I have a question about Use True-Color Icons:

According to the article you need at least a gfx depths of 16 bit to use the true color icons. This worked fine on NT4 and Win2k. Unfortunately on my System XP shows the true color icons only if the gfx depth is set to 32 bit, if I set it to 16 bit the good-old EGA icons are used :-( Is there any way to force XP showing true color icons even with 16 bit gfx depths? The registry trick of the article did not work.

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

That's so true - I've been trying to figure this out because I'm about to buy an 
LCD monitor that only supports 24-bit colour depth. But that would mean being stuck 
with crappy icons all the time......
Not good.





On Thursday, January 31, 2002 at 12:38 pm, Daniel Lohmann wrote:
>I have a question about Use 
>True-Color Icons:

>
>According to the article you need at least a gfx depths of 16 bit to use the true 
>color icons. This worked fine on NT4 and Win2k. Unfortunately on my System XP shows 
>the true color icons only if the gfx depth is set to 32 bit, if I set it to 16 bit 
>the good-old EGA icons are used :-(
>
>Is there any way to force XP showing true color icons even with 16 bit gfx depths? 
>The registry trick of the article did not work.
>
>
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Here is what to do:

 - Run Regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
 - Change the value of 'Shell Icon BPP' to 16
 - Close Regedit and restart your computer. The icons will now be hi-colour ;o)





On Thursday, January 31, 2002 at 12:38 pm, Daniel Lohmann wrote:
>I have a question about Use 
>True-Color Icons:

>
>According to the article you need at least a gfx depths of 16 bit to use the true 
>color icons. This worked fine on NT4 and Win2k. Unfortunately on my System XP shows 
>the true color icons only if the gfx depth is set to 32 bit, if I set it to 16 bit 
>the good-old EGA icons are used :-(
>
>Is there any way to force XP showing true color icons even with 16 bit gfx depths? 
>The registry trick of the article did not work.
>
>
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Cool! It works. Boy, sometimes things are so easy....

Thanks a lot!

Daniel





On Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 9:14 am, Thermion wrote:

>Here is what to do:
>
> - Run Regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
> - Change the value of 'Shell Icon BPP' to 16
> - Close Regedit and restart your computer. The icons will now be hi-colour ;o)
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Thats all well and good but mine is already set to 16 but my icons still look crappy. Anyway to test the colors I'm using so as to figure out if its just the icons, just windows desktop, or if its everything?


On Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 9:14 am, Thermion wrote:

>Here is what to do:
>
> - Run Regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
> - Change the value of 'Shell Icon BPP' to 16
> - Close Regedit and restart your computer. The icons will now be hi-colour ;o)
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

THANK YOU Thermion! I changed the key from 32 to 16 and it worked, I now have the normal icons back when my display is set to 16-bits colour, instead of the weird 256-colour icons Windows XP previously showed! Thanks! Matherion


On Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 9:14 am, Thermion wrote:

>Here is what to do:
>
> - Run Regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
> - Change the value of 'Shell Icon BPP' to 16
> - Close Regedit and restart your computer. The icons will now be hi-colour ;o)
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Great tip. I just tried it but it was already set to 16. I thought I was being anal but I always install Win 98 upgrade to me and then upgrade to xp and so on. I always felt that the last of true dos was important to be installed before upgrading that way most of the settings and stuff are caried thru to the new. Has any one else felt that way?


On Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 9:14 am, Thermion wrote:

>Here is what to do:
>
> - Run Regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
> - Change the value of 'Shell Icon BPP' to 16
> - Close Regedit and restart your computer. The icons will now be hi-colour ;o)
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

I got a new laptop just this week, and I ran into this problem as well. I spent about two minutes on the Internet searching for a cure before I found this forum, and the problem is solved. So thanks, Thermion!

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Try this, but this is only theory. The icon color-depth setting might work best when it is set to whatever color depth your desktop is set to. So if you're operating at 24-bit color, set that registry setting to 24. Again, this is only theory. Note to Microsoft: In the next bug fix, make sure the icon color depth adjusts properly when the system's color depth is adjusted.


On Friday, November 8, 2002 at 7:41 pm, Brendan O'Leary wrote:
>
>Thats all well and good but mine is already set to 16 but my icons still look crappy.
>
>Anyway to test the colors I'm using so as to figure out if its just the icons, just
>windows desktop, or if its everything?
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!


On Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 9:14 am, Thermion wrote:

>Here is what to do:
>
> - Run Regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
> - Change the value of 'Shell Icon BPP' to 16
> - Close Regedit and restart your computer. The icons will now be hi-colour ;o)
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

installing 98 then me just to install xp? that's insane. it's like saying if you want to build a house on an empty lot, first you have to build a shack, then demolish it leaving the furniture intact and build a shabby four walls thing on top of it, then demolish that and build your new house on top of that. you don't need dos to be happy. seriously.


