Start menu and task bar colour problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

The taskbar and start menu backgroung colour has changed to gray.Window
boarders are also gray. Exhausted all avenues. Can you help?
 
The taskbar and start menu backgroung colour has changed to gray.Window
boarders are also gray. Exhausted all avenues. Can you help?
Click to expand...

Using the XP theme? Check Display properties> Appearance. Blue is the
default setting. Silver (gray) and Green are the alternate selections.

If you've ended up with mixed colors within a them, you can use various
sections of Display> Appearance and Appearance> Advanced to change some
items to your color preferences. Or you can use Display> Themes and reset
to the original "Windows Classic" or "Windows XP" theme settings.

If on the other hand, you've completely lost the Windows XP theme and the
system reverted to Windows classic (which is heavily gray with colored
accents), check Display properties> Settings. Is color depth set to 16 or
32 bit? If hardware supports it, bump it up to 32bit.

Another place to check is under System Properties> Advanced> Performance>
Settings: If the check mark was moved to "best performance" the system uses
Windows Classic theme. If set for "best appearance," Windows XP theme. "Let
Windows choose" can end up with either theme - results depend on various
factors related to the hardware and drivers currently installed. The
default for this setting is "let windows choose."
 
Thank you Sharon F. Your information is spot on but I had already travelled
over those areas. I did go over all your sugestion again just to be sure. It
beats me just what it is. The colour remains gray. My solution... Reinstall
windows unless there is still something we have not already covered. Waiting
for other responses before reinstalling.
 
Thank you Sharon F. Your information is spot on but I had already travelled
over those areas. I did go over all your sugestion again just to be sure. It
beats me just what it is. The colour remains gray. My solution... Reinstall
windows unless there is still something we have not already covered. Waiting
for other responses before reinstalling.
Click to expand...

I use Windows Blinds and change themes frequently as I get tired of the
three colors the XP theme is limited to. In other words, I would regard a
change in color as "serendipity" instead of a problem but that's me, not
you. ;)

It really is a cosmetic problem. It won't interfere in functionality. May
cause some problems in usability if the grey makes some things hard to see.
So I guess bottom line, is your level of tolerance for the color change. If
it bugs you, then do whatever it takes to fix it. Personally, I would leave
it alone and save a repair install (or clean install, if absolutely
necessary) for a more serious issue. Both options require Windows updates
to be reapplied.

As far as the "why" - two possibilities that I can think of:
- a user on this machine purposefully changed these elements and then
replaced the default themes by saving over them (would explain why
resetting to a default theme is not working)
- a program installation or uninstall "touched" these settings and changed
them.
 
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