Windows 8.1 Start Menu Background Color

L

LarryMcJ

Member
When running Windows 8.1, the background color for the Start Menu is always grey. In the actual Windows 8.1 (default installation) it's dark blue. The tiles on this grey background look terrible. Is there a way to have a colored background for the Start Menu?
 
Followed the instructions precisely, but now things are even worse. Not only do I still have a grey background for Windows 8.1, I can not get into Coherence mode. Windows 8.1 Metro UI is in a window at the top left of my monitor and the Parallels menu bar icon shows Coherence mode greyed out. FWIW, in your instructions you sand to change DirectX to DirectX 9. I was displaying DirectX 10 and changed it to DirectX 9. Any ideas on how to at least how to get back to Coherence mode? Thanks.

Nikhil@Parallels said:
Hi Larry,

Please follow the steps mentioned below to fix the issue.

1. Uninstall and reinstall Parallels tools as suggested at: http://kb.parallels.com/en/4841
2. Open Configuration : http://kb.parallels.com/en/117287
3. Hardware > Video > change DirectX to DirectX 9. (Make sure Windows is shut down before doing this step)

Let us know how it goes.
Click to expand...
 
I think part of the problem is Parallels Tools isn't really "reinstalled". The process asks for the Parallels setup disk to be inserted in Windows, and of course that can't happen as I purchased Parallels online. So how do I actually reinstall Parallels Tools now that I've uninstalled it?
 
OK, figured out that Parallels simply wanted me to click on the "Open CD dialog box" (nothing in the instructions about that). Reinstalled Parallels Tools, and followed the instructions again ensuring that DirectX 9 was checked instead of DirectX 10. The Windows 8.1 background (behind the Metro tiles) is still grey. If I go to the desktop, the background picture displays just fine. So in essence, the theme can't be displayed or changed in Windows 8.1, which is a problem. Thanks for any additional help.
 
HI Larry,

The issues you face now is due to the absence of Parallels tools in Windows. Click on "Continue" when it asks for a disk to install tools. If that does not help then follow the steps below.

1. Press CMD+R in Windows > type %temp% > locate & open Prltoolpackage > run Setup file.

Let us know how it goes.
 
Kikhil@Paralles: You may have just missed my last post. I actually got Parallels Tools reinstalled and followed the instructions again, ensuring that DirectX 9 was checked instead of DirectX 10. The Windows 8.1 background (behind the Metro tiles) is still grey. If I go to the desktop, the background picture displays just fine. So in essence, the theme can't be displayed or changed in Windows 8.1, which is a problem. Thanks for any additional help.
 
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