If it helps, here's a reg file that does the job.
It enables Visual Style and Smoothing
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
"ShellState"=hex:24,00,00,00,38,28,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
01,00,00,00,12,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,32,00,00,00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"ListviewAlphaSelect"=dword:00000000
"ListviewShadow"=dword:00000000
"TaskbarAnimations"=dword:00000000
"IconsOnly"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VisualEffects]
"VisualFXSetting"=dword:00000003
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM]
"EnableAeroPeek"=dword:00000000
"CompositionPolicy"=dword:00000001
"AlwaysHibernateThumbnails"=dword:00000000
"Composition"=dword:00000001
"ColorizationOpaqueBlend"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"DragFullWindows"="0"
"FontSmoothing"="2"
"FontSmoothingGamma"=dword:00000000
"FontSmoothingOrientation"=dword:00000001
"FontSmoothingType"=dword:00000002
"UserPreferencesMask"=hex:98,12,03,80,10,00,00,00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics]
"MinAnimate"="0"
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ThemeManager]
"ThemeActive"="1"
"LMVersion"="105"
"DllName"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,\
74,00,25,00,5c,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,6f,00,75,00,72,00,63,00,65,00,73,00,5c,\
00,74,00,68,00,65,00,6d,00,65,00,73,00,5c,00,41,00,65,00,72,00,6f,00,5c,00,\
41,00,65,00,72,00,6f,00,2e,00,6d,00,73,00,73,00,74,00,79,00,6c,00,65,00,73,\
00,00,00
"ColorName"="NormalColor"
"SizeName"="NormalSize"