Windows XP changes its theme every time after reboot

hard drivessdwindowswindows xp

I have an ASUS Eee netbook with Windows XP installed on it. Ever since I switched to an SSD drive, Windows XP has been doing something strange; Almost every time I reboot my computer, it changes my desktop theme. I'm using the Classic" Windows theme with a grey task bar:

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However Windows keeps switching to the XP theme with a blue task bar:

enter image description here

I am able to switch back to my theme, but on the next restart I'll have to do it again.

I have reason to believe that the hard drive may have something to do with it, but I'll be happy to hear any suggestions.

Why is this? How can I stop this from happening?

Best Answer

Common reasons that cause this problem:

  • Settings that can have influence on the selected theme are configured wrong.
  • The Themes service is disabled or it's parameters/security/settings have been tampered with.
  • Windows is not saving it's settings when it shuts down.

How to fix this:

  1. Right click this link, then save it on your computer and execute it after.

    savesettings.reg (archive.org cached copy)

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] "SystemTray"="SysTray.Exe"

    [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell] "BagMRU Size"=dword:00001f40

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam] "BagMRU Size"=dword:00001f40

  2. Do the same things with this link.

    restorethemes.reg (archive.org cached copy)

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System] "NoDispBackgroundPage"=dword:00000000 "NoDispScrSavPage"=dword:00000000 "NoColorChoice"=dword:00000000 "NoSizeChoice"=dword:00000000 "NoVisualStyleChoice"=dword:00000000 "SetVisualStyle"="C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Luna.theme"

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Themes] "Type"=dword:00000020 "Start"=dword:00000002 "ErrorControl"=dword:00000001 "ImagePath"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,\ 74,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,\ 00,76,00,63,00,68,00,6f,00,73,00,74,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,2d,00,\ 6b,00,20,00,6e,00,65,00,74,00,73,00,76,00,63,00,73,00,00,00 "DisplayName"="Themes" "Group"="UIGroup" "ObjectName"="LocalSystem" "FailureActions"=hex:80,51,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,04,00,19,\ 00,01,00,00,00,60,ea,00,00,01,00,00,00,60,ea,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00 "Description"="Provides user experience theme management."

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Themes\Parameters] "ServiceDll"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,\ 00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,\ 73,00,68,00,73,00,76,00,63,00,73,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,00,00 "ServiceMain"="ThemeServiceMain"

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Themes\Security] "Security"=hex:01,00,14,80,90,00,00,00,9c,00,00,00,14,00,00,00,30,00,00,00,02,\ 00,1c,00,01,00,00,00,02,80,14,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,\ 00,00,02,00,60,00,04,00,00,00,00,00,14,00,fd,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,\ 05,12,00,00,00,00,00,18,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,\ 20,02,00,00,00,00,14,00,8d,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,0b,00,00,00,00,\ 00,18,00,fd,01,02,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,23,02,00,00,01,01,\ 00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Themes\Enum] "0"="Root\LEGACY_THEMES\0000" "Count"=dword:00000001 "NextInstance"=dword:00000001

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000

  3. Reboot your computer, set the theme right and reboot again.

  4. It should be fixed now.

The Registry files came from these sites:

Extra attempts:

  • Check at My Computer/Properties/Advanced/Performance/Settings that both
    "use visual styles on windows and buttons" and "use common tasks in folders" are checked.
  • http://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Enhancements/Themes/RestoreXPthemes.shtml
  • Try to replace the theme that is wrong by the one that is right in C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\
  • If it still doesn't work, maybe creating a new user profile could fix this problem.
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