Change BLUE selection color in file explorer

[New Vista User]

How do I change the blue item selection color in file explorer? (Other
places do that too, but I guess they are probably related control code.)

I've looked everywhere I can think of for a way to change it. I even
searched on the web and all I could find were other people also wanting to
change it.

I can go into the advanced color properties and change lots of other colors
for things, but not that.


I just got a vista laptop. Never mind my opinion of Vista itself, but the
blue color in the file explorer selection is absolutely unusable.

If you selected several items then it's bold enough to see. But just one
item is too faint. And if it's only 'partially selected' (whatever the
Windows term is...) then it's even lighter. Nearly invisible.

I just can't see it. If I hold the laptop right, I can make it out, but
it's not easy. I even tried hooking up an external monitor and that doesn't
make it any more usable.

It's hard to believe Microsoft would deliberately choose such an invisible
color as ultra-light-blue. Blue is the least developed color in the eyes.
More people in the world have trouble with blue than any other color.

Between this an all the other issues, I'm really tempted to stick XP onto
the sucker. At least that works and is comfortable.

 

[On the Bridge]

short version of the answer to your question: YOU CANNOT
unless you use the CLASSIC theme thats boring, or get windowblinds from
stardock for around 20 dollars and chose another theme.


--
50 Ways to leave your Vista....

CHORUS:

You just format the drive , Clive
Get a New Mac , Jack
Y'don't need that crap toy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Boot from a *nix, Jix
You don't need to discuss much
Install XP, Lee
And get yourself free

 

[On the Bridge]

the colors of vista are very bad....

horrible.. many many people complain about them

you are NOT alone

Black taskbars that are shiny, light blue selections that cant be viewed and
fonts that look horrible
on CRT monitors...

had a programmer proposed this horrible design back when Microsoft was
making windows 2000, he would been fired and ridiculed by his ex-coworkers
for years!



--
50 Ways to leave your Vista....

CHORUS:

You just format the drive , Clive
Get a New Mac , Jack
Y'don't need that crap toy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Boot from a *nix, Jix
You don't need to discuss much
Install XP, Lee
And get yourself free

 

[New Vista User]

short version of the answer to your question: YOU CANNOT
unless you use the CLASSIC theme thats boring, or get windowblinds from
stardock for around 20 dollars and chose another theme.

(Expletive!)

I don't really want to use Vista with the classic theme because, frankly,
the Aero theme and the live icons are the only two good things I've found
about Vista.

Those aren't exactly much.... Not really enough to offset all the faults &
bloat that Vista has.

If I'm going to be forced to live with it or do without, then I guess I need
to hunt around to make sure I can find drivers for XP on the laptop.

Well... I'm going to monitor the thread for a day or two, just in case
somebody pops up that does happen to know how, but from what you said, I'm
not hopeful.

--
50 Ways to leave your Vista....

CHORUS:

You just format the drive , Clive
Get a New Mac , Jack

Don't want a Mac. I'd be worse off than with Vista.

Y'don't need that crap toy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Boot from a *nix, Jix

Tried Linux. It aint ready for prime time.

You don't need to discuss much
Install XP, Lee
And get yourself free

Probably what I'm going to have to do. Hey, at least I can recover 10+ gig
of wasted space. Laptops don't have huge drives like desktops do, so every
gig helps.

 

[On the Bridge]

long answer

the themes are based on msstyles.. that color you are seeing is actually a
bitmap embedded inside the msstyle file and within vista you cannot change
it.. you cannot change it because that would mean that you would need to
extract the bitmap change its color and rebuild the msstyle.

HOWEVER there is a way to change it theoretically

but I did not mention this because all these solutions DO NOT WORK with SP1
that is just around the corner

but just so you will have an eye open for a new version here is the info

vistaglazz is a program that patches the theme files of vista so that it can
load any theme designed by anyone for vista, you can even change them
msstyle as you like and use the altered one instead of the one MS gives.

But the current vistaglazz is not compatible with sp1 and causes things to
mess up! so DONT TRY IT unless a new vistaglazz version comp. with sp1 comes
out

you can find hudreds of vista ready themes also at deviantart.com but you
can use them ONLY after there is a new patch for Vista SP1...

If you want to do all this fine...




--
50 Ways to leave your Vista....

CHORUS:

You just format the drive , Clive
Get a New Mac , Jack
Y'don't need that crap toy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Boot from a *nix, Jix
You don't need to discuss much
Install XP, Lee
And get yourself free

 

[New Vista User]

long answer

the themes are based on msstyles.. that color you are seeing is actually a
bitmap embedded inside the msstyle file and within vista you cannot change
it.. you cannot change it because that would mean that you would need to
extract the bitmap change its color and rebuild the msstyle.

Sheesh.

Whoever designed the gui really didn't think.

Microsoft spent, what, 7 years writing Vista, and billions and billions of
dollars, and This is all we get...?

I mean, really? I feel cheated. Darn shame Linux or ReactOS aren't really
ready for daily use by everybody....

HOWEVER there is a way to change it theoretically

but I did not mention this because all these solutions DO NOT WORK with
SP1 that is just around the corner

but just so you will have an eye open for a new version here is the info

Thanks for the info about VistaGlazz.

As you point out, with sp1 right around the corner, it's definetly not a
good idea to try it on a laptop that I actually need to use.

But the current vistaglazz is not compatible with sp1 and causes things to
mess up! so DONT TRY IT unless a new vistaglazz version comp. with sp1
comes out

When a new version does come out, Microsoft will probably make some other
change just to screw it up.

"We designed Vista the way want it, and you damn well better like it! You
ungrateful little consumer!"

you can find hudreds of vista ready themes also at deviantart.com but you
can use them ONLY after there is a new patch for Vista SP1...

I've never been a big fan of modified themes.

I tried that back in Win98 days and a few were okay, but most were just too
flashy and annoying.

I'm not really eager to search through 20,000 themes just to find one with
slighly modified colors.

I'd be much happer if Microsoft had just let us change the existing colors a
bit.

(sigh)


Thanks for your replies...

 

[On the Bridge]

if you wait some time.. sp1 will be released and a new vistaglazz version is
bound to come out

that way you will have a free option

the non free option is to get the trial of windowblinds (stardock) and after
the trial pay 20 dollars

you can try the trial now and find hundreds of themes on
www.wincustomize.com



--
50 Ways to leave your Vista....

CHORUS:

You just format the drive , Clive
Get a New Mac , Jack
Y'don't need that crap toy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Boot from a *nix, Jix
You don't need to discuss much
Install XP, Lee
And get yourself free

 

[New Vista User]

if you wait some time.. sp1 will be released and a new vistaglazz version
is bound to come out

Until the next time Microsoft comes out with a patch that screws it up.

And I wouldn't put it past them to deliberately do something to interefer
with users having a choice.

 

[On the Bridge]

you are correct.... thats why I tell people to be careful with this type
tweak..

the only way to correct it is to do a system restore...

but for many reasons people sometimes cannot do a system restore...

windowblinds however is a microsoft partner... Its capitalism.. why let you
have freedom for free
when they can make money and give you a extension leash they can control?
lol

--
50 Ways to leave your Vista....

CHORUS:

You just format the drive , Clive
Get a New Mac , Jack
Y'don't need that crap toy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Boot from a *nix, Jix
You don't need to discuss much
Install XP, Lee
And get yourself free