When you upgraded from Windows XP to Windows Vista+, did you ever think what made this graphical evolution and how it's been controlled? If your unsure, then click on your Task Manager and look for dwm.exe. Yes, DWM (Desktop Windows Manager) process is running all the graphical effects including clear windows, taskbar thumbnails, 3D effects and the well known Aero Glass. The architecture of the desktop window manager has grown from earlier versions of Windows. Before sending the graphics to your graphics card, graphics are passed through an additional media integration layer. Media integration layer functionality is performed on graphics card in the newer{stronger| powerful} graphics cards.

Again, it's a choice of yours to use dwm.exe process or not. Though, in these times when much higher processing hardware is available, it is not advised to disable the desktop window manager. Why disable if it's only taking 30-40 MB RAM out of 4 GB RAM installed on my laptop? Alternatively, I would rather enjoy the 3D effects and the Aero Glass Interface provided by dwm.exe. The size occupied by dwm.exe in RAM is directly proportional to the number of windows currently opened.

If myassurance is still not enough for you, then I will inform you how you can. If you go to the Task manager and stop the process, it will start again. So, you have to complete the following method which will permanently disable dwm.exe from running at the start-up. Again, I am not recommending you to lose the graphics for the sake of 30-40 MB which will not be of any use to you (in most cases).

1. Go to "Start" menu and click "Run"

2. Type services.msc here and click "OK"

3. In the list of services opened, select "Desktop Window Manager Session Manager"

4. Press the "Stop Service" button at the top

5. Restart your PC

The desktop window manager process is continuously running in the background. It will start again{itself| on its own} even if you end this process from the task manager. Seeing this behavior of the desktop window manager, hackers have started to hide harmful processes in victim's PC with the same name i.e. dwm.exe. As told you earlier, the normal process starts again when it's forcefully.