “Install” to allow the ActiveX control to run. You may need to push the button again for it to bring up the “Install” dialog, but after that the system checker to analyse your current computer.

The tool will begin the analysis and will return the results so you can see what will work, what won’t and direct you to the Windows Marketplace so you can buy optional components.

 Start the System Checker

Instead of pressing Windows key + Tab to display Flip3D (of which once you let go of the Windows key, it zooms back in), simply press Ctrl + Windows key + Tab and scroll through as and when you feel like it. Simply press Esc to exit.

When you use Remote Desktop to access a machine running Windows Vista, it won’t show Windows Aero as the theme, rather Windows Aero Basic. This isn’t a bug, rather something to save processing time, memory and a major bandwidth issue.

However, if you are using a Windows Vista machine which has Windows Aero working, and you remote into a machine which is Windows Vista with Windows Aero working - you’ll get to see Windows Aero in your remote window rather than Windows Aero Basic.

In some builds of Vista, whilst WDDM and DWM are enabled with all your fancy Windows Aero effects, the mouse whilst scrolling can sometimes be jagged and jump around the place and performance seems to be low. Don’t bother checking the batteries in your wireless mouse, it’s not that (or could be…) - try this first to see if it helps.

1. Push Start , then Run (or press Windows key + R) to get you to the Run command.
2. Type regedit and then press OK. If UAC prompts you to allow the action, hit Continue/Allow.
3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.
4. In the right hand side, look for the REG_SZ value WheelScrollLines.
5. Double click on the REG_SZ value and modify its value from “3” (default option for 3 lines).
6. Click on OK, then close the Registry Editor.
7. Log off Windows and then log back in.

On the left is the old Aero Basic, the ugly and dull interface which was thrown in with Vista until July of which the new Aero Basic (still the same name) was rolled out. With it comes new buttons, slightly wider and with the same overlay as the Windows Aero overlay, but they don’t light up and shade out as Windows Aero does. It basically still acts as the same as a theme in Windows XP does, but just jazzed up a bit. So far, there’s no way to change the border thickness of the window, so what you see really is what you get and unless we see it in a later build, that’s how it’s going to stay.

It’s a tricky one this is, because it seems that nobody knows whether it’s either the graphics card, the graphics card drivers, or the actual Vista installation, maybe a combination of all three. It’s definitely one or more of those, but more likely to do with the graphics card drivers.

There isn’t a fix to this as yet, as it relies down to your graphics card provider. This does only affect computers when Windows Aero is enabled, but there’s no way of telling whether you’ll have problems or not until you kickstart Vista, and take a screenshot using the Snippet Tool in Vista whilst Aero is enabled.

Lo and behold though, I had this problem and I understand how annoying it can be. I’ve got a Nvidia GeForce 6200 on my affected machine, but it seems to be OK in certain builds of Vista. Rest assured, the Vista beta teams know about this and are working closely with the manufacturers in trying to get this problem resolved for the small number of affected users by the time it’s released.

 
The affected computer on the left with the dodgy screenshot, and a normal screenshot on the right.

This may well be handy if you’re running Vista without a Windows key on your keyboard, such as an IBM ThinkPad. Without a Windows key, you can’t use the key combination to run Flip3D, so this might save you guys!

1. Right click anywhere, and select New then Shortcut.
2. Type in %windir%\System32\rundll32.exe DwmApi #105 then select Next.
3. Rename the shortcut to Flip3D or something that will remind you of what the shortcut does.
4. Click OK or Finish, and then click and drag the shortcut into your Quick Launch tray in the taskbar.

Some people have reported some problems with Windows Aero not being enabled the first time you install Vista. This can usually be solved by checking to see whether you have the necessary WDDM drivers installed first. 

To check whether your WDDM drivers are installed:

1. Click Start , then Run (or press Windows key + R) and type in compmgmt.msc.
2. Click the Device Manager in the left hand pane, then expand the Display adapters in the right hand pane.
3. Your card will be displayed there, and if it says LDDM or WDDM then it means that Windows Aero is capable of being enabled. Woohoo!

