IE 8 Menu Bar & Favorites Bar Black

For some reason my menu bar and the favorites bar in IE 8 are black. I
can not see the menu items but they are there and the pulldown menus are
fine (black letters - gray background). Running WinXP Pro SP3 with the
Windows Classic menus. How do I change the background color?
--
<Bill>

Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska.

"Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> wrote in message news:eTyetMM2JHA.5728@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> For some reason my menu bar and the favorites bar in IE 8 are black. I
> can not see the menu items but they are there and the pulldown menus are
> fine (black letters - gray background). Running WinXP Pro SP3 with the
> Windows Classic menus. How do I change the background color?


Use Display Properties, Advanced Appearance, Menu, Color 1.
You could also try 3D Objects, Color 1.

Tip: press Win-D and right-click, Properties to start.


---

Not unknown behavior but usually associated with running an alternate
(third-party) Windows Theme:
http://groups.google.com/group/micro...1591f7a1c181bc

Bill Bradshaw wrote:
> For some reason my menu bar and the favorites bar in IE 8 are black. I
> can not see the menu items but they are there and the pulldown menus are
> fine (black letters - gray background). Running WinXP Pro SP3 with the
> Windows Classic menus. How do I change the background color?

"Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> skrev i en meddelelse
news:eTyetMM2JHA.5728@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> For some reason my menu bar and the favorites bar in IE 8 are black. I
> can not see the menu items but they are there and the pulldown menus are
> fine (black letters - gray background). Running WinXP Pro SP3 with the
> Windows Classic menus. How do I change the background color?
> --
> <Bill>
>
> Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska.
>
>

I change the Windows Theme and back to my own again.

Problem is the black bar keeps coming back now and then after a boot.
Is there a way of keeping that damn theme stick???

/John

I'm using built-in Windows Classic Style and still have the problem...

/John

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> skrev i en meddelelse
news:eMIHC5M2JHA.1716@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Not unknown behavior but usually associated with running an alternate
> (third-party) Windows Theme:
> http://groups.google.com/group/micro...1591f7a1c181bc
>
> Bill Bradshaw wrote:
>> For some reason my menu bar and the favorites bar in IE 8 are black. I
>> can not see the menu items but they are there and the pulldown menus are
>> fine (black letters - gray background). Running WinXP Pro SP3 with the
>> Windows Classic menus. How do I change the background color?
>

Hi John,

You said "I change the Windows Theme and back to my own again"

That is the problem.... there is something wrong with your custom theme...
When windows starts it will apply only your custom theme settings, it won't
first apply the Default Windows theme, then your custom theme.

Make sure that your Custom theme has not been modified from a Vista Theme
that you have downloaded to your XP machine. Somewhere in the .theme file
there is an entry for a color attribute that is blank (""), which will get
interpreted as being the color "black" = 0.

Test if this is the case by changing your Theme to one of the Windows
Standard Themes and then restarting your computer.

If you are using themes downloaded from wincustomize.com or one of its
affiliates, then the themes professionally produced by Stardoc Designs are
the most stable. Some of the Themes downloaded from MS sites also suffer
from this... make sure you only download/install themes suited to your
windows version.

The armature (freeware) themes are prone to being flakey as they do not
include settings for all of the system metrics that theme files control. The
same is true for Stardoc's Window Blinds WBA files.

This is not really an IE issue. You may do better with support from
wincustomize.com.

Regards.

"John Hansen" <johnhan@cut-mailme.dk> wrote in message
news:OJcW5UN2JHA.1644@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>
> "Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> skrev i en meddelelse
> news:eTyetMM2JHA.5728@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> For some reason my menu bar and the favorites bar in IE 8 are black. I
>> can not see the menu items but they are there and the pulldown menus are
>> fine (black letters - gray background). Running WinXP Pro SP3 with the
>> Windows Classic menus. How do I change the background color?
>> --
>> <Bill>
>>
>> Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska.
>>
>>
>
> I change the Windows Theme and back to my own again.
>
> Problem is the black bar keeps coming back now and then after a boot.
> Is there a way of keeping that damn theme stick???
>
> /John

To avoid confusion, please begin a new thread about your specific problems &
Windows version. State your IE version and full Windows version (e.g.,
WinXP SP3; Vista SP2) in your first post.

