Brand new machine that was working fine then randomly it changed the theme when I booted into a sort of "basic" theme (white task bar, no see through windows etc)
I've done and attempted many fixes and I still don't understand why it doesn't work. I've tried these two solutions:
"How to enable Windows 7 Aero Theme"
and
"Windows 7 Aero Themes Greyed out"
These solutions included registy changes, stopping/starting services, and force starting the aero theme. The closest I got seems to be when I went into:
Control panel (category view) > Find and fix problems (System and Security) > Display Aero Desktop Effects
I follow through the wizard and let it do its thing and then I get an error window that pops up:
Personalization – "This theme can't be applied to the desktop. Try clicking a diffrent theme."
That's what I get from the wizard. What can I do? My drivers are all up to date, there are no viruses on the computer, directx is installed and updated, and the registry is all correct.
EDIT:
When I boot the computer, I get a notification stating that windows failed to communicate with the windows desktop services.
Best Answer
Double check the Windows 7 "Themes" Service is running.
Some folks, including me, followed a performance tweak and were stuck with the Windows 7 toolbar being a white (Windows Classic). Altering the theme did not correct this. It turned out the Themes service was not automatic.
If you have this problem, where Desktop (right-click) "Personalize" "Windows Color" showing only as Windows Classic).
Run "services.msc", ensure the "Themes" service is Automatic (and Started). That is the Windows 7 default mode for this Service. Even if it is started and automatic, try restarting it.
Then you can then select any Windows Aero theme and it will provide the toolbar transparency again
Here's the interesting thing, I don't remember having altered the Themes service. My fault for doing this, but I had followed a tip, which I believe caused the issue. If you Right-click on Computer, Properties, left margin Advanced system settings, then Settings button in Performance section. On Visual Effects tab, Adjust for Best performance, you may end up with this issue once you Log Off or Restart. [ I don't recommend that option, or playing too much with de-selecting all but a few of the Custom options.
Later, I realized I wanted my default Windows 7 Toolbar look back! Aero troubleshooting and a Microsoft FixIt attempt did not find the problem. I went back to check ALL default Windows 7 Services and found the Themes service had been set away from Automatic. Hopefully, my learning the hard way may help you avoid going to far in this same way.