Classic Shell: Forum

Hi, I'm having some appearance issues with Classic Start Menu when using the Two Column format and Window Blinds 8. As you can see I'm using a Window Blinds skin to make my Windows 7 PC look more like Mac OSX (with the taskbar on the top of the screen instead of the bottom), but I'm using the Classic Start Menu with Two Column format (and a custom Start Menu icon), to give it a sort of Mac/Win "hybrid" look as well.

The problem as you can see here is that the text in the right-hand column is black, but it's on a black background, which makes the text difficult to read:



("Apple Menu Options" is a renamed shortcut to Classic Start Menu Settings.)

I am using Windows Basic skin for Classic Start Menu with the option "Reduce Glass Color" checked. Unchecking this option does not make the right-side column any easier to see, nor does changing to any other skins except the Win98-style "Classic" one. I have tried using Resource Hacker to edit the Main2_text_color= parameter to #FFFFFF (white) as explained in this tutorial -- but the text color is still this barely-visible black on the black background.

This remains constant no matter if I restart Classic Start Menu, restart Explorer, restart the computer -- as Led Zeppelin said, the song remains the same.

Is there a parameter I missed editing in the skin, or is this something to do with Window Blinds, or what else could be wrong? The weird thing is that when I first installed Window Blinds, the right side took on the "graphite" appearance of the Window Blinds skin, and wasn't all black like you see here, so even though the text was still black, it was a lot easier to read.

I'm also attaching my Windows Basic edited skin for you to look at to see if there's anything missing or corrupted in there.

These are my personal comments, and have nothing to do with Classic Shell.

Ask Windowblinds if they have an update solution, as their software overrides Classic shell.
They may not care, for they want you to use theirs.

I don't use Windowblinds anymore since XP, as it always screwed up something, even in their theme environment.
I'm sure they try the best to keep annoyances to minimum.

Have you tried other ways to get a similar look?
Pick a skin that has a white background on right column.

Here is post of an Apple type skin by Splitwirez

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5096




As an experiment, you could try out the Metallic skin in beta CSM installation.
You can change the column text color, without going into the skin file.
It might use a different way to color it?
Does that work any better?
If it does, you can then put in a picture of whatever OS texture you have, to customize it.
If none of this works, could make a skinned taskbar with CSM, and give up on Window blinds.

Hi Juniper, I installed CSM beta 4.2.7 but am not seeing a "metallic" skin installed, or a place in the options where I can change the font color.

Could you point me in the right direction of the skin you're talking about, maybe it's for download here?

As well the part in the options where I can change the font color without editing the skin file in Resource Hacker.

Splitwirez' skin is pretty cool, but not exactly what I'm looking for. I kind of want a 7/Mac "hybrid" appearance (with the icons), and Splitwirez' is very "true" Mac.

I'd like to stick with the Windows 7 skin, but I'm just not sure as to why the text color setting doesn't "stick" when I edit the parameters in Resource Hacker.

---

EDIT: I figured out a workaround that gives me a pseudo-Graphite or Metallic look. What I did was to play around with the setting "Override glass color" for the Basic skin, under the Menu Look tab.

I changed Menu Glass Color to #FFFFFF, Menu Glass Intensity to 100, and Menu Glass Blending to 75.



The text is still black, but at least the contrast is much greater and therefore the right side is finally that much easier to read. Fortunately I don't have to give up WindowBlinds either. But I might still go and register at Stardock forums to let them know this is an issue with WindowBlinds and Classic Shell.

Thanks for your response, Juniper.

Pretty good metallic mod for Classic 2 column style.


The built in Metallic skin is a "skin.7"
The way to get to it, is go to "Start Menu Style" tab in settings.
Pick the Windows 7 style. Should be there in that skin list tab.


Ivo responded about this text color overwriting in some other post.
Something about they are changing it higher up in the explorer.
I believe Classic shell does not modify those files.
It might be a lot of work for Ivo to write software to correct another companies problem.

I vaguely remember reading something on web page a while ago, with a rep from Stardock,
not knowing about Classic Start menu, and the text color problem with their product.


Probably in another day I will finish converting an old XP menu that a has pseudo apple look to it.
I will upload after fixing the option text.

Speaking of Icons. They used to have icon packagers that had a whole set of icons,
that it's program changed them all in a safe way, along with a backup.
Do they still have those? It was a separate program, I think.