 To start Windows Aero manually:

1. Right click the Desktop and select Personalise from the menu.
2. Click on Theme (Note: if Windows Aero is already enabled, it’ll display fine tuning for Aero instead.)
3. In the Colour scheme box with all your themes in, select Windows Vista Aero then select Apply.
4. You should be greeted with a “Please Wait” dialog, but then click OK afterwards and Windows Aero should be working.

Flip3D is great to use - fun and much easier to use than the standard Alt+Tab. However on some low end graphics cards, the amount of windows displayed can sometimes cause Flip3D to perform slowly and lag sometimes. Here you can change how many windows are displayed in Flip3D and therefore giving you a much better experience.

Ensure you have Windows Aero enabled already. If you have Standard Aero running, right click the desktop, select Personalisation, then select Theme. From here, you can change from Windows Aero to Standard Aero. Click Apply, then OK.

1. Go to Start  and then Run (or press the Windows Key + R)
2. Type in regedit then press OK.
3. Navigate your way to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM.
4. In the right hand pane, right click the mouse and select New then DWORD (32-bit) and name it Max3DWindows.

Depending on your type of graphics card, your best bet is to go off the Windows System Performance Rating. If your computer has a rating of 1 to 2, then set the registry value as 3. If your rating is set to 3 then you can have your registry value to be 5. If you have a computer rating of 4 or 5, you can have anything over 10 as the registry value and it will still run smoothly.

   5.  Set the value and then press OK. Close down the Registry Editor.
   6.  Start , Control Panel, Personalisation, then Theme. You can change from Windows Aero to Standard Aero. 
   7.  Click Apply, then OK.

 There is a demonstration relating to this article. Click here to view it.

Being honest, Windows Aero can be either very easy to get, or rather difficult to get. Firstly you need a compatible video card and then you need compatible WDDM drivers which work with that graphics card, and you need enough memory to be able to run it in the first place… remember that Windows Aero isn’t just transparency within title bars of the active window… it’s more like a technology in its own right.

The very minimum of requirements which need to be had on a system are:

128MB RAM
 DirectX 9 Support with Pixel Shader 2 support
 AGP 4x or better with compatible graphics card
 WDDM/LDDM drivers for compatible graphics card
 Screen resolution of 1024×768 at 32-bit colour

For more information, it’s recommended that you follow the link to the MSDN Library at the end of this document as it describes in much more detail about Windows Aero and the different levels of system performance available.

Update for Vista 5365 and above
Vista has just started (and will continue in later builds) to have standard drivers for displaying Windows Aero. This means that most of the time, provided you have correct hardware, that you’ll get Aero as soon as you logon for the first time and Windows configures and personalises your setup.

It’s easy to switch from Windows Aero Basic to Windows Aero (provided you have a supported graphics card to display Windows Aero). Simply press Ctrl + Shift + F9 anywhere in Vista and you can switch. It may take a second or two and your monitor may go black for a moment, but afterwards you will have a different theme, depending on what you had before.

Windows Aero can sometimes take up a lot of system resources, so if you are running low on memory, turn Windows Aero off for a while and let the system recuperate. However, without Windows Aero you cannot use taskbar thumbnailing (enabling you to hover over a taskbar item and see it’s preview in a thumbnail window), you cannot use Flip3D and also Flip gets reduced to the standard Alt+Tab feature.

 There is a demonstration relating to this article. Click here to view it.

Update for Vista 5381 and above
This feature has now been removed. To change between Windows Aero and Standard Aero, right click the desktop, select Personalisation, then select Theme. From here, you can change from Windows Aero to Standard Aero. Click Apply, then OK.

You have three themes in Windows Vista - Classic, Windows Aero Basic and Windows Aero. Windows Aero Basic is the default theme if you do not have a compatible video card to display Windows Aero, and if you do have a compatible graphics card, then Windows Aero will be displayed. Classic theme is when no themes are turned on at all.

The reason why the borders are thick on Windows Aero basically because it’s exactly the same theme as Windows Aero minus the transparency and the Glass refraction effects (the lighter diagonal lines that appear in the title bar and borders when you move the window around.) They are thicker (5 pixels by default) so that the window becomes “elevated” and more obvious, and the borders also display transparency and the glass refraction.

