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Change Windows 7 startup style

In the latest version of its operating system, Microsoft has done a lot to improve the appearance Windows view 7. However, everything, even the best, gradually gets boring and users begin to look for an opportunity to change the usual work environment. A banal change of desktop wallpaper does not count - today we will talk about a deeper change in the “windows”.

Themes and styles

The program does not require installation, but you must run it as an administrator ( Right click - Run as administrator). After this, the utility will automatically patch your system by doing available installation various design themes. Then you need to specify the path to the necessary files from the theme you downloaded and click on the Install Theme button. The theme will appear on the right in the list of installed themes. Now just select the desired design option from the list and click Apply Theme, in order to change appearance your system.

Start button

To change the appearance of the Start button, use the program Windows 7 Start Button Changer. The utility comes with ten design options for the start button. After selecting the appropriate option, Explorer will restart and you will see the updated Start button.

Program icons

Change icons installed applications it is possible standard means Windows - by selecting in the file properties the desired picture. But for everyone installed programs this will take quite a long time, so it’s better to use the application 7conifier, which not only allows you to change a lot of icons in one fell swoop, but also comes with several eye-pleasing themes.

You can easily switch between sets of icons in the program interface, and also restore the default set if you followed the program’s advice and did backup copy at first start. With 7conifier you can create your own icon sets.

Well, as a result, after applying all the above programs, your system will take on a completely new look. For example, this one.

Starting with the version of XP, in Windows it became possible not only to change the desktop picture and adjust the color scheme, but also to use different design schemes that are differently demanding on resources. For example, if you don’t want memory to be wasted on video effects like smoothly minimizing windows and the like, you can assign the XP theme to “Classic”.

And also work with some registry settings that are responsible for displaying interface elements. Similar actions are recommended to owners weak computers. Windows 7 also has a similar feature and it’s called “simplified style”. We will discuss how to install a simplified style in Windows 7 in our article.

Your ancestry Windows interface 7 leads from the Aero interface, which appeared in the previous version of the system - Vista. IN new version Some more design elements were added to the OS, but in general the “Seven” desktop remains very similar to its progenitor.

Vista also included an option to force special effects to be turned off. It was there that the simplified style appeared as a separate Windows concept. This is where the technology first emerged. automatic switching to the simplified style if the computer resources were insufficient for the operating system to function normally.

When else is it recommended to switch the desktop to a simplified display of its elements? The first example that comes to mind is the removal of special effects to provide better performance games. Current operating systems spend a lot of resources on the GUI. These resources can be freed up for more practical use. True, this is achieved at the expense of some loss in terms of visual design. So, how to manually set the simplified style in Windows 7?

Enable simplified style

The Windows 7 operating system offers two options for accessing the simplified style:

  • Through the "Control Panel". To do this, you need to open the “Control Panel”, go to the “System and Security” section, the “Performance” subsection, and configure work in simplified mode in the settings.
  • Through the “Personalization” menu of the desktop: click right click mouse by free space on the display, select the “Personalization” menu item and select the simplified mode.

Here's what it looks like in the picture:

A theme is a collection of settings that control the overall “mood” of your computer, namely the appearance of the operating system.

To install a different theme, in the Personalization window, select one of the seven Aero themes presented. You can also find additional ones by clicking on the More Internet Topics link, which is located in the same window. To see how a theme will look when applied, just select it and the theme settings will be applied immediately. If you are not satisfied with the result, simply choose another one. If suddenly among the existing themes you do not find what suits you, you can create your own, taking any of the standard ones as a basis.

Each theme combines the parameters of the Desktop background, window colors, sound scheme and a screensaver. All of them are displayed at the bottom of the Personalization window in the form of corresponding icons. To change any of them, click on the icon and set the desired settings.

Changing the wallpaper

Windows 7 has a whole gallery of beautiful images with which you can decorate your desktop. To open it, click on the Desktop Background link in the Personalization window.

To change the design, simply click on the design you like. All images offered have high quality and sizes corresponding to screen sizes. If you wish, you can place your own drawing or Photo on the Desktop. To do this, expand the Image location list and select the folder in which the image is stored. Offered by default standard folders for storing images. If none of them contain the image you are looking for, click the Browse button, manually select the folder, and click to select the image you want. The proportions of the picture you choose may not correspond to the geometric dimensions of the screen. In this case, there will be severe distortion of the picture and loss of quality. To get rid of such unwanted effects, try selecting an appropriate option in the Image Position list.

