Windows Vista Taskbar/TPM Colours

Picture attached should explain it, when I don't have any big window programs like IE open, and I'm just looking at my desktop, the taskbar turns blueish and the battery is blue. When I open IE or something that can maximize window, the taskbar turns black and the battery goes green.

Is it possible to have it so that it's always black taskbar/green battery instead of blue taskbar/blue battery? Thanks friends

 

The top is Vista Basic and the bottom picture is Vista Aero. Aero is more transparent than Basic, so that's why Basic looks more "solid" than Aero and that's why the battery color changes....because it's taking some color from the background....

 

Turn off transparency in the personalize menu.

 

I don't think it's limit to just basic/aero or transparently settings. I get that in Aero mode when I have a window mostly full screen and touching the task bar. I think it has more to do with window effects/drop shadowing/etc than aero mode.

 

You're right, I think. I changed my background to a brown one and the battery now shows brown when everything is minimized. How can I get it so that it's Vista Aero all the time?

 

It should stay in Aero unless you run a program that is incompatible with Aero. I have two work related apps that dumb my machine down, but it snaps back to Aero as soon as I terminate them (two java apps for time and expenses, not something I dwell in all week long )

If you're finding that you are out of Aero a lot, it could be a resident/system tray program that you've loaded.

 

I think the deal with that is the fact that when you maximize a window with Vista's Aero, the window borders and the taskbar turn opaque, which is what is happening in your screenshot. With the taskbar opaque, the battery bar changes colors depending on your background.... It actually stays in Aero all the time, so if you want a green battery bar then have a darker wallpaper or something.