When Windows Aero is enabled, you get a pixel-shaded shadow around the window (as seen below on the right) which also gives it a more 3-dimensional, elevated effect.

 There is a demonstration relating to this article. Click here to view it.

At the moment, the February CTP build of Vista has been confirmed as showing the overall user interface as customers will see in the final edition. This means that when you logon and begin using Windows and the new features, this general view will how it will be when Vista is being sold in the shops.

However, Jenny Lam, a designer in the Windows Vista team at Microsoft, has said in an interview with Robert Scoble that it was final, but just needed a polish off. But testers and developers have noticed significant changes between the January and February builds, especially with the addition and return of the Sidebar and the main login window, so we can certainly expect a few things tweaked yet.

Updated for Vista 5472 and above
Yaaay it’s here! There is a new theme but there’s no name change - it’s simply called Windows Aero Basic, and indeed it is but so unbelievably better than that ugly Scrap Metal theme!

Once you have Windows Aero running and working, you can alter whether the title bar and the border edges of the window actually blur the background behind it or not. You can edit this in Registry Editor really easily.

1. Open up Registry Editor (Start , Run and type in regedit then hit OK)
2. Scroll down, and find HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\DWM.
3. Right click in the right hand side pane, and create a DWORD called Blur. Set the value of this to 1.
4. To add the blur effect, set the value to 1 and to reverse it and get the total transparency, set it to 0. You may have to restart the system for these to start working.

Updated for Vista 5308 and above
This may have been removed for the final version of Windows. This tweak is only generally used for demonstration purposes, however it may well be editable in future builds still. There can be no harm from trying!

Have you ever seen those presentations that those people at Microsoft show when they are slowing down windows maximising and minimising? Well, the way they got it to do that is with a small registry edit.

1. Click on Start . Run and type regedit then hit OK.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM
3. In the right hand pane, right click on an empty space and from the context menu that appears choose “New > DWORD (32-bit) Value”.
4. Give the new DWORD (32-bit) value a name of AnimationsShiftKey (be careful in spelling this!)
5. Double click on the new DWORD value and give it a value of 1. 
6. Close the Registry Editor and log off of Windows and log back in for this to take effect.

Updated for Vista RTM
This entry has been seriously modified and isn’t how it was. This now allows you to see real slowed down animations in Windows Vista. Brill!

 There is a demonstration relating to this article. Click here to view it.

The Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF, formerly codename Avalon) is the new graphics engine which is in Vista. It comes at present as part of WinFX as an add-on to Windows XP and will be part of Windows Vista when it ships. The WPF enables 3D graphics, transparency and some really cool effects of which are unbelievable to watch.

To turn the WPF engine on, go to Start , Run and type in services.msc and hit OK. Scroll down to User Experience Session Management Services, double click on it and set it to Automatic in the Startup type, and also make sure if it hasn’t already started, start the service by clicking on the Start button in the dialog box.

However, some hardware still doesn’t support the new WPF engine, and if Vista detects a wrong hardware type, it will just up-front not let you see the new graphics. There is a way round it…

1. Open up Registry Editor (Start , Run and type in regedit then hit OK)
2. Scroll down, and find HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft.
3. Right click on the Microsoft folder, and click on New Key and rename it DWM.
4. Click on the new DWM key and right click in the right hand side pane, and create a DWORD called EnableMachineCheck.
5. Double click on the new DWORD and set the value to 0 so it doesn’t check the hardware.

You may have to restart your computer, and this isn’t guaranteed to work still. If you do not have the relevant WDDM/LDDM drivers, then it will run really sluggishly and will be hardly be worth it.

Updated for Vista 5308 and above
This may have been removed for the final version of Windows. This tweak is only generally used for demonstration purposes, however it may well be editable in future builds still. There can be no harm from trying!