No-charge support for Internet Explorer 8 installation, set-up and usage
(only) is available via the phone based on your locale through 31 December
2009. Customers must be running Windows XP or Windows Vista in a non-domain
environment.
=> US & CA Residents: 1-866-234-6020
=> Other locales: https://support.microsoft.com/oas/de...px?&prid=13043
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002


John Hansen wrote:
> I'm using built-in Windows Classic Style and still have the problem...
>
> /John
>
> "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> skrev i en meddelelse
> news:eMIHC5M2JHA.1716@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> Not unknown behavior but usually associated with running an alternate
>> (third-party) Windows Theme:
>> http://groups.google.com/group/micro...1591f7a1c181bc
>>
>> Bill Bradshaw wrote:
>>> For some reason my menu bar and the favorites bar in IE 8 are black. I
>>> can not see the menu items but they are there and the pulldown menus are
>>> fine (black letters - gray background). Running WinXP Pro SP3 with the
>>> Windows Classic menus. How do I change the background color?

Robert Aldwinckle wrote:
> "Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> wrote in message
> news:eTyetMM2JHA.5728@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>> For some reason my menu bar and the favorites bar in IE 8 are black.
>> I can not see the menu items but they are there and the pulldown
>> menus are fine (black letters - gray background). Running WinXP Pro
>> SP3 with the Windows Classic menus. How do I change the background
>> color?
>
>
> Use Display Properties, Advanced Appearance, Menu, Color 1.
> You could also try 3D Objects, Color 1.
>
> Tip: press Win-D and right-click, Properties to start.

Did not realize it was caused by a Window theme. Set the theme to
Windows Classic and all is now right with the world. Over the last
couple of days I had to reformat and reload WinXP so alot of things
still need to be tweaked. Thanks to all for heading me in the right
direction.
--
<Bill>

Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska.

Bill Bradshaw wrote:
> For some reason my menu bar and the favorites bar in IE 8 are black. I
> can not see the menu items but they are there and the pulldown
> menus are fine (black letters - gray background). Running WinXP Pro
> SP3 with the Windows Classic menus. How do I change the background
> color?

I started up IE 8 this morning and the black tool bars were back. I
went into the themes and changed the theme from Windows Classic to
Windows XP and the bars changed to gray with black lettering. I then
changed the theme from Windows XP back to Windows Classic and the bars
stayed gray with black lettering. There is some kind of bug here.
--
<Bill>

Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska.

I've used Windows as long as since Win95, and as far as I remember have
never installed or used any theme other than the built-in themes, for sure
not in Win XP which I use now. So I can't change back to a standard theme,
I've never used anything else.

Another strange thing happens every time when the black toolbar returns
after a boot, the Sound scheme changes from my custom to the default scheme,
so I have to change that also every time.

I use WinXP SP3 & IE8.0.6001.18702. And if it means anything both in Danish.

/John

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> skrev i en meddelelse
news:eLoX5VO2JHA.1372@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> To avoid confusion, please begin a new thread about your specific problems
> & Windows version. State your IE version and full Windows version (e.g.,
> WinXP SP3; Vista SP2) in your first post.
> --
> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002

"rob^_^" <iecustomizer@hotmail.com> skrev i en meddelelse
news:01957E93-A500-41D3-852D-358B6BBB4C45@microsoft.com...
> Hi John,
>
> You said "I change the Windows Theme and back to my own again"
>
> That is the problem.... there is something wrong with your custom theme...
> When windows starts it will apply only your custom theme settings, it
> won't first apply the Default Windows theme, then your custom theme.
>
> Make sure that your Custom theme has not been modified from a Vista Theme
> that you have downloaded to your XP machine. Somewhere in the .theme file
> there is an entry for a color attribute that is blank (""), which will get
> interpreted as being the color "black" = 0.
>
> Test if this is the case by changing your Theme to one of the Windows
> Standard Themes and then restarting your computer.
>
> If you are using themes downloaded from wincustomize.com or one of its
> affiliates, then the themes professionally produced by Stardoc Designs are
> the most stable. Some of the Themes downloaded from MS sites also suffer
> from this... make sure you only download/install themes suited to your
> windows version.
>
> The armature (freeware) themes are prone to being flakey as they do not
> include settings for all of the system metrics that theme files control.
> The same is true for Stardoc's Window Blinds WBA files.
>
> This is not really an IE issue. You may do better with support from
> wincustomize.com.
>
> Regards.
>
> "John Hansen" <johnhan@cut-mailme.dk> wrote in message
> news:OJcW5UN2JHA.1644@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>
>> "Bill Bradshaw" <bradshaw@gci.net> skrev i en meddelelse
>> news:eTyetMM2JHA.5728@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>> For some reason my menu bar and the favorites bar in IE 8 are black. I
>>> can not see the menu items but they are there and the pulldown menus are
>>> fine (black letters - gray background). Running WinXP Pro SP3 with the
>>> Windows Classic menus. How do I change the background color?
>>> --
>>> <Bill>
>>>
>>> Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> I change the Windows Theme and back to my own again.
>>
>> Problem is the black bar keeps coming back now and then after a boot.
>> Is there a way of keeping that damn theme stick???
>>
>> /John
>