Solved Classic Theme on Windows 8

Kelderic

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Is there a way to get the Classic Theme on Windows 8? I have 7 right now, and I'm considering upgrading for the desktop enhancements.
 

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    HP

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Classic Shell will replace the start menu. It doesn't have anything to do with Windows themes as far as I know. I rechecked their website after you posted that link to confirm.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    Laptop
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    HP
So far there is not a classic theme, as you know it from earlier OSs. The only ones available are high contrast themes, without the usual graphic options for format borders. etc. But Deviant art have come up with a partial solution, which might interest you enough?

Windows classic theme for Windows 8 RTM by ~kizo2703 on deviantART
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Use several different computers during a day, so specs are irrelevant.
That's what I found when I Googled the issue. All it is is a current theme turned gray. The thing I like about the Classic Theme is that it's very 3D, using light and dark lines to achieve this. Does anyone know how there might be a registry hack or something to change back?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
That's what I found when I Googled the issue. All it is is a current theme turned gray. The thing I like about the Classic Theme is that it's very 3D, using light and dark lines to achieve this. Does anyone know how there might be a registry hack or something to change back?
As far as anyone knows, this isn't possible. The Windows Classic theme got cut out as literally no one other than a very few were actually using that.

Seems interesting though, I've never heard of anyone saying that the Classic theme looks better than newer ones...
 

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    Windows 8.1 Pro
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    ASUS
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    AMD FX 8320
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    Crosshair V Formula-Z
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    16 gig DDR3
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    ASUS R9 270
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    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
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    OCZ 500 watt
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    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
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    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
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    Microsoft Touch Mouse
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    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Seems interesting though, I've never heard of anyone saying that the Classic theme looks better than newer ones...

Rare I realize. I like realism though. Neither the Vista/7 glassy gradient-heavy themes, nor the flat 8 themes are as realistic looking as Classic. On the other hand, there's no real necessity to upgrading, 7 is as good as 8 in most ways.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
The Vista/7/8CP Aero Glass theme with the blur and transparency was the best looking of all the OSes.

MANY of us, especially those with very powerful machines, want it back.

When I come back here after using my Win 7 machine, I feel like crying....it's just SO BLAND.

Wenda.
 

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    Windows 8.1 'Ultimate' RTM 64 bit (Pro/WMC).
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    Acer AS8951G 'Desktop Replacement'.
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    i7-2670QM@2.2/3.1Ghz.
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    Acer
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    Stock.
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    Full 101-key
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    USB cordless.
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    IE11, Firefox, Tor.
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    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro.
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    BD-ROM drive.
Boys and Girls, Ladies and Gentlemen, Google is your friend. . .Just Google/Bing Windows 8 Themes or Skins, and you will be awarded a great many GUI changes. The Skinning community is starting to go strong with all new GUI themes. Stardock is going to be coming out with a new version of WindowBlinds sometime in the near future, thus another way to change the GUI.

Mr. Robot, there are skins and themes out there that will allow you to change win 8 into Win 7, Vista, XP, or any or flavor you may be looking for.

Always remember if you wait, someone will come out with something you may want to improve your Windows 8 experience. . .:thumbsup:
 

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    Foxconn - 2ADA Ivy Brige
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The Vista/7/8CP Aero Glass theme with the blur and transparency was the best looking of all the OSes.

MANY of us, especially those with very powerful machines, want it back.

When I come back here after using my Win 7 machine, I feel like crying....it's just SO BLAND.

Wenda.

That's why i dual-booted windows 8 with windows 7 at some times.
The UI of windows 8 is just too darn flat, missed the RP version of Transparency.
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64
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    Lenovo Y520
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 7300HQ
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    OEM Lenovo
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    4GB DDR4-2400
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    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
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    Realtek HD
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    1 (2)
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    1920x1080
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    Seagate 1TB 5400 RPM
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    OEM Lenovo
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    Logitech G502 Proteus Core
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    100 Mbps
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    Google Chrome
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    AMD Athlon X4 760K
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    AMD Radeon RX 460
    Seagate 500 GB 7200 RPM

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
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    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
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    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
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    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
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    IDT HD Audio
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    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
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    multiple resolutions
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    120W adapter
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    laptop cooling pad
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    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Boys and Girls, Ladies and Gentlemen, Google is your friend. . .Just Google/Bing Windows 8 Themes or Skins, and you will be awarded a great many GUI changes. The Skinning community is starting to go strong with all new GUI themes. Stardock is going to be coming out with a new version of WindowBlinds sometime in the near future, thus another way to change the GUI.

Mr. Robot, there are skins and themes out there that will allow you to change win 8 into Win 7, Vista, XP, or any or flavor you may be looking for.

Always remember if you wait, someone will come out with something you may want to improve your Windows 8 experience. . .:thumbsup:

I have googled, several times. The Classic Theme, as far I can tell from Google, doesn't exist for Windows 8. Hence asking here.


You can see that on google on some places:

Tech Blog :: Download Windows Classic Theme For Windows 8

That should be the classic theme.

Should be. Did you look at it? It doesn't look anything like the Classic Theme. They took a flat current theme and made it gray.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP
You can see that on google on some places:

Tech Blog :: Download Windows Classic Theme For Windows 8

That should be the classic theme.

