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Windows XP and the Display - Desktop

Optimize by Toggling Displaying Window Contents While Dragging

SUMMARY: Either disable showing window contents while dragging for speed or enable this eye candy.

When you drag application, folder, and other windows inside Windows XP, an outline of the current window may appear as you drag the mouse pointer. Release the mouse pointer and the outline disappears, replaced by the window contents.

Likewise, the window contents may remain visible while dragging, making it easier for you to position windows onscreen. However, this may require more CPU and video card power, thus disabling it may be required or useful when optimizing your Windows XP installation. Also, if you are running Windows XP via a remote connection or inside a virtual machine, you may wish to disable this feature for speed (note that you can also do this via the Remote Desktop Connection Options):

To toggle this behavior:

1 Right-click an empty area of your Desktop and choose "Properties".

2. When the "Display Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the "Appearance" tab.


3. Click the "Effects" button.

4. When the "Effects" dialog box appears, check or uncheck "Show window contents while dragging" as desired.

5. Click "OK" to close the dialog boxes.

Return to the Windows XP and the Display - Desktop page.

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The MalekTips website was created in 1998 by Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. The page's goal is to freely disperse computer-related tips, hints, and informative articles. Tips are organized to be easy to find, and are presented clearly, in easy-to-understand language. MalekTips also provides information and links to public-domain, open source, freeware, shareware, and commercial software available for download. < more >