Windows 10: Using the aerolite.msstyle reference in Custom.themes to get thicker borders on desktop...

After upgrading many Windows/7 Pro SP1 systems to Windows 10 Pro 1903 (both 32 and 64-bit systems), I was pleased to see the nice dark blue Title Bar and Borders on my new Windows 10 Desktops (9 upgrades so far). But when I updated a Windows 8.1 Pro system successfully to Windows 10 Pro x64 Feature 1903 this week, the familiar dark blue Title bar and thick borders were gone and replaced with the Windows 8.1 style of application panels with nearly non-existent borders! I used search engines to look for an answer without success, until I found a Shawn Brink posting regarding the aerolite.msstyle which is shipped with Windows 10 Pro. The aerolite.msstyle file was referenced in my Custom.theme files from the Windows 7 Pro upgrades. The MISTAKE I kept making was to copy the Custom.theme file from other "Windows 7 Pro to Windows 10 Pro" upgrade systems into:


C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes subdirectory


and then typing "Custom.theme" on the Command line. DO NOT DO THAT !!!!


Copy the Custom.theme file to C:\Users\%USERNAME%\Downloads, change directory to that subdirectory, and THEN type Custom.theme at the Command Prompt to signal Windows 10 Pro to apply this theme file! I found that further manipulation using the Personalization - > Themes settings was NOT fruitful for my needs, so I stayed out of that Settings panel.


The first line of this Custom theme file is: ; Copyright - Microsoft Corp.

so unless a Microsoft Moderator allows it, I will not be able to add the file content to this forum entry


I will say that under the [Visual Styles] section that the Path= parameter specifies the

C:\Windows\Resources\themes\Aero\AeroLite.msstyles reference using the Environment Variable for System Root.

I hope this helps and saves someone valuable TIME.


ChevIT Guy

:)

 

How To Adjust The Window Border Thickness

Download and install Aerolite theme compiled by @Brink

Install Aerolite Theme in Windows 10 Windows 10 Customization Tutorials

 

Is it possible to turn visible the invisible window's borders of Windows 10?

I have a conjecture: All custom themes are based on editing built-in aero.msstyles or aerolite.msstyles, located at %windir%\Resources\Themes\aero. aero comes with fixed 1px border, while aerolite has 1-8px border, configurable through registry or WSB (9px or above remains invisible). So far there is no public documentation on how to build msstyles from scratch. As such whether your theme has configurable visible border depends on which default msstyles was based on.

You are advised to seek professional assistance at Virtual Customs.

 

Non-transparent and thick window borders AND white text.


The problem is in the .msstyles files - aero.msstyles and aerolite.msstyles.
aero is used by most themes, and it has the transparent borders. aerolite has the solid borders but black text.
I've found a tool for editing .msstyles files, but no documentation about which of the resources controls the text color or solid border behavior. It's called msstylesEditor. It presents me with hundreds of names and subnames, and lists of properties/values. Lots of these resources are images, which the tool will show. Unfortunately, it has no print facility so I can't easily compare the aero and aerolite files with each other.

ResourceHacker presents a completely different set of names, and the values are all in hex, no further interpretation, and no print facility.

I would need to open both files in separate windows with either tool and go down the lists and see what's different.

I'd prefer if somebody who knows more about this stuff would fix the aerolite file and produce a white-text version that actually works.

Thank you.