Hi All, The tutorial below explains what happens when switching to the Windows Classic theme & how it's done:
While helping Barb learn a bit more about the icons at the top right hand corner of most application Windows (Minimize Restore Close), another issue came up. Gene stated he did not have any such icons at the top right hand corner of his windows. I asked Gene if he had ever changed the desktop theme on his Windows7 computer. He stated he had not. I now feel pretty confident I have solved the mystery of the missing icons. (Smile). For any new Windows7 computer users, I strongly, strongly suggest you consider changing your desktop theme from the default to the Windows Classic. By making this change, application windows will begin to feel very much like the older Windows XP windows. I have made this modification as well as other seasoned Windows7 users problem free. No need to worry as this change is not permanent, and you can return back to the Windows7 theme if you feel compelled to do so. When testing my theory I went from Windows Classic, to the default Windows 7 desktop theme, and back to the desktop classic theme hassle free. To determine if you are using the Windows 7 theme simply launch Notepad and Wordpad. Use the Jaws hotkey to read the top of the window (Insert + Numpad 1 (End key). If you do not hear "Minimize, Restore, Close" or any variation of, it is very likely you too are using the Windows7 Desktop theme. I have typed up the following information to give you and idea of how the Windows Classic desktop theme can be of some benefit to you. The new Windows7 theme is a combination of pictures, colors, and sounds on your computer. It includes a desktop background, a screen saver, a window border color, and a sound scheme. Some Windows7 customized themes can include their own desktop icons and mouse pointers. A drawback of these themes to vision impaired and blind computer users is that these visually stimulating themes take up resources and do not add the same benefits as they would to sighted Windows7 users. The following tutorial will help you make changes that allow for Windows7 to take on the appearance and sounds of the familiar Windows XP classic theme. As an added benefit, these changes will also take the desktop out of the Alt + Tab sequence. We will need to go to the Personalization Dialogue box to make our change from the default Windows7 theme to the classic Windows theme. A little warning is in order. The tutorial below may make changes to your current Windows sound scheme. If you would like to continue using your current sound scheme with all its familiar sounds, make sure to save it or at the very least make a note of its name so you can restore it after the modifications below are made. Here's how to identify your current sound scheme and how to restore it in the event of any mishaps. *Identifying Your Current Sound Scheme 1. Go to the Start menu search box and enter the following: Change system sounds. 2. You will land on the sound scheme you are currently using. Make a note of this particular sound scheme. *Restoring a Sound Scheme 1. If your sound scheme is changed by the steps in the tutorial below, go to the Start menu search box and enter the following: Change system sounds. 2. You will land on a combo box consisting of all of the sound schemes on your computer. 3. Arrow up or down to select your previous sound scheme. 4. This step is very important. Press Shift + Tab twice or until you get to "Apply" and hit enter. 5. Press Shift + tab to Ok and hit enter. 6. Go back and repeat steps 1 and 2 to verify your sound scheme is indeed the currently running sound scheme. *To Configure the Windows Classic Theme 1. Press the windows key to open the Start menu search box, type the following words and hit enter: Change the theme. Note: you can also simply type the word Theme. 2. You will land directly on the Personalization dialogue box's Theme Gallery. 3. Press down arrow until you get to an item called Windows7 Basic. Right arrow to Windows Classic. Hit the enter key to execute the desired change. 4. Wait a few seconds or until you hear an audio sound effect confirming the completion of this process. I would wait another 2 minutes or so as your computer is making lots of changes and you want to allow lots of time for the process to complete. 5. To confirm the changes have been made correctly repeat steps 1 and 2. When you land on the Theme Gallery make sure it is indeed set to Windows Classic. 6. Press alt F4 to close the Personalization dialogue box. Take care. Mike This email was sent from my, iBarstool. ----- Original Message ----- From: Trish To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2014 12:56 PM Subject: Re: [JAWS-Users] Desktop Themes For Win7, New Steps this is interesting, I followed your steps, and it states, unsaved scheme. I didn't explore further, cause I like how it is on this laptop, it's the desktop that I need to see what is stated. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike B." <[email protected]> To: "Jaws-Users List" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2014 12:32 PM Subject: [JAWS-Users] Desktop Themes For Win7, New Steps Hi All, I found out this morning that pressing the F5 key does not deselect icons on the desktop, on my Win7 system anyways, so, I typed up these new steps. Sorry, for any inconvenience I may have caused. 1. While on the desktop press, control + spacebar, to make sure that nothing is selected. 2. Open the context menu with the applications key or, shift + F10, arrow down to Personalize & press enter. 3. You will now be in the Themes Gallery. here the different themes are in columns & rows. To find the Windows Classic Theme, arrow down to Windows7 Basic, & right arrow 1 time to Windows Classic & press enter. Also, changing themes will probably change your Sound Schemes as well. So, you might have to alter your sound schemes to get the sounds you want. Take care. Mike This email was sent from my, iBarstool. For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