If you do not want to place any pictures on the Desktop, but simply want to fill it with a certain color, select Solid Colors from the Image Arrangement list and click on the shade you like. If none of them suits you, click on the Learn More link and choose the shade yourself. To save changes when exiting the window, click OK.

In addition to the already classic background image and solid fill of the Desktop, you can use a completely new Windows feature 7 - slide show on the Desktop. This exciting innovation combines the power of both classic static wallpapers and dynamic effects slide show. If you turn on a slide show on your desktop, you will never get tired of the background image, because the images will replace each other at a specified interval. To turn on the slide show, in the Change Desktop Wallpaper window, move your mouse pointer over other samples background images and check the boxes for the ones you want to include in the slideshow. You can add your own pictures to the slideshow. At the bottom of the window, in the Change image every list, you can set the interval at which the images will change.

Appearance of windows in Windows 7

To select a different color scheme, click the Window color link. In the window that opens you will see a palette of 16 color samples. By clicking on them successively, observe the change in the color of the window title and select the most suitable shade. The brightness of the color can be adjusted using the slider located below the palette. By default, windows in Windows 7 are translucent. To disable this effect, simply uncheck the Enable Transparency checkbox.

If you want to choose the color of the windows yourself, click on the Show color settings link and use the sliders to select a hue, adjust its saturation and brightness.

Windows 7 allows you to disable the Windows Aero style and switch to the simplified Windows 7 style. This is relevant when, when choosing the Windows Aero style, the computer's resources are not enough for good performance. To change the style, click on the link Extra options registration As a result, the window Color and appearance of the window will open, similar to the one that was present in previous versions Windows.

Some users are not satisfied with the standard view "Taskbars" in Windows 7. Some of them strive to make it more unique, while others, on the contrary, want to return the familiar look of earlier operating systems. But do not forget that by correctly customizing this interface element for yourself, you can also increase the convenience of interacting with the computer, which provides more productive work. Let's see how we can change "Task bar" on computers with the specified OS.

Before moving on to describing options for changing the interface object under study, let's find out which specific elements in it can be changed:

  • Color;
  • Icon size;
  • Grouping order;
  • Position relative to the screen.

Method 1: Windows XP style display

Some users are so used to operating Windows systems XP or Vista, that even on the newer Windows 7 OS they want to see familiar interface elements. There is an opportunity for them to change "Task bar" according to wishes.


But in the properties window "Taskbars" You can make other changes to the specified element; it is not at all necessary to adapt it to the Windows XP interface. You can change the icons, making them standard or small, by unchecking or checking the corresponding checkbox; apply different order groupings (always group, group when filling, do not group) by selecting the desired option from the drop-down list; automatically hide the panel by checking the box opposite this parameter; activate the AeroPeek option.

Method 2: Change color

There are also users who are not satisfied with the current color of the interface element they are studying. Windows 7 has tools with which you can change the color of a given object.

  1. Click on "Desktop" RMB. In the menu that opens, navigate to the item "Personalization".

  2. At the bottom of the displayed tool shell "Personalization" navigate by element "Window color".

  3. A tool is launched in which you can change not only the color of the windows, but also "Taskbars", which is what we need. At the top of the window, you must specify one of the sixteen colors available to choose from by clicking on the corresponding square. Below, by checking the checkbox you can activate or deactivate transparency "Taskbars". Using the slider located even lower, you can adjust the intensity of the color. To get more options for adjusting the coloring display, click on the element "Show color settings".

  4. Additional tools will open in the form of sliders. By moving them left and right you can adjust the level of brightness, saturation and hue. After completing all necessary settings click "Save changes".

  5. Colors "Taskbars" will change to the selected option.

In addition, there are a number third party programs, which also allow you to change the color of the interface element we are studying.

Method 3: Moving the “Taskbar”

Some users are not satisfied with the position "Taskbars" in Windows 7 by default and they want to move it to the right, left or top of the screen. Let's see how this can be done.

Method 4: Adding a "Toolbar"

"Task bar" can also be changed by adding a new one to it "Toolbars". Now let's see how this is done using a specific example.


As you can see, there are many options for changing "Toolbars" in Windows 7. You can change the color, arrangement of elements and general positioning relative to the screen, as well as add new objects. But this change does not always pursue only aesthetic goals. Some elements can make operating your computer more convenient. But of course, the final decision regarding whether to change the default view and how exactly to do this rests with the individual user.