Should be. Did you look at it? It doesn't look anything like the Classic Theme. They took a flat current theme and made it gray.

Yes I looked at it. It's the only way to get classic look on Win8.

True. The original classic theme doesn't exist anymore on Win8. Therefore they try to replicate it through AeroLite / HighContrast combinations provided by Win8.

Hope this explains it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
The Vista/7/8CP Aero Glass theme with the blur and transparency was the best looking of all the OSes.

MANY of us, especially those with very powerful machines, want it back.

When I come back here after using my Win 7 machine, I feel like crying....it's just SO BLAND.

Wenda.

That's why i dual-booted windows 8 with windows 7 at some times.
The UI of windows 8 is just too darn flat, missed the RP version of Transparency.
Smart move. I did not even bother to double boot it. I stuck it into a virtual partition - and now it is gathering dust there. M$ will have to make a LOT of changes before I will be taking the dust off. Getting the Aero back is just one of them. Getting rid of this Mickey Mouse start screen is another one.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
The Vista/7/8CP Aero Glass theme with the blur and transparency was the best looking of all the OSes.

MANY of us, especially those with very powerful machines, want it back.

When I come back here after using my Win 7 machine, I feel like crying....it's just SO BLAND.

Wenda.

That's why i dual-booted windows 8 with windows 7 at some times.
The UI of windows 8 is just too darn flat, missed the RP version of Transparency.
Smart move. I did not even bother to double boot it. I stuck it into a virtual partition - and now it is gathering dust there. M$ will have to make a LOT of changes before I will be taking the dust off. Getting the Aero back is just one of them. Getting rid of this Mickey Mouse start screen is another one.

Aero Glass on Windows 8 was a miracle! Currently i'm using the Release Preview theme combined with DWMLoader v0.2 by BigMuscle. I get the transparency WITH BLUR! It looks beautiful!

For the Start Screen, they better not remove it, just add the option to choose Start Menu or Start Screen or Both.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Y520
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 7300HQ
    Motherboard
    OEM Lenovo
    Memory
    4GB DDR4-2400
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 (2)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Seagate 1TB 5400 RPM
    Keyboard
    OEM Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech G502 Proteus Core
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Other Info
    PC:

    AMD Athlon X4 760K
    8GB DDR3-1866
    AMD Radeon RX 460
    Seagate 500 GB 7200 RPM
Isn't it ashame that we have to resort to a selection of OEM programs - and only because M$ mucked it up.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
There is a genuine design flaw if a UI aspect that literally accounts of less than 10 percent of the total user interface is what is being missed/ the aspect of the UI that people are so focused on. The window chrome IS NOT WINDOWS. The content within the windows is what gives the name to Windows. Windows isn't called Chrome or Windows Chrome or Glass or something like that. That is just odd.

Since the RTM of Windows 8, I've noticed my personal habits doesn't include looking at the window chrome so much on the Desktop. It's not distracting, I'm actually more focused on the window contents. It's strange how that happen I must say. When I use Windows 7, it's just so weird. Everything is reflective, everything glows when you hover over it, it's uber rounded like a Fisher-Price toy, and I find myself just oogling at the window chrome, it's actually the first thing I look at when I use it. That is a design flaw I believe, if the UI is distracting, that isn't a great UI model.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
You can see that on google on some places:

Tech Blog :: Download Windows Classic Theme For Windows 8

That should be the classic theme.

Should be. Did you look at it? It doesn't look anything like the Classic Theme. They took a flat current theme and made it gray.

Yes I looked at it. It's the only way to get classic look on Win8.

True. The original classic theme doesn't exist anymore on Win8. Therefore they try to replicate it through AeroLite / HighContrast combinations provided by Win8.

Hope this explains it.

There is really nothing to explain. It isn't the Classic Theme. It really doesn't look anything like it save for the gray color.

Unfortunately the answer so far is, you can't get the Classic Theme on Windows 8. I'm marking it as solved, since we have an answer, even if it's not the one I hoped for. I appreciate the helpful answers though!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Is there a way to get the Classic Theme on Windows 8? I have 7 right now, and I'm considering upgrading for the desktop enhancements.

Seems as Classic Theme still exists, just Hidden... hopefully some hack group will take it on and make a patch so it can be turned on easily.

http://mcakins.com/2013/04/12/windows-8-glitch-causes-windows-95-ui-to-appear

// DannyCage

Looks messy...
I've never had that issue on any of my machines.

It must be a fallback if the current running Aero(s) fail due to graphic errors or wrongly modified/patched system UI files.

Notice that in the video there Task Manager cannot be started. Task Manager is a core program and the lack of it says there's a problem.

If you stop the DWM you will get another look, resembling the Basic theme from Vista and 7.

Even if you get the classic theme running it's not recommended to use it because of graphic performance.
For example, that is if classic behaves the same way high contrast does, some programs will have issues with it:
-> on high contrast themes some graphic programs (like Cinema 4D) that make use of acceleration (perhaps OpenGL/DX9-10) do not display properly.

Just trying to point out that Aero boosts something up (graphic performance, UI related) and some programs make use of that (standard). Without the boost, the programs in question will most likely show some glitches.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
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