customizing Aero colors

decibelle · 21 Jan 2014

I would like to improve upon Aero colors themes by changing the light blue areas like the menubar, and the gray
areas that you have in some dialog boxes and other
windows, to coordinate with the main color. Changing the
main color without being able to change the other colors is
not particularly appealing, as shown in my attachments
here. I've looked through shellstyle.dll, shellstyle.dll.mui,
and aero.msstyles with ResHacker, and I can't find a way to
change those particular elements. Can anyone tell me if
there is a way?

Thanks,
Ellen

Bongo · 21 Jan 2014

That left part of the Control Panel is a bitmap (.bmp) image #632 and 633 in the shell32.dll in C:\Windows\System32 and if you are using a 64-bit system it will be in both C:\Windows\System32 and C:\Windows\SysWOW64

Menubar is image #972 and the gray background is image #820 in the aero.msstyles.
I would recommend that you create a new theme from scratch so you do not corrupt the original look at Post #38 Here it will show you how.

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

Jerry

decibelle · 22 Jan 2014

Jerry,

Thanks for the information. It raises a few more questions.

If you modify any of the files in aero.msstyles and shell32.dll, does it automatically make your system think those files are corrupted? Or is your recommendation to create a new theme simply best practice?

Also, is it simply impossible to modify information somewhere that will change all light blue elements to a different color (like what is possible in Windows Classic)? Does each one have to be done separately? It seems like a ton of work.

Thanks,
Ellen

Bongo · 22 Jan 2014

If you modify any of the files in aero.msstyles and shell32.dll, does it automatically make your system think those files are corrupted?

If you need to run sfc /scannow it will replace the shell32.dll and maybe aero.msstyles.
A other way to do this(for the left side of control panel) is to install and use Theme Resource Changer How to use theme resource changer put the shell32.dll folder inside the zip folder below in the new theme folder and edit the images inside that folder.

shell32.dll.zip

Or is your recommendation to create a new theme simply best practice?

Yes you do not want to corrupt the default one.

Also, is it simply impossible to modify information somewhere that will change all light blue elements to a different color (like what is possible in Windows Classic)? Does each one have to be done separately? It seems like a ton of work.

It has to be done separately aero uses images, Classic does it differently.

Jerry

decibelle · 24 Jan 2014

I can't find a way to download the

decibelle · 24 Jan 2014

I've looked all over and can't find a link to download the theme resource changer (for 64-bit). Any ideas? Does one still exist?

Bongo · 24 Jan 2014

I think you need to join to get it, but here it is for you in a zip folder at the bottom of this post.

Jerry

decibelle · 24 Jan 2014

Thanks. I actually did join, but I still couldn't find the link.

decibelle · 06 Feb 2014

>It has to be done separately aero uses images, Classic does it differently.

Jerry<

Jerry,

I'm guessing that the answer to this question will be no, but is there any way to hack Windows classic a little bit to add a texture or something like that?

Bongo · 06 Feb 2014

decibelle said:

I'm guessing that the answer to this question will be no, but is there any way to hack Windows classic a little bit to add a texture or something like that?

A little, open the test.theme file in the zip folder below with notepad and edit under Control Panel(the number are colors) and put it in C:\Windows\Resources\Ease of Access Themes and test.

Jerry