Vista Tutorial - Advanced Appearance

**Brink**

How to Change the Advanced Appearance Settings in Vista

Information

This will show you how to change the Advanced Appearance settings that affect the size, color, and text for all windows in Vista.

RELATED LINKS:

Here's How:

1. Right click on a empty area of your desktop and click on Personalize. (See screenshot below)

2. Click on Window Color and Appearace. (See screenshot below)

3. Click Open classic appearance properties for more color options. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If the color scheme Windows Aero (All Vista editions except Home Basic) or Windows Vista Standard (Only Vista Home Basic) is not running, then you will not see this screen. Instead you will see the screen below step 4 instead. To change the clor scheme, see: How to Change the Color Scheme in Vista
A) Click on a color you want to use for the windows, Start menu, and Taskbar.

B) Adjust the Color intensity by sliding the bar to the left to decrease the intensity and to the right to increase the intensity.
NOTE: If the Color intensity is set to far to the right, then the window borders and taskbar may be to dark to be transparent if enabled.

4. Click on the Advanced button. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: The Windows Aero color scheme is not available for the Vista Home Basic version. The Vista Home Basic edition will have the Windows Vista Standard color scheme instead.

5. You will now see the Advanced Appearance settings window.

6. To Change a Window Item Setting : (See screenshots above)
A) To Select a Item - Click on the Item drop down menu and select a window item you want to change.
NOTE: You can also click on the different displayed windows at the top of the Advanced Appearance window to select a Item to.

B) To Change the Item Size - Change the Size number to what you want.

C) To Change the Item Color - Click on the Color 1 and Color 2 drop down menu and select a color.
NOTE: The Color 1 and Color 2 refer to items like the title bar and how it fades from Color 1 to Color 2 across the bar. However, the color change will only work in the Windows Classic theme. See: How to Change the Color Scheme in Vista

7. To Change the Font Settings for the Selected Item - (See screenshots below step 5)
NOTE: The font settings that are grayed out are not available with the selected color scheme. See: How to Change the Color Scheme in Vista and How to Change the Default Vista Fonts
A) To Change the Item Font - Click on the Font drop down menu and select a font. (See screenshot below)

B) To Change the Item Font Size - Click on the Size drop down menu and select a number for the size. The higher the number, the larger the size.

C) To Change the Item Font Color - Click on the Color drop down menu and select a color.

D) To Have the Item Font in Bold - Click the B button to highlight it. If it is not highlighted, then the font will not be in bold.

E) To Have the Item Font in Italic - Click on the I button to highlight it. If it is not highlighted, then the font will not be in italic.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you change all the Items you wanted.

9. Click OK when done. (See screenshot below step 5)

10. Click OK to apply. (See screenshot below step 4)

11. Close the Personalization window. (See screenshot below step 3B)

That's it,
Shawn

ABitMadInTheHead · 02-09-2008

Hey Shawn,
I have been having a problem with getting my Vista color changer to appear. When I click the "change the color scheme" button, my computer always bypasses step 3 and goes straight to step 4 even though I am in Windows Vista Basic. It stopped going to the Vista color changer quite some time ago but I didn't know what to do. My screensavers also stopped being see-through.
Any suggestions? I'd appreciate any help I can get!

**Brink** · 02-09-2008

Hi Kelly,

Welcome to Vista Forums.

In the Vista Home Basic version, you will not have the Transparency or Flip 3D feature since that is part of the Windows Aero color scheme.

To see the color screen again, you will just need to change the color scheme back to Windows Vista Standard andnot the Windows Vista Basic one.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

ABitMadInTheHead · 02-09-2008

Thanks for the quick reply, but I actually have the Windows Aero scheme and I am missing the Windows Vista Standard. I guess that means I don't have the Vista Basic Home (which I wasn't really sure about).
I have just changed to Windows Aero but I still don't get the color scheme, so is there anything else you can suggest?

**Brink** · 02-09-2008

Kelly,

You can see which edition of Vista you have by right clicking on the Computer button in the Start menu, then click Properties.

Not sure why you would not be seeing it, if you are running the Windows Aero color scheme. Did you see if restarting the computer helps any?

You can see if doing a System Restore using a restore point dated before the problem started will fix it.

System Restore - How to

Or

Try a Repair install. This will allow you to repair your Vista installation and keep your user account files, settings, and programs.

Repair Install For Vista

Shawn

ABitMadInTheHead · 02-09-2008

Hey that did it!! I restarted and there it was. And I also learned another new trick, how to change the name of my computer. I bought this computer used so it always had another name and I had tried a lot of things to change it but nothing worked. So thanks for all your help

**Brink** · 02-09-2008

Your welcome Kelly,

I'm glad that that you were able to resolve your problem.

Have fun,
Shawn

tiny · 05-24-2008

Hello moderators!

I have a Vista Home Premuim-32bit.. I used to switch automatically between color schemes every time i start using Adobe Photoshop but then I'm able to revert back to Aeoro-or transparent- color scheme..but this time after using the photoshop, i couldn't revert my color scheme, i tried following this toturial but I'm not seeing the same instructions on my PC...what could be the problem? I'm updating my system all the time.

