Windows XP changes its theme every time after reboot
Solution 1:
Common reasons that cause this problem:
- Settings that can have influence on the selected theme are configured wrong.
- The Themes service is disabled or it's parameters/security/settings have been tampered with.
- Windows is not saving it's settings when it shuts down.
How to fix this:
-
Right click this link, then save it on your computer and execute it after.
savesettings.reg (archive.org cached copy)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] "SystemTray"="SysTray.Exe"
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU] [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell] "BagMRU Size"=dword:00001f40
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam] "BagMRU Size"=dword:00001f40
-
Do the same things with this link.
restorethemes.reg (archive.org cached copy)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System] "NoDispBackgroundPage"=dword:00000000 "NoDispScrSavPage"=dword:00000000 "NoColorChoice"=dword:00000000 "NoSizeChoice"=dword:00000000 "NoVisualStyleChoice"=dword:00000000 "SetVisualStyle"="C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Luna.theme"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Themes] "Type"=dword:00000020 "Start"=dword:00000002 "ErrorControl"=dword:00000001 "ImagePath"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,\ 74,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,\ 00,76,00,63,00,68,00,6f,00,73,00,74,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,2d,00,\ 6b,00,20,00,6e,00,65,00,74,00,73,00,76,00,63,00,73,00,00,00 "DisplayName"="Themes" "Group"="UIGroup" "ObjectName"="LocalSystem" "FailureActions"=hex:80,51,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,04,00,19,\ 00,01,00,00,00,60,ea,00,00,01,00,00,00,60,ea,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00 "Description"="Provides user experience theme management."
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Themes\Parameters] "ServiceDll"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,\ 00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,\ 73,00,68,00,73,00,76,00,63,00,73,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,00,00 "ServiceMain"="ThemeServiceMain"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Themes\Security] "Security"=hex:01,00,14,80,90,00,00,00,9c,00,00,00,14,00,00,00,30,00,00,00,02,\ 00,1c,00,01,00,00,00,02,80,14,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,\ 00,00,02,00,60,00,04,00,00,00,00,00,14,00,fd,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,\ 05,12,00,00,00,00,00,18,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,\ 20,02,00,00,00,00,14,00,8d,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,0b,00,00,00,00,\ 00,18,00,fd,01,02,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,23,02,00,00,01,01,\ 00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Themes\Enum] "0"="Root\LEGACY_THEMES\0000" "Count"=dword:00000001 "NextInstance"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000
Reboot your computer, set the theme right and reboot again.
- It should be fixed now.
The Registry files came from these sites:
- Kelly's Korner: XP Tweaks
- How to Fix Windows XP Theme Problems
Extra attempts:
- Check at My Computer/Properties/Advanced/Performance/Settings that both
"use visual styles on windows and buttons" and "use common tasks in folders" are checked. - http://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Enhancements/Themes/RestoreXPthemes.shtml
- Try to replace the theme that is wrong by the one that is right in C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\
- If it still doesn't work, maybe creating a new user profile could fix this problem.
Solution 2:
You may check "Group Policy Editor" if the default system settings were changed (only available for Windows XP Pro).
Select "Run" from the Start menu, type gpedit.msc and hit Enter. Under Local Computer Policy, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Display > Desktop Theme. Now on the right pane, you'll see some settings and their states. Change them and save & exit GPE. Change your theme the way you want, reboot and tell us if this works.
Solution 3:
Right click My Computer -> Advanced -> Performance and set it to Adjust for Best Performance. This reverts to the classic theme if thats what you want, but its a hack I know.