Toolbar at top of IE

I have Windows XP, IE version 8. This question is about the toolbars
showing at the top of IE. The upper one that (normally) shows the words:
File - Edit - View - Favorites - Tools - Help, and the lower one that
(again, normally) shows (among others) the important word: Home.
Recently, periodically, the background for those two toolbars turns totally
black, so the words cannot be read. Fortunately Home has an icon, which
DOES show up. As for the upper one, if I click on where I think the word
is (i.e. Favorites, which I use very frequently) the drop-down menu appears,
so it is functional. After a few days the black disappears and things are
normal again. But this has happened several times, so I am wondering if
anyone knows the cause and hopefully the solution. Thanks.

Joy <> wrote:
> I have Windows XP, IE version 8. This question is about the toolbars
> showing at the top of IE. The upper one that (normally) shows the words:
> File - Edit - View - Favorites - Tools - Help, and the lower one that
> (again, normally) shows (among others) the important word: Home.
> Recently, periodically, the background for those two toolbars turns totally
> black, so the words cannot be read. Fortunately Home has an icon, which
> DOES show up. As for the upper one, if I click on where I think the word
> is (i.e. Favorites, which I use very frequently) the drop-down menu appears,
> so it is functional. After a few days the black disappears and things are
> normal again. But this has happened several times, so I am wondering if
> anyone knows the cause and hopefully the solution. Thanks.

Did you first check if there were any other people asking about
black toolbars here?

"Joy" <> wrote in message
news:...
>I have Windows XP, IE version 8. This question is about the toolbars
>showing at the top of IE. The upper one that (normally) shows the words:
>File - Edit - View - Favorites - Tools - Help, and the lower one that
>(again, normally) shows (among others) the important word: Home. Recently,
>periodically, the background for those two toolbars turns totally black, so
>the words cannot be read. Fortunately Home has an icon, which DOES show
>up. As for the upper one, if I click on where I think the word is (i.e.
>Favorites, which I use very frequently) the drop-down menu appears, so it
>is functional. After a few days the black disappears and things are
>normal again. But this has happened several times, so I am wondering if
>anyone knows the cause and hopefully the solution. Thanks.
>

Right Click on the Desktop (not on an icon) and choose
Properties>Appearance, and select the Windows Classic Style. Click OK.

This should resolve the issue and bring colors back to the Menu Bars.

You can go back to the Windows XP Style if you want, the color should
remain.

There are other selections in the Desktop Tab that can cause the Menu Bars
to go black. I'd suggest you make the selections you want and stop changing
them. Force the Windows Classic Style and Windows Classic Theme to restore
the colors to the menu and tool bars, then go back and make the alterations
you prefer and leave them alone after that.

I had the black menu and tool bars recently and fixed it with the Windows
Classic settings.

Good luck.

Didn't think of it until I had already posted. I think I then read them
all. Bottom line seemed to be that no matter what they did, the black
eventually came back.

> Did you first check if there were any other people asking about
> black toolbars here?

"Jeff Strickland" <> wrote in message
news:hutp5c$ta3$...
>
>
> There are other selections in the Desktop Tab that can cause the Menu Bars
> to go black. I'd suggest you make the selections you want and stop
> changing them. Force the Windows Classic Style and Windows Classic Theme
> to restore the colors to the menu and tool bars, then go back and make the
> alterations you prefer and leave them alone after that.

Thanks, Jeff. Under Appearance, are you referring to Windows & Buttons
or Color Scheme or both?

I have Windows Classic under Windows & Buttons, but Windows Standard under
color Scheme. Should I make sure both of them say Windows Classic?
Also, under Themes, I have Windows Classic (modified), should that be
changed to Windows Classic? I'm always hesitant to make change without
making sure I'm doing the correct thing.

>
> I had the black menu and tool bars recently and fixed it with the Windows
> Classic settings.
>
> Good luck.
>
>
>
>
>

How do I move the Standard toolbar [AKA Menu bar] to a location that is
above the Address bar in IE7 or IE8?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930645

Black Toolbars in Windows Applications
http://www.iecustomizer.com/Resource...kToolbars.aspx


Or until Rob fixes his website:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&ct=clnk&gl=us



Joy wrote:
> I have Windows XP, IE version 8. This question is about the toolbars
> showing at the top of IE. The upper one that (normally) shows the words:
> File - Edit - View - Favorites - Tools - Help, and the lower one that
> (again, normally) shows (among others) the important word: Home.
> Recently, periodically, the background for those two toolbars turns
> totally
> black, so the words cannot be read. Fortunately Home has an icon, which
> DOES show up. As for the upper one, if I click on where I think the word
> is (i.e. Favorites, which I use very frequently) the drop-down menu
> appears,
> so it is functional. After a few days the black disappears and things
> are
> normal again. But this has happened several times, so I am wondering if
> anyone knows the cause and hopefully the solution. Thanks.

"Joy" <> wrote in message
news:...
>
> "Jeff Strickland" <> wrote in message
> news:hutp5c$ta3$...
>>
>>
>> There are other selections in the Desktop Tab that can cause the Menu
>> Bars to go black. I'd suggest you make the selections you want and stop
>> changing them. Force the Windows Classic Style and Windows Classic Theme
>> to restore the colors to the menu and tool bars, then go back and make
>> the alterations you prefer and leave them alone after that.
>
> Thanks, Jeff. Under Appearance, are you referring to Windows & Buttons
> or Color Scheme or both?
>
> I have Windows Classic under Windows & Buttons, but Windows Standard under
> color Scheme. Should I make sure both of them say Windows Classic? Also,
> under Themes, I have Windows Classic (modified), should that be changed
> to Windows Classic? I'm always hesitant to make change without making
> sure I'm doing the correct thing.
>

Yes, Windows and Buttons set to Windows Classic Style. If it's already
there, change it and come back.

The Desktop tab has a Themes dropdown box that you want to set to Windows
Classic too. You don't have to leave these selections, but I found that my
system was fixed when I changed the settings. Funny thing is, I prefer the
classic view, but changing away then coming back solved the problems.