How to get rid of Win 7 text drop shadow

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Rikkitic

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#281007 25-Jan-2021 10:12

I had to change the monitor on my Windows 7 desktop and now I have run into an issue I can’t seem to solve. All text and some other items are surrounded by a white drop shadow wherever they appear, regardless of background colour. I find this really irritating but I can’t seem to get rid of it. I have gone through every desktop theme, aero, classic, high contrast and otherwise, fiddled with colour adjustments, and tried disabling drop shadow settings but nothing seems to help. I didn’t have this problem with the old monitor and I don’t know why it changed. Does anyone know a fix for this?

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Behodar

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#2641527 25-Jan-2021 11:11

I wonder whether this could be related to ClearType. Worth a shot, at least:

https://davidjnice.com/windows7_disable_clear_type.html

Rikkitic

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#2641531 25-Jan-2021 11:22

Behodar:

I wonder whether this could be related to ClearType. Worth a shot, at least:

https://davidjnice.com/windows7_disable_clear_type.html

Thanks but I tried that. Didn't help.

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dt

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#2641533 25-Jan-2021 11:24

Take a look at this, I had to do it many years ago using the regedit which worked, however this was for 2008 server but I dont see why it wouldn't work on windows 7

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/126714-add-remove-drop-shadows-icon-labels-desktop-windows.html

Rikkitic

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#2641536 25-Jan-2021 11:30

Linux:

Are you really running a Win7 machine?

Replies like this are unhelpful and off-topic, though I did expect at least one. I posted a question. That is what Geekzone is for. There are all kinds of reasons why someone might be running Win 7 and I don't have to justify my choice to you or anyone else.

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lxsw20

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#2641543 25-Jan-2021 11:32

Rikkitic:

Linux:

Are you really running a Win7 machine?

Replies like this are unhelpful and off-topic, though I did expect at least one. I posted a question. That is what Geekzone is for. There are all kinds of reasons why someone might be running Win 7 and I don't have to justify my choice to you or anyone else.

As you said yourself this is what geekzone is for, and you have to expect someone to point out you're using an unsecure operating system.

Rikkitic

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#2641545 25-Jan-2021 11:36

dt:

Take a look at this, I had to do it many years ago using the regedit which worked, however this was for 2008 server but I dont see why it wouldn't work on windows 7

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/126714-add-remove-drop-shadows-icon-labels-desktop-windows.html

Thanks again for the tip. I didn't see the bit about the registry change though I did try the settings. I will give this a try and let you know. I'm at a different computer right now.

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Rikkitic

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#2641548 25-Jan-2021 11:39

lxsw20:

As you said yourself this is what geekzone is for, and you have to expect someone to point out you're using an unsecure operating system.

Since this is Geekzone, members can be expected to know what Windows 7 is. It doesn't have to be pointed out. Let's stick to the topic.

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Rikkitic

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#2641592 25-Jan-2021 12:00

dt:

Take a look at this, I had to do it many years ago using the regedit which worked, however this was for 2008 server but I dont see why it wouldn't work on windows 7

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/126714-add-remove-drop-shadows-icon-labels-desktop-windows.html

OK, I tried the registry change and it didn't make a difference either, but thanks again for giving me a few minutes of hope. Bloody Windows!

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ANglEAUT

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#2641918 25-Jan-2021 20:52

dt: ... however this was for 2008 server but I dont see why it wouldn't work on windows 7 ...

Windows 7 has the same code base as Windows 2008. TIf it works on one, it'll work on the other.

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

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#2641919 25-Jan-2021 20:56

Rikkitic: OK, I tried the registry change and it didn't make a difference either, but thanks again for giving me a few minutes of hope. Bloody Windows!

You tried all 6 different options of Registry tweaks & reboots in 20min?

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

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#2641923 25-Jan-2021 21:10

Can you take a screenshot? If it doesn't show in the screenshot, try a taking a photo?

Another avenue to check is your GPU drivers as Windows will probably be using hardware acceleration which may be causing the issue if the drivers aren't too old or not working properly. Hopefully you can still find drivers for your GPUs that work on Win7.

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Rikkitic

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#2641943 25-Jan-2021 21:34

I will get back to this in a day or so but I have other commitments at the moment.

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Rikkitic

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#2642048 26-Jan-2021 07:59

I think I have finally figured this out. The problem was a white or light-coloured background behind any text, like a bubble, which created a distracting effect. I mistakenly saw this as a drop shadow effect, but it seems to have to do with an artefact of my monitor. The effect appears quite striking when the screen resolution is set to 1920x1080, but almost completely disappears with the resolution at 1280x720. The monitor I was using before did not have this issue. I am not bothered by the lower resolution on this computer as I am in the process of changing it anyway so I will carry on with this temporarily. Thanks to everyone who has tried to assist me with this.

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Oblivian

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#2642061 26-Jan-2021 08:58

I don't recall seeing a type mentioned. Or connection method. Is it a monitor, or a TV being called one. Guessing TVs. As monitors for the last few years don't strike the issue as their native size start at 1080/1200?

Older TVs, (even some new) and many plasma don't do more than 720p using VGA or 'PC' input. And require a digital / HDMI input.

Anything over and above overscans or is scaled (badly)

Rikkitic

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#2642069 26-Jan-2021 09:12

Oblivian:

I don't recall seeing a type mentioned. Or connection method. Is it a monitor, or a TV being called one. Guessing TVs. As monitors for the last few years don't strike the issue as their native size start at 1080/1200?

Older TVs, (even some new) and many plasma don't do more than 720p using VGA or 'PC' input. And require a digital / HDMI input.

Anything over and above overscans or is scaled (badly)

Sorry, I should have specified. I just assumed it was a Windows problem. I was using a Veon TV which worked fine for what I needed. When the backlight went out on it, I replaced it with a Samsung, which has the problem. I prefer TVs as monitors because they are cheaper in bigger sizes and I don't need super high quality. I just this these for browsing. I do use HDMI.

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