Windows 7: Win Explorer Background Change

I changed my Explorer Background color, sidebars on left and right by using it. All I did was open up the .msstyles and edited the colors, saved it, used it. No problem here.

hello to all,

@ Greg S

I simply want to change my Explorer Background color. i use the 32bit version of Windows 7 ultimate and its
msstyles- file. i download the Hex Editor XVI32.
so i want to use these, and only these, program as well. can you tell at what adress(es) (first row) i have to
change from the default-color FC FC FC??? I previously search for FC FC FC and find it 12 matches.
what steps are necessary in these program to change the FC FC FC (white) into my favorite color?
and than save and thats it. (with one program --> that´s fantastic) if it´s worked.

previously thanks

PS: sorry for my english, i am from germany. Whoever finds typos may keep them.

To the best of my knowledge, it's the last 5 FC FC FC entries when searching for FC FC FC after having loaded the aero.msstyles file in XVI32. I can't give you the offset number because mine has already changed since it's been saved. I can give you my altered .msstyles file and the offset numbers for it. All I have changed in this .msstyles file is the explorer background, left and right panes of explorer background. The color I used was FC FD E3 which made it more of a creamier white. I have not changed anything else in this file other than the explorer background colors.

@Ivo

Hex Editor XVI32 can do a direct edit to msstyles but usually we don't do it that way.

Reason:If you open mssytles in Hex-editor, a whole bunch of binary data will be presented making it very hard and messy to trace
the right data to edit.( addressing will be difference......)

As for resource editor same thing many don't provide a direct edit... it is more of a resource extractor and compiler to be exact.


Basically these are the resources we need in msstyle editing:

(1). Resource Editor- Restorator 2007( personal preference ), ResHacker, PE Explorer, Resource Builder...etc
(2). Hex-Editor - XVI32( personal preference ), HxD, Hex Workshop ....etc
(3). Photo-Editor - Photoshop ( personal preference ) , Paintshop , paint.net...etc

The only free resource are Reshacker , XVI32, HxD & paint.net

The usual way we do:

Open msstyle in Restorator and extract the image we want to edit, mod it with any of your prefer photo editor
replace it...same goes to the variant file...extract it and use any Hex-Editor to edit the binary data.

This applied especially to the variant file because if you view the address of the variant file from the resource
editor as compare to the extracted variant in Hex-Editor, it will be difference.

@scoopy0815

If you want to change the explorer background color i think you need to change 2 parts to look good,
the left pane and the right pane ( the big white patch when you open your explorer )

For the left pane the specific address is 2C1E0 and right pane is E188 ( Default for both is FC FC FC )

Note: the address above is only applicable to the usual way of modding the original MS Aero msstyles....not other way....
also if the variant file is generated from Vista Style Builder ( diff address )


Hope this small info will help ppl along the way.......

Thanks to bulldog 7, Greg S, Six9siX for the quickly answers. *thumbs up*

I would try it as soon as possible. After that i give you a feedback if it´s
work for me.

best regards...

@bulldog;

Thanks for taking the time to provide clear details! I'll try this as soon as possible.

However, I am dismayed and frustrated by all this silliness! Is it actually, really true that the only way to change the default color of an Explorer window, when using an Aero theme in Windows 7, is to jump through all these hoops? This is MADNESS on the part of MS. Surely they were not so arrogant as to presume that blinding white backgrounds would be what ALL users of the OS would prefer?

Or am I missing something here? I'm not just looking for a reason to rant. All I want is to do something that was trivially simple in WinNT, Win2K, WinXP - change the friggin' background color in Explorer! Now I have to use either a hex editor, or Photoshop, or a resource editor and know all kinds of arcana about where elements live?

grrr.

Raargh

Hi Again;

OK, I'm armed and ready to edit .msstyles - but there seems to be several scattered about. Which one do I target? It's also spooky that the dates are all my birthday ...

Raargh

C:\>dir *msstyles* /s
Volume in drive C is Windows 7
Volume Serial Number is 38E3-D77A

Directory of C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Aero

07/13/2009 04:54 PM 1,187,984 aero.msstyles
1 File(s) 1,187,984 bytes

Directory of C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Aero\en-US

07/13/2009 07:24 PM 4,096 aero.msstyles.mui
1 File(s) 4,096 bytes

Directory of C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-aero.resources_31bf3856a
d364e35_6.1.7600.16385_en-us_963b743473b55a81

07/13/2009 07:24 PM 4,096 aero.msstyles.mui
1 File(s) 4,096 bytes

Directory of C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_microsoft-windows-aero_31bf3856ad364e35_6.
1.7600.16385_none_07d80332331a9cf0

07/13/2009 04:54 PM 1,187,984 aero.msstyles
1 File(s) 1,187,984 bytes

LoL yeah that the way MS had been doing all this years...trying to read user's mind...but they always failed. However it may seem how silly and mad to utilize so many resources just to get a color change.....life surely is a misery with all this hassle...


Ok back to your question.... go to C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Aero, the file we're going to edit is the aero.msstyles. Open it with Restorator, extract the variant file to a place you can find it. Open the extracted variant file with the Hex-Editor and go to the address 2C1E0 & E188 and change to your desire color. Replace the modded file and you're ready to go........


PS: Remember to take ownership to the files you're trying to mod with.....

@Six9siX

Am I right in saying I can copy the aero.msstyles in aero.rar to the \Windows\Resources\Themes\Aero and I will get the blue background.

I tried re-naming the original Aero folder to Aero_backup, create a new folder called Aero and copy the two folders en-US and Shell folders from the Aero_backup. Then I copy the aero.msstyles in aero_16_11_2009.rar but that one change the orb to a square start button.

Where have I gone wrong?

Hi thi one is for x64 version not sure if it works with 32bit.
the only thing U have to do is replace the "aero.msstyles" file nothing else.
(make a backup copy of original file just in case).
Do u take ownership of that folder?
-select basic theme
-replace modded aero
-log off and on and this should be it
-select aero theme