Hi,

I'm having a persistent issue with transparency and blur effects not working properly in WindowBlinds 11.07 on Windows 11 version 25H2 (build 26200.7628). Please note that I bought both WindowBlinds and Start11 last year (May 2025). I was on Windows 11 version 24H2 (I think?) and it already didn't work at that time.
Specifically, when using Aero-inspired themes like "Aero 11" by SimplexDesigns or "Aero7X Reset" by NewInfinitePro, the window frames/titlebars show no transparency or glass/blur effect at all — they appear as solid colors (usually black or the accent color) instead of the expected Aero Glass look.

Here's how it behaves :

• Transparency is completely absent in almost all cases.
• Very rarely (right after a fresh boot), the transparency appears correctly for a few seconds/minutes.
• As soon as I interact with the theme (change settings, re-apply, switch skins, or even just move a window sometimes), the transparency disappears immediately and never comes back until next reboot.
• This happens only on old-style Aero/Vista/7 themes; modern skins sometimes work better.
• Windows native "Transparency effects" are enabled in Settings > Personalization > Colors.
• No battery mode (I'm on desktop/AC power).

My setup:

• Windows 11 Pro 25H2 (OS build 26200.7628)
• WindowBlinds 11.07 (latest as of January 2026)
• Start11 installed and active (purchased together with WindowBlinds in May 2025)
• Other Stardock tools: none else active that I know of
• Previously used for a unsuccessful Windows XP transformation (but fully uninstalled): ExplorerPatcher and Open-Shell (before buying Stardock suite)

What I've already tried (extensively, no success):

1. Clean boot (msconfig) to rule out third-party conflicts.
2. Fully uninstalled and reinstalled WindowBlinds (fresh download from Stardock account).
3. Updated graphics drivers (latest from NVIDIA/AMD/Intel).
4. Restarted DWM via PowerShell: Restart-Service uxsms
5. Reset Windows Explorer multiple times.
6. Thoroughly cleaned remnants of ExplorerPatcher (uninstall exe renamed to ep_uninstall.exe, Revo Uninstaller, manual delete of folders/registry keys like HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ExplorerPatcher).
7. Same for Open-Shell (uninstall, Revo, deleted registry keys under Open-Shell).
8. Reset DWM-related registry keys:
   • Deleted entire HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM
   • Deleted CaptionFont in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
   • Restarted Explorer/PC after each change → fixed the bold titlebar font issue (Segoe UI is now normal weight), but transparency still broken.
9. In SkinStudio: loaded the themes, manually increased transparency sliders (30-60%), enabled blur/glass where available, saved as new skin, re-applied → no change.
10. Disabled "Let Start11 enhance the taskbar" (and all taskbar-related options in Start11) → no improvement.
11. Temporarily fully disabled Start11 → still no transparency in WindowBlinds.
12. Tested with Windows default theme → native transparency works fine, so DWM itself is functional.

It seems like something is preventing WindowBlinds from properly applying the Aero Glass/blur to the frames on this build. I bought the suite in May 2025 on an earlier Windows version (probably 24H2 or before), and the issue never left despite WindowBlinds and Start11 updates...

Has anyone else experienced this exact intermittent/no-transparency behavior with Aero 11 or similar skins? Is there a known incompatibility or a beta/hotfix for WindowBlinds on recent builds? Any other registry tweak, setting, or workaround I missed?

I'm sure something went wrong when I used ExplorerPatcher or Open-Shell (or any other tweaking software), as right before aborting the process and going for Stardock apps, my windows titlebars text where all bold, and I COULD NOT find a way to revert this change on my computer (despite having removed any known modification from both of theses apps).

Thanks a lot for any help or advice — really appreciate it!

(If useful, I can attach screenshots of the solid titlebars, SkinStudio settings, registry if necessary, etc.)

Best regards,