ATI have created drivers for Windows Vista, to enable certain graphics cards to run Windows Aero effects. As far as I know, they are ready in creating graphics cards which will be “Windows Vista ready”, so when Vista is finally released, the cards will all be ready to run Windows Aero. However, as we are still in the “middle stages” of Windows Vista, ATI have produced some drivers which are compatible with only a few cards. At present, the list stands at:

• FireGL X1, X2, X3, Z1, T2, V3100, V3200, V5000, V7100 
• FireMV 2200 
• Mobility FireGL V3100, V3200, V5000
• Mobility Radeon 9550, 9600, 9700, 9800, X300, X600, X700, X800
• Radeon 9500, 9550, 9600, 9650, 9700, 9800, X300, X600, X700, X800, X850
• Radeon Xpress 200, 200M
• and most other high end ATI cards.

Here are the links for Beta 2 drivers - it is highly advised that these drivers are used for Windows Vista (any edition) for the correct processor architecture, and for build 5384 which is Beta 2.

• GeForce/Quadro driver Windows Vista x86 (Beta 2 only)
• GeForce/Quadro driver Windows Vista x64 (Beta 2 only)
• NVIDIA nForce driver Windows Vista x86 (previous builds)
• NVIDIA nForce driver Windows Vista x64 (previous builds)

Update for Vista 5365 and above
Vista has just started (and will continue in later builds) to have standard drivers for displaying Windows Aero. This means that most of the time, provided you have correct hardware, that you’ll get Aero as soon as you logon for the first time and Windows configures and personalises your setup.

Nvidia has of the 5th January 2007, released the following WHQL (means “Designed for Windows”) certified drivers for use with the final copy of Windows Vista that will enable you to test the basic features and capabilities of the new operating system.

Features of this release include:

• These drivers are only compatible with Windows Vista RTM build 6000 and higher, and should not be used with other versions of Windows Vista.
• Includes the new NVIDIA Control Panel. Please visit the NVIDIA Control Panel website for more information.
• Includes OpenGL driver for compatibility testing.
• Improved application compatibility and performance.

Hardware support includes these cards:

• GeForce FX 5100, 5200, 5200SE, 5200 Ultra, 5500, 5600, 5600 Ultra, 5600SE
• GeForce FX 5600XT, 5700, 5700VE, 5700 Ultra, 5700LE, 5800 
• GeForce FX 5800 Ultra, 5900, 5900 Ultra, 5900XT, 5900ZT, 5950 Ultra
• GeForce PCX 5300, 5750, 5900
• GeForce 6600 GT, GeForce 6600 LE, GeForce 6600, GeForce 6800
• GeForce 6800 LE, GeForce 6800 Ultra, GeForce 7800 GTX, GeForce 6800 GT
• Quadro FX 540, 1000, 1100, 1300, 1400, 3000, 3000G, 3400, 4000 SDI, 4400
• Quadro NVS 280 PCI, GeForce 7900 GS, GeForce 7600 GS, GeForce 7300 GT
• Quadro FX 4500 X2, Quadro FX 5500, Quadro FX 3500, Quadro FX 1500, and Quadro FX 560.

Here are the links for Beta 2 drivers - it is highly advised that these drivers are used for Windows Vista (any edition) for the correct processor architecture, and for build 5384 which is Beta 2.

• x86 Forceware 97.46 for Windows Vista (RTM) - Download now
• x64 Forceware 97.46 for Windows Vista (RTM) - Download now

Update for Windows Vista RTM
New users to Windows Vista and holders of the finished product should use these downloads. The same software will be available from OEM’s once the operating system is released.

After trawling through the Internet, I found this screensaver that had been adapted to display “Windows Vista” instead of the default one “Windows XP”. So give your Vista machine that extra feel to it and download this free screensaver instead. External links are not guaranteed to work, so if the first mirror fails, use my server.

Download mirror 1: Paul Gunnels Website

Updated for Vista 5308
Microsoft have released the new build, 5308 which has many more screensavers than just the plain Windows logo. Now they have, 3D Text, Aurora, Blank, Bubbles, Mystify, Photos, Ribbons and Windows Logo.

Something I found which is quite cool, you can use the WinSAT Testing tool get an instant “screensaver” - simply by going to Run and typing winsat aurora. Press Esc to exit. You’ll first see this when you install Windows Vista for the first time.