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Saarineames β Classic AE 2.5.3 Final
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Published: 2012-12-19 15:59:30 +0000 UTC; Views: 43786; Favourites: 79; Downloads: 8863
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Description
Classic AE 2.5.3 (Blue) for Windows 7A Classic visual style with Aero enhancements.
Four versions included are standard, flat menus (FM), alternate menus (AM) and alternate flat menus (AFM).
What's new?
Version 2.5.3 is basically the same as 2.5.2, but with a few tweaks tailored for taskbar location set to bottom. 2.5.2 was created as an all-in-one style to accomodate any combination of taskbar locations and full DPI settings.
Changes from 2.5.2 to 2.5.3:
- Shortened taskbar height by 1px and removed 3D edge from the bottom.
- Adjusted all button margins, toolbars, grippers, etc.
Benefits:
- No 3D edge on the very bottom of the taskbar. Seamless transition from screen to taskbar.
- Taskbar items can now be accessed via hover/press/select with the cursor hidden at the very bottom of the screen, or via fast action.
- Usability is improved for jumplist activation via left-click.
This version is still perfectly functional for all taskbar location settings. There is no longer a cosmetic bottom 3D edge on the top taskbar. Left and right sides remain unchanged from 2.5.2.
Start buttons for default DPI included. Only difference in buttons from 2.5.2 is #6809 (top, small taskbar).
Extras like ExplorerFrame Mod and Shell32 Mod are identical to previous versions.
Enjoy!
Update (2-23-2014) [Visual styles]
Adjusted and improved menus (gutter) for AM and AFM substyles.
Update (12-02-2013) [Visual styles]
Adjusted taskband buttons transparency for smoother hover.
Update (11-11-2013) [Visual styles]
New workaround for taskband flash which greatly improves visiblity. [Important]
See Taskband Flash Revision note for more details.
Update (11-03-2013) [Visual styles]
Adjusted Taskband Thumbnail ListItem states to a more classic style guideline.
Adjusted default AltTab states to a more classic style guideline.
Update (10-28-2013) [Visual styles]
Adjusted start menu places list.
Adjusted progress bar/taskband color green.
Update (5-29-2013)
Adjusted folderband buttons keyfocused state (focus rectangle) for keyboard navigation. [Visual styles]
Added keyfocused states (focus rectangle) for keyboard navigation. [ExplorerFrame Mod]
See changelog for full list of updates.
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Notes of importance:
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This version is compatible with standard explorer start orb, or custom classic start buttons (recommended).
Start button set for explorer.exe for standard DPI settings included. Use bitmaps or single .res file to update.
Note: For IE9/IE10 users, make sure to enable "Show tabs on a separate row" option for consistency.
Added shell32.dll UIFILE mod for 'classic style' Navigation/Category Panel (optional).
Added Alt+Tab Classic Style Icons .reg to the package. Thanks to Sevenforums.
Added ExplorerFrame mod for search-related areas (optional).
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Please respect my work with no rips/alterations. Personal mods are ok.
Β© 2010-13 by Saarineames (SAAR).
Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Related content
Comments: 71
If I remember correctly, some of the colors set for the non-Aero (non-theme) UI apply to the theme and some don't. (See my older comment.) Did you fix that? If not, can it be fixed?
For example I want to be able to set all background area of Windows Explorer to light gray, not white.
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Hi olduserman and Thanks for the help. I tried multiple times, exactly as you say and still, every time I switch to the "Classic AE ROB v5" theme, the desktop composition is deactivated. I don't know what is wrong but I could not get it to work. I would have loved to see the theme in action, esp. with the non-ClearType Tahoma (I really don't like Clear Type 
Anyway, thanks for the help again, if you have any idea, what I could possibly do wrong, please tell me.
best regards!
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You must install UxStyle before install "Classic AE" theme.
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Everythime I switch to the theme, desktop composition gets deactivated and leaves me without aero.
Should it be possible at all, to use this theme and keep desktop composition enabled?
I found out if I enable "Use visual styles on windows and buttons", compositing is still checked, but I lose the classic look.
Anyways, thanks for all the effort and I recon this theme made quite a few folks happy
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If I set "Let windows choose what's best..." in the "Visual Effects" dialog, everything works fine. The moment I change anything here (e.g. No mouse pointer shadow), "Custom is activated" and it switches back to the Aero look and desktop composition is disabled for good.
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I tried this to get rid of tearing for video playing (browser and standalone player), since nothing else fixed it but activating visual styles, but with it the infuriating nightmare started. A small usability issue is that I cannot click programs on the task bar with the mouse at the very screen edge anymore. But the main issue is that, after super-annoying and complicated re-configuring my windows colors for this theme, although the color theme preview shows everything properly, this theme ignores the color set for the main background, like tasbar, menu bar, window buttons etc. It stays at a beige-ish color, and the main color setting in that square shown doesn't affect it either, although it seems to by default show this beige color. Oh, and Windows Explorer also refuses to use anything but white as window background. It's like ever since Microsuck implemented themes, they didn't follow their own theme coloring rules anymore. With the Classic theme mode without visual styles Explorer has a nice gray background the way I set it.
