> Leonard Grey;7911549 Wrote:
>> Did you disable the Themes service? This (misguided) advice is
>> sometimes
>> offered as a way to improve a computer's performance. Or have you used
>> a
>> registry cleaner?
>>
>
> Themes was a dirty word in Windows 98 days due to the performance
> overhead and lack of stability that one experienced when enabling it.
> The difference with today's computers are that they have much more
> powerful processors and much more RAM.
>
> Have you ever used a stop watch to compare the time that a computer
> boots with Themes disabled versus without?  Give it a go and you'll
> realize why this "feature" is disabled by default in Windows 2003!
>
> I have done extensive testing of the Themes Service in a Terminal
> Services environment using HP LoadRunner and have demonstrated
> conclusively that:
> * Back-end systems performance is degraded (50% less users).
> * The session experience is degraded (more bandwidth = more $$$$ and
> even then it's still pretty slow).
> * Colors and sizes of menu bars do not:)  consistently appear.  The
> size may vary as can the color (i.e. inconsistent user experience).
>
> Makes me wonder about just how important this all is?  After all, we
> had decades of Windows development without the Themes service!
>
> Alas, in Vista if you disable it then you lose your Aero interface and
> everything ends up looking really awful!
>
>