[SOLVED] Restoring light on dark colors after reinstall os

I recently had to reinstall Zorin 9. Before I had a dark color scheme, I assume "Zorin Dark", and this did not just affect the task bar, many other basic features and program environments displayed with a high contrast white text on dark fields effect that I liked. I can't seem to find how to get it back. For instance both Nemo and Files, the file explorers I use had this look, as well as the game Mines, and others.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

Hi David4321, Can you remember if you had any other themes you downloaded at all?

In the meantime you could try these suggestions:

1. Go to System Tools | Preferences - then look at the themes under 'Windows' in left pane and try changing the theme using the tiny 'drop-down' triangle.

2. install 'Gnome-Color Chooser' via a terminal:

Code:

sudo apt-get install gnome-color-chooser

- or search for it in Synaptic if you prefer (Menu | System Tools | Administration | Synaptic - or just enter 'synaptic' in the Windows 7 menu search bar.

3. visit 'Gnome-look.org' and search for some new dark themes.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the reply.

One thing I'm sure, the theme I was using had the exact task bar and hexagonal blue Z menu button at left, as in Zorin Dark and Blue. But neither of them restores by default to this light on dark look in file explorers, etc. Are they supposed to?

I didn't install any themes that didn't come with the OS. I might've customized it a bit, but not by selecting each color or anything. I got gnome color chooser, it's good to know about but doesn't seem like what I'm looking for. The light on dark look was definitely a part of how the theme originally displayed, even without customization, and that was simple to set. I really just want to get it back the way it was, I don't want a whole new theme. I like the simple Zorin look and the default start button.

I went to System Tools | Preferences, which seems to be a directory in the start menu, but none of the items there are Windows or Themes. Did I miss something in your directions? By right clicking on the task bar, I can select preferences, which is labelled AWN Settings, and has the item Themes. Is that the area you were sending me to? That's where I found the default selection of pre-installed themes, but none of them with the hexagonal Z start menu button provides the light text on dark fields and backgrounds.

Thoughts?

Hi David,

check out the post install guide and this section for advice on AWN "More info about the AWN panel (Avant Window Navigator)". (scroll down to near the bottom!):

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2054

Thanks Wolfman.

This is great to have, and I'll learn a lot about AWN, when I have time and as needed. But it's a 54 page guide, is there anything you can point me to in there which is specifically relevant to my present issue?

I see some stuff about custom coding colors into themes, but I know that's not how I got to what I had before.

My questions are:

1) Should the Zorin Dark or Zorin Blue theme display by default with white text on dark backgrounds for file explorers and other program windows? Can you confirm or deny this? I believe it did for me at that time.

2) If not, how did I get there? I didn't customize much, I used one of the included themes pretty close to default condition, and if I changed anything I didn't use any coding or third party products, just any obvious methods of modifying it that were apparent when I selected it. I would love to just figure out how to get back where I was, not go someplace else. Whatever I did it was simple, quick, and present in the os at install.

3) Could this have been changed in a system update? I noticed that occasionally it displayed something as white text on a white field, which was an annoyance, but text could be read by selecting it, and I was willing to live with it. Maybe the light text on dark approach was eliminated?

Thanks

Hi, take a look here - replying on Windows 7 and its late:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8436&hilit=Preferences+theme#p40813

Hey, that did it! Thanks!

Ubuntu tweak tool in particular, but all good tools to know about.

Glad you are sorted friend!