Windows 7: Remove shaded box around desktop icons, etc?

Been looking all over for a way to disable the obnoxious shaded boxes and rectangles that appear whenever I hover my mouse over desktop icons as well as file selections in Explorer. I know what file I'm about to click, it doesn't need to be highlighted for me. The option of de-selecting 'Show translucent selection rectangle' in System Properties > Advanced > Settings > Performance does not work unfortunately.



I don't recall this feature in XP and it's been annoying me ever since upgrading to 7.

Has anybody found a workaround for this? Hack? Patch? Registry setting?

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Disable ToolTips Windows 7 - Microsoft Answers

Also How to Enable/Disable folders size ToolTips in Windows-7 Explorer?

I don't know of a way to turn it off but the images in the aero.msstyles can but edited making them transparent.
If you are using the default aero theme I can change that for you, using Windows Style Builder and post it here in a zip folder.
If you are using a custom theme you will need to ask the theme maker. It's not cool to change someone else work.
&
This will be a custom theme and you will need to do 1 of these 2 ways of Enabling custom themes for it to work.
Enabling Custom Themes - Windows 7
Or
Theme - How to Apply Custom Themes

Let me know.
Jerry

Thank you for replying Flatiron. Unfortunately the solution you provided only applies to 'pop up description'. These are somewhat as well, but I can live with them. The thing I am referring to is the box you see around desktop icons when you hover your mouse cursor over it. This is the thing I am trying to get rid of.

@Jerry - Thanks, I will look into that. At the moment I am not using any third party theme just a bunch of tweaks. So far I've been able to 'hack' most of the little annoyances so far but this one remains.

I think I see what your talking about now.




I played around some with those settings and couldn't get it to disappear. Maybe you can.
I didn't try Windows Classic theme either, because I don't like it.

yup that's the box I'm talking about. I find it irritating.. The Windows Classic theme will get rid of it but that theme is almost too classic for my taste, if it was XP theme though i'd be all about it! Please let me know if you come across a solution for this though.

That's what my post above will do if you do not find any other way.
Jerry

Jerry,

I want to remove the blue box on hover. really annoying. I have windows 7 style builder. Can you tell me where I can find the setting to remove it? there are so many options to chose from.

Thanks!

That would be at
Explorer & Shell > Explorer > ListView > ListItem > Hot
You will need to edit the image.

Jerry

well, after tons of time and frustration I finally got it to work. I didn't realize I need to edit within Style builder which brings up an external editor.

now I noticed that once the icon is actually clicked on the desktop then the blue box is still there.
any setting to change that?

also another question, under the Start menu and then "Programs" we have all our folders with applications installed. Is there any way to change the yellow folder icons for all the folders all at once instead of going through each one?

Thanks!