On Monday, March 24, 2003 at 8:28 pm, WINGEEK wrote:
>
>
>Great tip. I just tried it but it was already set to 16. I thought I was being anal
>but I always install Win 98 upgrade to me and then upgrade to xp and so on. I always
>felt that the last of true dos was important to be installed before upgrading that
>way most of the settings and stuff are caried thru to the new. Has any one else felt
>that way?

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Unfortunately, although this works with XP System Icons; it does not seem to work with program icons such as "Palm Desktop" which is different in 32 bit mode; as well as a few other application icons that support 32bit icons.


On Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 9:14 am, Thermion wrote:

>Here is what to do:
>
> - Run Regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
> - Change the value of 'Shell Icon BPP' to 16
> - Close Regedit and restart your computer. The icons will now be hi-colour ;o)
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Could it be my graphic card malfunctioning ? I am using a GeForce 2 with 32MB and it used to display 16 bit icons in the OS but just recently desktop becomes 256 colours and playing back video become sluggish. I tried setting to 256 colours, reboot, then change to 16 bit colour, reboot but my desktop still remains at 256 colours. Need assistance.


On Tuesday, August 12, 2003 at 8:13 pm, DJStealth wrote:
>Unfortunately, although this works with XP System Icons; it does not seem to work
>with program icons such as "Palm Desktop" which is different in 32 bit mode; as well
>as a few other application icons that support 32bit icons.
>
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

try re-installing / upgrading your video drivers http://www.nvidia.com


On Tuesday, September 30, 2003 at 10:23 pm, aCiDByTe wrote:
>Could it be my graphic card malfunctioning ? I am using a GeForce 2 with 32MB and
>it used to display 16 bit icons in the OS but just recently desktop becomes 256 colours
>and playing back video become sluggish. I tried setting to 256 colours, reboot,
>then change to 16 bit colour, reboot but my desktop still remains at 256 colours.
>Need assistance.
>
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

On Friday, April 11, 2003 at 8:17 pm, Paul wrote:
>Note to Microsoft: In the next bug fix, make sure the icon color depth adjusts properly
>when the system's color depth is adjusted. Curious fact: Windows 3.1 supported 16-bit color icons perfectly... behold: http://toastytech.com/guis/miscwin31.png The 32-bit glitch appears to have been added in Windows 95 to get people to purchase that stupid "PLUS!" pack. The same guy fiddled with Windows 3.1 and made it look just like the "eXPerience". http://toastytech.com/guis/miscw31xp.png

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

No need to reboot, just kill the explorer process from Task Manager then run explorer again from Task Manager. It worked for me.


On Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 9:14 am, Thermion wrote:
>
>Here is what to do:
>
> - Run Regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
> - Change the value of 'Shell Icon BPP' to 16
> - Close Regedit and restart your computer. The icons will now be hi-colour ;o)
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Carrying the settings over is exactly what MS did wrong here. Before XP there was a "Show icons using all possible colors" checkbox in the display properties. This option has been removed in Windows XP. Icons will always be shown in all possible colors in Windows XP. then they left flags like this in the system so that other programs can screw up your system with no easy way to repair it.


On Monday, March 24, 2003 at 8:28 pm, rob wrote:
>
>
>Great tip. I just tried it but it was already set to 16. I thought I was being anal
>but I always install Win 98 upgrade to me and then upgrade to xp and so on. I always
>felt that the last of true dos was important to be installed before upgrading that
>way most of the settings and stuff are caried thru to the new. Has any one else felt
>that way?

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Try "Monitor Calibration Wizard" to see if your color balance is correct.

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

Thanks for the help the regedit way worked perfectly


On Tuesday, January 7, 2003 at 2:58 pm, Gjalt-Jorn Ygram Peters wrote:
>THANK YOU Thermion!
>I changed the key from 32 to 16 and it worked, I now have the normal icons back when
>my display is set to 16-bits colour, instead of the weird 256-colour icons Windows
>XP previously showed!
>Thanks!
>
>Matherion
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

I have just discovered that going to {Display Properties ; Appearance ; Windows and buttons:} and changing the setting from Windows XP style to Windows Classic style, click [Apply] then changing it back fixes the problem. Just thought I would put that in for anyone researching this problem on the web.


On Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 9:14 am, Thermion wrote:
>
>Here is what to do:
>
> - Run Regedit, and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics
> - Change the value of 'Shell Icon BPP' to 16
> - Close Regedit and restart your computer. The icons will now be hi-colour ;o)
>

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

So I know this thread is 2 years old, but the regedit still works. This has frustrated me for years. THANKS!!!!

[Reply or follow-up to this message]

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