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flexdaw β Windows 7 Selection Box Color
Published: 2010-09-23 16:29:31 +0000 UTC; Views: 11012; Favourites: 27; Downloads: 281
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Description
This tutorial should help you change the color of the inside... and border of the selection box in Windows 7.I made it because it took me a long time to find anything relating to this, and thought it was a hex change or something, but when i saw it was easy enough for normal people without special software to do, then i made this tutorial.
I tried this edit on a regular Vista 64 machine, and it totally messed up the computer. So unless you have a patched system and know what you are doing in Vista, i would not recommend this. I assume it was because i did not patch some files or something, when i edited the Aero.theme file and saved mine in the folder and clicked on basic, everything turned black. So, just use on 7 unless you are looking to have fun. And as for XP, i assume it might work on that though.
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Comments: 38
Great tut. Or just use my program so as to not have to edit any files. It'll do all of the work for you. Called: Windows Selection Box Editor. And it's free! check it out at www.rexfordrich.com/apps
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True, there are several things out there that can do this with more or less functionality added. Yours looks like a clean simple tool. I like finding out how things work and post things like this, in hopes it will inspire other to create stuff. Plus I made this in 2010, 4 years ago, so I would hope a tool has come out since then. 
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Sorry for the late reply. I read your message before and decided now to re-read it. I realized I overlooked something you said: "You think a color selector would add to your tool?" To answer your question, I do have this integrated in the app. When you click New Color, a basic color picker will pop up for you to chooseΒ a color. And this does in fact use the registry, FYI, so yes to answer your other question.
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Thank you so much, it works miracles. Problem is, I couldn't find any of my custom saved themes, so I had to base it off of preinstalled theme. Easy enough to change to a custom background though, so all's good. Thanks again!
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Yeah, no problem. Too bad about not finding those themes.
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Good Job.
BTW we always can change it, in the registry, change this key.
Add this in the notepad and called it xxx.reg
Where "HotTrackingColor"="0 255 17" is the "HotTrackingColor"="R G B" color.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors]
"HotTrackingColor"="0 255 17"
"Hilight"="51 219 15"
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yes, i remember learning both ways to do this. I for one, can't remember the up side or down side to either because it has been a while, but i would caution away from sending people into the registry.
But to be honest i always just created things in the registry myself and didn't use any third party tools or notepad. It's much easier to know you aren't going to bork something that way.
Oh, and i think possibly editing a theme file only effects the color while in that theme, and a registry file will keep it for any theme until changed again and set to override. That all is just a hunch though. so a caution on that.
Thanks for the input, it hopefully brings people to know more about this stuff.
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Thank you so much. i've been googling for so long trying to find this.
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Thank you, been looking for this for a long time!
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yup, no prob. 
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Does this work? I'm on aero and there's no [Control Panel\Colors].
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(added to the last comment)
I think if you go ahead and do it to the regular aero file it will work actually, because it can be changed from the UI stuff also. But i would backup my computer beforehand and stuff just in-case it messes anything up somehow.
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It should, just put it in there, like it says if it isn't in there. But i am unsure of editing the actual aero theme windows came with. Windows doesn't like chage to well. So i would try getting or making a copy of an aero theme file and renaming it and using that. or downloading one. If you need any help on that topic just tell me.
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I am not fully sure. I think I remember there being these files in the other non aero themes. And all themes still have the same box type for me on my computer. Try it out.
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Do you know how to change the message box color? All the themes/layouts have either a silver background or black background... that's one thing I miss about XP was the various different color schemes you could choose from; I always usually used Rainy Day myself, I liked the subtle bluish color scheme of it and wish to use a similar scheme now that I have a new computer with 7, but again, when changing themes/schemes, you can't change the color of the message boxes manually.
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I do believe you can find the color theme type changer in windows 7 also, it's in there somewhere. If it isn't part of those options, then i would think my method for this also has that referenced in it. I would try googling if it has any part of what this is, or if you can find it.
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are you doing this on the administrator account?
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This didn't work for me. I tried to edit the Aero.theme and save it, but it said Access Denied. I even tried to edit the security for the file to give myself full control of the file, but that didn't work either.
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Really? Well did you try to give permission through the command prompt?
First open command prompt as an administrator.
then type: takeown /f "file name"
in the file name put the full extension of it. put quotes around it if there are any spaces.
then type: icacls "file name" /grant (username):f
The user name is the one you will be doing it on, so most likely the administrator. just put that as the name, or put the word Administrators no parenthesis on either
After that you should have access, but sometimes you need to restart your computer for it to take place.
If you think this won't be enough and want to save some time, then do these steps to the folder it is in and all the folders they are in until you get to the C: drive... there should be NO excuse after a restart that you don't own it then. But those steps might be unneeded and take more time if just on the file after restart works.
Hope this helps you.
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Yeah I tried to do the permissions on the file, and then when it didn't work, I used the take ownership command and when I went to save it, it still said "Access Denied". I'll try and restart my computer to see if it helps.
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Right click on it and go to security and click on edit. If it allows you to, check all for all users and administrators. If not, then i will have to try to make you one or something.
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Is it affect the progress bar color behind the apps icon on taskbar, too? The default color is green.
Like when you transfer file or play audio/video.
If not how I can change it?
Thanks in advance
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well, that is an image I am pretty sure. And you have to either use a program like WSB and change it with that, or open the .msstyles file in a resource editor like reshacker and find the file and edit it Photoshop. if it is the same load bar as the others or in the same place, i have changed mine already.
But yeah, this won't do that.
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Very nice! If my current theme wasn't blue anyway I would totally use this... maybe next time I change my desktop
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Yeah, i am making a green theme, that when i am done, i will make i a lot of different other colors, so you could use one of those later and use this.
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You could just change it in Windows Style Builder, but on the other hand this is free, where the wsb software costs
Nice tut.
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Well i wouldn't know that, considering i don't have WSB, lol.
And i made this because i see people all over the internet who ask this question, and aren't the crowd that is into customizing Windows, so wouldn't have a cracked theme file, a WSB program, or a reshacker type program.
But thanks for the comment!
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