**Brink** · 05-24-2008

Hello Tiny,

Welcome to Vista Forums.

What are you seeing instead? Can you post a screenshot of it to help determine what your problem may be?

If you need to know how to make screenshots, then see:
How to use the Snipping Tool in Vista

To post them in your post, click on the paperclip icon in the post editor to upload the image and click on it again to select and add it into the post.

Shawn

SittingDuck · 09-03-2008

Hi,

I would like to know if somebody else is having the same problem as me and if you can help me with that. I'm using the Windows Vista Basic colour scheme so I have to change things through that XP style advanced settings. My problem is that it doesn't matter which colour I chose for the active title bar or window border, in the end they will remain with the default blue colour. I have tried restarting and it didn't work.

Do you know if there are any registry entries that I can force in order to get the colours I want?
Something this simple should be fairly easy to change, I just don't get it.

02-09-2008
ABitMadInTheHead Newbie Join Date: Feb 2008 not too sure... 3 posts	Re: Advanced Appearance Hey Shawn, I have been having a problem with getting my Vista color changer to appear. When I click the "change the color scheme" button, my computer always bypasses step 3 and goes straight to step 4 even though I am in Windows Vista Basic. It stopped going to the Vista color changer quite some time ago but I didn't know what to do. My screensavers also stopped being see-through. Any suggestions? I'd appreciate any help I can get!
My System Specs

02-09-2008
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 (7600) x64 25,801 posts	Re: Advanced Appearance Hi Kelly, Welcome to Vista Forums. In the Vista Home Basic version, you will not have the Transparency or Flip 3D feature since that is part of the Windows Aero color scheme. To see the color screen again, you will just need to change the color scheme back to Windows Vista Standard andnot the Windows Vista Basic one. Hope this helps, Shawn
My System Specs

02-09-2008
ABitMadInTheHead Newbie Join Date: Feb 2008 not too sure... 3 posts	Re: Advanced Appearance Thanks for the quick reply, but I actually have the Windows Aero scheme and I am missing the Windows Vista Standard. I guess that means I don't have the Vista Basic Home (which I wasn't really sure about). I have just changed to Windows Aero but I still don't get the color scheme, so is there anything else you can suggest?
My System Specs

02-09-2008
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 (7600) x64 25,801 posts	Re: Advanced Appearance Kelly, You can see which edition of Vista you have by right clicking on the Computer button in the Start menu, then click Properties. Not sure why you would not be seeing it, if you are running the Windows Aero color scheme. Did you see if restarting the computer helps any? You can see if doing a System Restore using a restore point dated before the problem started will fix it. System Restore - How to Or Try a Repair install. This will allow you to repair your Vista installation and keep your user account files, settings, and programs. Repair Install For Vista Shawn
My System Specs

02-09-2008
ABitMadInTheHead Newbie Join Date: Feb 2008 not too sure... 3 posts	Re: Advanced Appearance Hey that did it!! I restarted and there it was. And I also learned another new trick, how to change the name of my computer. I bought this computer used so it always had another name and I had tried a lot of things to change it but nothing worked. So thanks for all your help
My System Specs

02-09-2008
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 (7600) x64 25,801 posts	Re: Advanced Appearance Your welcome Kelly, I'm glad that that you were able to resolve your problem. Have fun, Shawn
My System Specs

05-24-2008
tiny Newbie Join Date: May 2008 Vista Home Premium 32-bit 1 posts	Re: Advanced Appearance Hello moderators! I have a Vista Home Premuim-32bit.. I used to switch automatically between color schemes every time i start using Adobe Photoshop but then I'm able to revert back to Aeoro-or transparent- color scheme..but this time after using the photoshop, i couldn't revert my color scheme, i tried following this toturial but I'm not seeing the same instructions on my PC...what could be the problem? I'm updating my system all the time.
My System Specs

05-24-2008
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 (7600) x64 25,801 posts	Re: Advanced Appearance Hello Tiny, Welcome to Vista Forums. What are you seeing instead? Can you post a screenshot of it to help determine what your problem may be? If you need to know how to make screenshots, then see: How to use the Snipping Tool in Vista To post them in your post, click on the paperclip icon in the post editor to upload the image and click on it again to select and add it into the post. Shawn
My System Specs

09-03-2008
SittingDuck Newbie Join Date: Sep 2008 Vista Business 32bit 2 posts	Re: Advanced Appearance Hi, I would like to know if somebody else is having the same problem as me and if you can help me with that. I'm using the Windows Vista Basic colour scheme so I have to change things through that XP style advanced settings. My problem is that it doesn't matter which colour I chose for the active title bar or window border, in the end they will remain with the default blue colour. I have tried restarting and it didn't work. Do you know if there are any registry entries that I can force in order to get the colours I want? Something this simple should be fairly easy to change, I just don't get it.
My System Specs

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