Most bars are black

Have IE8 on WinXP and all of the top bars are black except the
navigation bar. The bar at the bottom of the screen is grey.

The black bars I can see some icons and on some can click in various
locations and a drop down menu appears.

This occurred once while using previous version but corrected itself
and it's been this way for some months since upgrading to IE8.
Fortunately I've been using Firefox so only notice the problem when
must use IE due to a site being poorly written and can't be read in
Firefox.

Have reset IE, but no change. And opened with add-ons uninstalled and
then with them installed. No change. Can't find anything in Help.
Any info would be appreciated.
Miles

Hi,
Look for the answer by cld0123 at
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/...5-7a74fa56a5d5

More (much more) here
http://www.iecustomizer.com/Resource...kToolbars.aspx

Hope this helps,
Don

"Miles" <> wrote in message
news:if31cl$u8n$...
> Have IE8 on WinXP and all of the top bars are black except the
> navigation bar. The bar at the bottom of the screen is grey.
>
> The black bars I can see some icons and on some can click in various
> locations and a drop down menu appears.
>
> This occurred once while using previous version but corrected itself
> and it's been this way for some months since upgrading to IE8.
> Fortunately I've been using Firefox so only notice the problem when
> must use IE due to a site being poorly written and can't be read in
> Firefox.
>
> Have reset IE, but no change. And opened with add-ons uninstalled and
> then with them installed. No change. Can't find anything in Help.
> Any info would be appreciated.
> Miles

"Miles" <> wrote in message
news:if31cl$u8n$...
> Have IE8 on WinXP and all of the top bars are black except the navigation
> bar. The bar at the bottom of the screen is grey.


Right Click on the Desktop, choose Properties. Go to the General Tab and set
the Theme to Classic. Go to the Appearance Tab and set the appearance to
Classic.

Click Apply, then OK.

Check your IE. If okay, then revisit the Desktop Properties and make the
settings you prefer.

* Jeff Strickland wrote, On 24-Dec-10 17:58:
> "Miles"<> wrote in message
> news:if31cl$u8n$...
>> Have IE8 on WinXP and all of the top bars are black except the navigation
>> bar. The bar at the bottom of the screen is grey.
>
>
> Right Click on the Desktop, choose Properties. Go to the General Tab and set
> the Theme to Classic. Go to the Appearance Tab and set the appearance to
> Classic.
>
> Click Apply, then OK.
>
> Check your IE. If okay, then revisit the Desktop Properties and make the
> settings you prefer.
>

Thank you both, Don & Jeff!! Don's link pointed out several methods
to something that MSFT apparently doesn't have the ability to repair
and Jeff's method was a quick fix.

I changed the theme from one I had created several years ago that has
all of the preferred setups to Windows Classic, and all was fine in
IE8. Then changed the theme back and all continues OK, and hopefully
will not return -- but if it does I know the quick fix.

Miles

"Miles" <> wrote in message
news:if5dig$i3c$...
>* Jeff Strickland wrote, On 24-Dec-10 17:58:
>> "Miles"<> wrote in message
>> news:if31cl$u8n$...
>>> Have IE8 on WinXP and all of the top bars are black except the
>>> navigation
>>> bar. The bar at the bottom of the screen is grey.
>>
>>
>> Right Click on the Desktop, choose Properties. Go to the General Tab and
>> set
>> the Theme to Classic. Go to the Appearance Tab and set the appearance to
>> Classic.
>>
>> Click Apply, then OK.
>>
>> Check your IE. If okay, then revisit the Desktop Properties and make the
>> settings you prefer.
>>
>
> Thank you both, Don & Jeff!! Don's link pointed out several methods to
> something that MSFT apparently doesn't have the ability to repair and
> Jeff's method was a quick fix.
>
> I changed the theme from one I had created several years ago that has all
> of the preferred setups to Windows Classic, and all was fine in IE8.
> Then changed the theme back and all continues OK, and hopefully will not
> return -- but if it does I know the quick fix.
>

You're good to go. No more trouble, but if there is then you have the quick
fix.

I never saw the black menu bars when everybody else was complaining of them.
Then one day out of the blue, black menus. I don't remember what caused them
and using IE to look for the cure was painful indeed because the menu bars
were difficult to read. I think I got them when changing my monitor, so I
went into the tabs I told you about and changed the settings.

Then changed them back. No troubles since. Ironically, Windows Classic is my
preferred setting, but when I set my Desktop Picture, I end up with Windows
Classic (modified). There's no arguing with mother nature, so I accept the
modified setting because I have everything else I want.