Robert Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Did I break the transparent settings somewhere in the 8.1 personalization settings? The bottom Taskbar is transparent on my Windows 8.1 computer. But nothing else is transparent. I don't recall if it is that by default or I clicked something on or off. I want the same transparent effect on the toolbar/taskbar of Firefox. Right now it's a solid color like it is on Windows 3.0 which is a little too retro for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrke Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 (edited) Maybe you need to do something like this: http://www.techmell....ass-windows-81/ I'm not a regular windows user, so I may be mistaken, but from what I've read it sounds like the taskbar is the only thing transparent in 8 and 8.1. Anything else has to be enabled manually. Microsoft notably left Aero Glass, the company’s transparent design featured prominently in Windows Vista and 7, out of the new Windows 8. Application windows in Microsoft’s latest operating system now take on a flatter opaque look. While many like the new look, Microsoft oddly included a transparency effect in the desktop Taskbar. EDIT: quote from TekRevue Edited June 10, 2014 by ebrke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 I'm not a regular Windows 8.1 user, just occasional, so didn't know about it being striped out of the new version. I followed the instructions and it worked, for a few seconds, then the area above Firefox went bad with multiple windows artifacts layering on top of one another. Fortunately choosing a different theme got things back to normal. Scared me for a minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 That was what I was going to suggest ... in fact I typed it in response to your first posting and then saw you had posted a reply that you changed to a different theme and all is well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goretsky Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Hello, Aero Glass was actually removed in Windows 8. The referenced page contains a link at the bottom to a tool that claims to restore it. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Exactly Aryeh. The changing of the Theme is what I was referring to. Sure you realized that, but just in case Robert didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymac46 Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I read somewhere that the pundits at Microsoft considered Aero Glass cheesy and dated. That must describe me as well, because I have always thought it was a great look and feel. Why have all this 3D capable graphics technology and make the windows look like they did back in Windows 3.0 ??? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crp Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I read somewhere that the pundits at Microsoft considered Aero Glass cheesy and dated. That must describe me as well, because I have always thought it was a great look and feel. Why have all this 3D capable graphics technology and make the windows look like they did back in Windows 3.0 ??? well S. Sinofsky definitely felt that way, as does Paul Thurrott. I think the real problem that they had with Aero was the battery power drain it would have caused. Yet another mistake in trying to shovel W8 as an all-device OS. I miss Aero in W8x. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Sadly true. But the flat look is downright ugly ... but it doesn't tax the GPU as much for sure and thereby the battery. also good for portable devices like phones and tablets, but it's still ugly compared to transparency in the GUI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Seems like computers were getting easier to use until the release of Vista. Since that time like even some Linux distros have been taking away viewing features and forcing a single choice for everyone. Examples: Ubuntu locks the dock on the left of the screen. You can made it go invisible, but it takes a swift smack of the wrist to make it reappear. People with arthritis can't do that. Ubuntu and some others lock in a micro sized mouse cursor that cannot be enlarged. The save space mentality also took away options for larger scroll bars. On some applications they are non-existent, but if you move the mouse into the correct area a small moving arrow box appears. Try to move the small mouse cursor you can't see onto the little box and drag it. Menu bar text at the top of the screen disappears until the mouse moves into the blank area. The bar still takes up the space 24/7 but the text disappears? Who thought that up? Some windows have no icons for minimize, resize, or close. You are supposed to drag the bar up, down, or wherever to do what a click used to do. I call them Carpal tunnel windows. I also don't understand the contempt and hate that has creeped into the software developers world. It's, "Either do it MY new modern way or you're a Luddite." Maybe that's why Chromebooks are selling so well, as even college kids turn their backs on overly complicated hard to use software designed by bullies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.