Changing the Look of Windows Vista on Your Screen

You can easily change the look of the Windows interface by applying a different theme. A theme usually includes a desktop background color or picture; a color scheme that affects title bars and labels; specific fonts that are used on title bars, labels, and buttons; sounds that are associated with specific actions; and other elements. Previous versions of Windows came with a long list of available themes, and additional themes could be downloaded from the Internet. Windows Vista has simplified the theme-selection process by offering only two themesWindows Vista and Windows Classic. You can search for other themes online, or possibly purchase theme packs from software retailers.

In this exercise, you will switch between the Windows Vista and Windows Classic themes. If you want, you can explore the online options on your own at a later time. There are no practice files for this exercise.

1.	Click the Start button, click Control Panel, and then in Control Panel, click Appearance and Personalization. Start The Appearance And Personalization window opens. [View full size image]
2.	Under Personalization, click the Change the theme task. The Theme Settings dialog box opens, displaying a preview of the current theme.
3.	Click the Theme arrow, and then in the list, click Windows Classic. The Sample box changes to reflect your selection. You might recognize this theme if you previously used a computer running Microsoft Windows 2000.
4.	Click OK to close the dialog box and apply your settings. The left pane of the Appearance And Personalization window now has a white background. The font, title bar, and buttons have changed, and if you were displaying the Windows Aero interface, you'll notice even more changes, such as the absence of transparency in the window frames.
5.	In the Appearance and Personalization window, point to Personalization to view the Windows Classic item selection indicator. [View full size image]
6.	In the upper-right corner of the Appearance and Personalization window, click the Minimize button. Minimize The solid blue Windows Classic desktop looks quite dull compared to the Windows Vista desktop. The taskbar has changed from blue to gray; the Start button from round to rectangular; and Windows Sidebar, if it is displayed, from translucent to solid gray.
7.	On the taskbar, click the Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization taskbar button to redisplay the window.
8.	Under Personalization, click the Change the theme task to redisplay the Theme Settings dialog box.
9.	In the Theme list, click Windows Vista. The Sample box displays the Windows Vista default desktop. Regardless of the desktop background you were displaying before beginning this exercise, the default desktop depicting a lake and mountain scene is shown.
10.	In the Theme Settings dialog box, click OK. Your desktop, Start button, taskbar, Sidebar, and open windows now have the default Windows Vista look and feel. [View full size image] Tip You'll be working with the desktop background in the next exercise, so there is no need to reset your desktop background before continuing.