As I reported in this blog, layered Window performance was one of the top customer complaints that got fixed in WPF in .Net 3.5 / 3.0 SP1.

A QFE/Hotifx that improved Vista Layered Windows performance (up to 4x, depending on the machine characteristics, such as the video bus speed, the video bus type, etc) was available since July, 2007. However, since users had to call Microsoft PSS to obtain the hotfix, it was difficult for end-users to install.

Starting 1/22/2008, this hotfix is now available for direct end-user download from Microsoft Download Center.

As a developer you are welcome to point below download links from your WPF app or web site.

Download links to the hotfix:

• Windows Vista x86
• Windows Vista x64

Notes:

• The fix is still planned to be included in the upcoming Vista SP1.
• Developers who would like to re-distribute/install this hotfix with their app install still need to call Microsoft PSS to get re-distribution rights.
• You need admin privileges to install the hotfix.

made some small bug fixes to my WPF Calculator sample app (that is/was already included in the .Net 3.0 SDK) and I also added the startup Splash Screen from my earlier blog .

For my personal use, I find this app to be much more useful than the Calculator accessory that is shipped with Windows.  I use it almost on a daily basis.

I really like the "paper trail" feature as it allows me to see the operations that I entered and check for errors. I also like the fact that I can see what is the value stored in the 'Memory'.

You can download sources from here or from attachment below.

You can install the app from here.

Since SkyDrive and msdn do not support ClickOnce apps the installer is currently using MSI.

Enjoy.