All this hassle is seriously not worth having no tearing in every frickin' video. I'll just have to accept that intelligent solutions are losing the war.
Still would like to know whether the color issues can be fixed via this profile or otherwise though.
EDIT: Oh great, just noticed this isn't the newest version. I guess that means I just wasted half an hour setting all my custom colors. If only there had been a hint in the description. (Oh well, doesn't seem to fix my issues anyway in the newer version.)
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Did you actually get rid of the tearing AND use the theme? How did you do it? Everytime I enable the theme, compositiong goes down the drain and tearing is all over the place...
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It just worked once I activated Aero. Seems to be a complex topic though with all kinds of possible reasons for why vsync might not work. With Aero disabled I have to use the Sync renderer in MPC-HC if I want to play tearing-free videos from my harddisk.
Check whether your graphics driver has vsync activated though.
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The VSync is not the problem (well, it sucks, but I understand when and why it happens). I use the D3D Fullscreen renderer as it gives the smoothes playback without tearing and stutter (all other versions either (micro-)stutter or have tearing. It's gonna have one of the two or both. Most people just don't recognize it or don't consider it a nuisance. My question was focused on the DWM (aka Compositing Window Manager) part and this theme. I don't get it to work together and so far it seems to me that it is not intended to work, but a little reassurance would be nice
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how do I install this so that my task bar and ect look like the classic theme while still on the Areo theme?
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Instructions for this theme plus other stuff to make W7 look and behave more like XP classic (or even Win 2000!) here:
www.sevenforums.com/themes-styβ¦
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Fantastic! Back to being a computer again rather than some psychadelic nightmare. Thanks.
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I've been using this theme for a while but one thing that bothers me is no matter what I do when I try to drag a picture to a new tab I can't see it being dragged. I've checked and it only happens while I have your theme on. Is there any fix for it?
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Never mind on the last comment-- it was Classic Shell that was blocking my changes.Β Thanks again for the theme!
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Hi!Β Great theme, thanks for all the hard work.
I'm trying to modify it for my own use, and I would like to have the selected item have a dark blue border-fill with white text as in the Windows 7 classic theme.Β I've not been able to figure out how to change the color of the selected text in certain places, though (such as the folder pane on the left side of the Windows Explorer window)-- no matter what I do, it is black.Β Do you have any hints?Β Thanks!
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I'd like to give this a try. How would I install it? I've never really messed with modded 7 themes before.
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the minimize, restore and close buttons are still a killer for me. they look too out of place. each is too wide, and not tall enough(more accurately, the title bar is too tall).
If it weren't for the above, this theme would be perfect, imo.
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Can this be brought to Windows 8.1?
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This doesn't work right in Windows 8.1. I can't make the taskbar and buttons actually look like that. The Resource Hacker program, which is no longer maintained by the way, says there are no changes to make to explorer.exe when I tell it to update all resources and then attempt to apply any of the .res files.
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This is for Windows 7 only.
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Anyone?Β How do I change the spacing around the icons for a folder that's in the taskbar?
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Am I blind or are there no installation instructions?
Edit:Β Well I worked it out, but some clear instructions would have been great
Problem:Β Quick launch icons have more spacing around them now?Β Β How do I fix that?
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i like this theme alot, but it would be easier if you provided the shell32 and ExplorerFrame .dll files, instead of the .res files.
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Thanks, glad you like it.
The .res files are future-proof. If Windows Update replaces the files with newer versions on a user's system, the new files can be patched with these same resources. Therefore, no outdated dlls are included with the visual style.
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So this theme takes advantage o GPU rendering instead of putting the load on the CPU?
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I just wanted to pop on here and thank you. I just switched to Windows 7 from XP and I'm a die hard classic style user. So I am very grateful this theme exist. It's not exactly windows classic but it sure beats the default theme for aero. I know, I could use win7's built in classic style but then I'd loose out on the features and benefits of aero so think is awesome! Many thanks man.
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Glad you are enjoying it. Thanks a lot!
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Glad you're enjoying it. Thanks a lot!
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Great effort, but still few annoyances. Just switch the theme to classic and the differences are really obivious: titlebar colors are different (too pale, low contrast, should be blue) and same is with start menu highlight, "personalize" window is missing title text etc.
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I started on this project with the intention of making a strict Classic style. Due to limitations in Aero, adjustments had to be made. Things evolved. The color scheme ended up somewhere between Classic and Aero Basic. It is what it is.
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Thanks, but I know. That section draws from "window:color." Changing that property for this small area would affect the entire system scheme.
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Thanks! I just updated the style a few moments ago if you're interested.
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Oh sweet, I'll check it out!
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hi!! i love your theme a lot, thank you for making it!! the only issue is, i really dont like the color you have set for the windows, and when i tried to customize it it wouldnt let me change it. do you think you could tell me how to change it, or possibly make a different version with either the colorΒ #D4EEF7 blended withΒ #D4D8F7 as a secondary color or justΒ #D4EEF7 by itself (if thats easier)? i would appreciate it more than you know!Β Β
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and just to clarify i meant the bar at the top of the window, i think in "personalization" the value is called "active title bar".
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