XP Theme Changing

How to alter default themes?

[Hester]

Is there a way to change ONE colour in the default XP blue theme? It's the awful green used for the loading progress bars. If I could make it blue or something else that would be great as it affects all programs that use the XP theme.

[bulldog]

Hester,

Try this, Start, control panel, display
Click on the Appearance tab, now click advanced
Click on the part of the window you want to change, modify the color, using the drop down box (color 1 is the 1st part of the bar, color 2 is the reminder of the bar)
Click ok, then apply, then ok. does that help?

[Hester]

That forces Windows back into the "98" theme. It means horrible square windows and flat colours. (Some people do prefer this to the native XP theme.)

[vkaryl]

Hester, if you open Display Properties/Appearance tab, just below the Windows and buttons box (where you would see Windows XP style selected), the next selection box is Color scheme, which on my machine gives me not only the default blue selection but also an olive green style and a silver style, either of which is better than the default (IMO of course - and I can't stand the XP style at all I should note; it's obtrusive, clunky, and ugly).

You can change SOME of the colors in XP's default scheme without changing to the Windows Classic style, but the progress bar isn't one of them. This is btw in XP Pro, don't know about Home, and you didn't specify which you have....

[Hester]

Home forces you into Classic mode if you try to tweak any colours. All you can do is select from the 3 built-in ones. Total crap or what?

Note: at home I have installed StyleXP to get round this. That allows me to skin XP any way I want. But I want to do the same at work.

Anyone know of a *reliable* and not resource-hogging free XP skin program?

[vkaryl]

Well, Hester, that IS a crock! Jeez. I don't know of any proggies, no.... is this one of those places google chokes for some reason?