how to change windows display colour & appearance

[Guest]

i just installed Lord of the Rings Online and when i exited the program my
display colour & appearance in programs like IE & WMP had changed. I cant
remember what they were like before, but i know that they're different, a
horrible light blue colour & the minimise/expand/exit buttons are small &
fat. The top bar & windows bar are smaller than before too. I tried to change
them by going to the control panel>appearance box, but the only way to change
from this generic setup is to go back to old xp style. Now thats wrong
because i know the setup was different before i installed the game, so i
wonder how i can alter the colour/appearance?

i've got vista basic & the two options under appearance were vista standard
& vista basic. They were both exactly the same, the setup my display has
reverted too.

Hope someone can help because im sure they wouldnt sell vista with only 1
option of display colours....

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

I assume you are trying to enable the AERO Standard theme? Try refreshing
your Windows Experience Index:

1. Click Start
2. In the search box, type Performance Information and Tools, hit enter
3. Click the Update my score link
4. Click Continue on the User Account Control dialog

Try enabling Aero Standard, the ability to colorize the interface is
available under Windows Color and Appearance (Personalize)

 

[Rick Rogers]

Andre, I think he said he had Vista Basic, so there would be no Aero theme
as an option. I would suspect perhaps there was a change in resolution that
did not revert once the game was exited. The change may also have limited
what color themes were available. Perhaps changing the resolution under
Display Settings might help resolve this.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

Actually Rick, Windows Vista Home Basic does have a form Aero close to Aero
Glass, its called Aero Standard, but it does not include the translucent
effects of the premium SKUs such as Home Premium/Business and also lacks
Flip 3D and Flip 2D (thumbnail preview), again, this is a separate theme
from Aero Basic. You are able to even colorize the Aero Standard theme.

 

[Guest]

yeah i've got vista basic so no aero. It was when i changed the resolution in
game that the problem started. i just tried fiddling with the resolution
under display settings, but after changing & rechanging it was still the
same. I think i remember in WMP that the bottom bit was black, instead of
light blue. There is still a tab at the top with library/now playing/rip..etc

 

[Guest]

just sorted it. although the basic & standard options under the appearance
menu looked the same in the display window when i just clicked between them,
when i applied the standard it enabled me to change the colour the next time
i went into the colour options

 

[Rick Rogers]

Huh, guess it's just a matter of interpretation. I always think of Aero as
the transluscent effects, and of what you describe as simply the Vista
theme. Oh well, sounds like he's got it resolved in any case.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

Glass is the transluscent effects, Aero is the general experience of Vista.

Aero Basic - similar to XP
Aero Standard - in between Glass and Basic
Aero Glass - visual cues, focus, transluscency