XP Home Sp2
I'll try my best here explaining the situation.
When I go to Start Menu and highlight the cursor over an item, the area around the item (In other words the selected item) is dark blue - it should be lighter blue.

Here are my settings:

Via Desktop/ Rt click/Properties/Appearance.
Settings are Windows & Borders = Windows classic Style &
Color = Windows Classic.
Then to the Advanced settings. The only selection I thought would return the color palate back to a lighter blue, was "Selected Items" - BUT it is set at a light blue.

What other setting could have been changed?

Oh, not into a System Restore- as not sure when this happened and a Restore may return a program I deleted to return, which I do not want to do.

thx

right click on desktop>>properties.

in the themes tab, and in themes you will see a "modified windows xp theme selected" click it and select windows xp and press ok

this shud fix ur problem

Yes,I had done that the other day. But as soon as I make changes, the theme becomes modified.

The Toolbar & Quick Launch area at the bottom of the screen - what is the designated in the color choices in the Appearances?

What about the software Window Blinds? how safe? does it slow the PC down?