Using the DisableDWM Fix
Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Vista
This section includes information about using the DisableDWM compatibility fix, including the issue details and the recommended fix for a permanent solution.
DisableDWM
DisableDWM fixes applications that have issues with the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) composition feature, found in the Windows Vista operating system.
Investigating the Issue
The issues that can be resolved by applying the DisableDWM fix generally manifest as appearance-related issues, relating specifically to desktop composition. Typically, these appearance issues will be resolved if the desktop composition feature is disabled in the Windows Vista operating system.
Fixing Your Code
Applications should be modified to be compatible with DWM and should not assume that they are rendering directly to the screen or that they can easily render to non-client portions of the screen.
Instead, applications that take full control of the desktop, such as games, should first determine if desktop composition is enabled, by using the DwmIsCompositionEnabled API call, and then if it is, disable the feature by using the DwmEnableComposition API with an argument of DWM_EC_DISABLECOMPOSITION.