SOLVED Win 7 customization (sorry if this has been posted before)

[ghost1951]

I have a Presario F700 series laptop running Win 7 Ultimate. I like the Aero Glass style of windows. However, my maximum screen resolution is 1280x800 and everything is just too large for my liking. When browsing with IE8 I can set the window size to 75% and I like that size. Now I just wish I could do the same for all of Win 7. You remember in winxp when you could go into settings and advanced and change the window title font size, menu font size, window scroll bar width etc. I just want smaller, tighter looking windows and fonts no matter what application I am running. I know you can change from Aero back to Classic and gain more access, but I want to keep the Aero look. I know, trying to have my cake and eat it too. But hey, don't we all like to customize our computers as much as we can? Any and all ideas are welcome and appreciated. Sorry if this has been asked before, I did do a search but didn't find anything related.

 

[Bugsy]

Go to control panel - hardware and sound - under display header - make text and other items larger or smaller.

hope this help

 

[ghost1951]

Bugsy,
Already been there and it is set for 100% and can not be made smaller than that. You can go up in size but not smaller than 100%. I appreciate your input though.

 

[Bugsy]

can you not set a custom screen res either through windows or even your graphics card properties?

thats how i have done it in the past.

 

[ghost1951]

Bugsy,
With a desktop and monitor, the resolution possibilities are much better. But with a laptop with LCD screen, 15" size my maximum resolution is 1280x800. That is all that the screen will allow. So I am looking for ways to customize through windows OS. Thanks again........

 

[Bugsy]

I would check for all the latest drivers for your model; http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF04a/321957-321957-3329742-89318-89318.html

 

[ghost1951]

Thanks Bugsy, I have been through all that and more. It is a hardware limitation and that is why I have to take the OS approach. I am an intermediate to advanced user. I have custom built computers and made some software modifications (ie: confg and ini files) for custom installs. What I am working on now is something new that I am trying to tackle. To me it is all about customizing and seting up a computer to work for you and not the other way around. We all do it to some degree such as specific desktop wallpaper, certain color theme, and as always special applications installed to work the way we WANT to not HAVE to.........

 

[Bugsy]

finished a build a few months back with hardware problems one after the other but finally sorted,

totally agree, if you cant get windows to work for you then whats the point LOL

I take it its the graphics card,cpu?

 

[ghost1951]

Correct Bugsy, I have an WXGA 15.4" LCD monitor with a maximum resolution of 1280x800. The adapter is an nvidia GeForce 7000M/ nForce 610M. Thanks for everything Bugsy......

 

[TrainableMan]

I don't think it's possible, at lease not w/o other software. If you do find a way to customize the title fonts/text size etc in W7 please let us know as it is another feature I miss from XP.

 

[ghost1951]

I will most definately post the answer here when not if it is found. Thanks TrainableMan........

 

[davehc]

I am not sure if this is what you are looking for (Re Yr comment regarding the customisation in XP)?
Right click the desktop _ Personalize.
In the "Change the visuals and sounds on your computer", click "Windows color", and then "Advanced appearance settings"If you the click the drop down menu in "Items", you may find a few things you need.

 

[TrainableMan]

You know I didn't realize that. If you set it Windows Classic (turning off Aero) then you do get all those customization settings back including the ability to make the text and the titlebar size smaller (minimum is 15 char, 18 default)! Of course then no Aero, including the changing desktop wallpaper.

It's still disappointing to me that W7 makes you give up somethings we had just to get others.

 

[davehc]

I have used it a couple of times. One useful one was to extend the horizontal width of the Desktop icons. I still have aero!


View attachment 1831

 

[TrainableMan]

Yes actually that may help the poster a little but with Aero ON the max you can make it smaller is from the default 18 to 17 (woohoo! ) and it ignored my titlebar color settings completely.

 

[davehc]

Sorry. Make which item smaller, inactive or active title bar?
Did you try it with an increased color intensity on the transparency?

 

[ghost1951]

OK guys and gals, I have made progress and gotten pretty much what I am looking for. It is not 100% perfect yet, but hey I am close. I stumbled on a registry change that helps to shrink everything down in size even while using Aero theme. Atleast now the "Google" logo on the home page doesn't take up 20% of my window. If you choose to try this, do so at your own risk. So far I have not seen anything but good results. Smaller fonts, smaller taskbar, smaller windows (as far as what directly interfaces with "Explorer". Here goes.........

Use at your own risk, the side effects are not known.
1. Be careful:
Create a restore point.
Export registry to a file to save it.
2. Edit Registry:
REGEDIT
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG, Software, Fonts
"Note: export the fonts key and save to documents for backup"
Name=LogPixels value is 96 decimal.
For 90 percent font size, set to 86 decimal.
For 80 percent font size, set to 76 decimal.
Close REGEDIT and reboot the computer.
3. If some text appears too small or blurry try different value or
return to 96 dpi.

I am going to call this issue as solved as far as I am concerned......Thanks to all!

 

[TrainableMan]

I love a good reghack, thanx for the tip.

 

[Elmer BeFuddled]

A couple of months back I changed all the fonts in the standard Aero.theme for somebody to Arial from the default SegoeUI, and I mean all the fonts. Aero Arial.theme was the result. From that I was asked if I would make the default SegoeUI font at size 8 as opposed to size 9. Aero Fontate (poetic name!) was the result of that little play-about with Style Builder.

Might be of use to someone. You'll have to patch the three system files (themeservice.dll, themeui.dll & uxtheme.dll) that allow the use of 3rd party themes to use these. I've always used Deepxw's Universal theme Patcher which comes in 32 & 64bit flavours.