Windows 7: Unusual Taskbar color problem

Hi..

just registered and thought i'd share this problem since i can't find anything in related threads that seem to have helped me.



I'm fairly new to Windows 7 and thought i'd be brave and venture into customization of my new OS without knowing the slighest thing about it.. so i downloaded a trail version of Stardock Windowblinds 7, got myself an application called "Windows 7 Start Button Changer v 2.6" and started "doing stuff" with it.. trying out some of the themes that came with Windowblinds.. i suddenly noticed that i couldn't change my taskbar color or appearence. the only thing that changed it was windows classic theme.. so i started reading the threads. my rating and drivers should allow me to get the windows color change options in Personalizations.. but i just get "window color and appearance"

i got a 5,5 rating in windows experience index, latest drivers for my outdated geforce 7800GT card, tried forcing a solution by going back between aero-themes and non-aero ones.. and i'm just completely out of options.. i'm currently wondering if any software or changes to drivers and files has somehow made it impossible for me to fix this in ways besides reinstalling or trying to repair my OS.

any advice?,

When applying customisations, especially to the system files you first need to "patch" three files: themeservice.dll, themeui.dll and uxtheme.dll. If you're getting a taskbar that has a Classic look about it, it's a sure sign these files haven't been patched.

There are many simple theme file patchers about but my personal favourite is Deepxw's Universal Theme Patcher.
Just run it, it will tell you if files need patching, if they do, when finished, re-boot and you're good to go.

i've done that patching quite recently.. i read many posts here on the forums and did the customization guide which included that step. patched 3 files and rebooted.. still had the same issue.. i try different aero-themes.. taskbar stays the same

update: i just got a new GFX card..

ASUS EAH5670 (Radeon HD 5670 1gig DDR5)

feels good, but doesn't help my taskbar situation at all of course.. latest drivers installed, etc