Cannot enter 3 digit values in Windows 7 color picker

Question

Hi - I can't enter any RGB or HSL values greater than 2 digits in any Windows color picker (x64 Home Premium) even if a 3 digit value already shows in the box.

Any ideas, fixes?? It's really, really frustrating having to try to surf the color picker to get an exact value.

Robin

Answer 1

Hi Ronnie Thanks for your suggestions - however, there was nothing untoward in my logs, and as I only installed Windows 7 a week or two ago I decided I had nothing to lose by restoring my clean backup - ie a full system restore as opposed to a "restore point" restore. I prefer that, as it's like flushing. :) That fixed the problem, thank goodness, but leaves me still mystified as to what caused the "thing" to happen in the first place. I am reinstalling odds and ends and checking the color picker after each change to see if I can find the culprit - so far no luck! Anyway, thanks so much for the quick and courteous responses! Cheers Robin

Answer 2

Hi Robin

You're welcome.

Sorry we did not find the cause of this gnarly problem. Please let us know if you find anything during the reinstalls.

Regards,

Thank You for using Windows 7

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Ronnie Vernon MVP

Answer 3

Hi Robin

I do understand what you are describing now.

If this is a recent problem, you might want to try using the System Restore component to go back to a point prior to when this behavior was first detected.

System Restore: frequently asked questions

Many of the settings in the Advanced Appearance Settings do not make changes, if you are using themes, especially the Aero themes. However, this should not result in the behavior you are describing?

Open Control Panel/Action Center. Expand the Maintenance section and click View Reliability Monitor. Look for any recent 'X' error icons. Click the error icon to view the details.

You might also want to check the Administrative Tools/Event Viewer. Look in Custom Views/Administrative Events for any recorded errors. If you find any that appear to be associated with this problem, double click the error to see the details.

Let us know what you find.

Thank You for using Windows 7

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Ronnie Vernon MVP

Answer 4

Hi Ronnie

I am trying to change colors by entering RGB or HSL values manually in various color picker locations, but, for argument's sake, say I wanted to change a font color or the desktop color from Personalize>Window Colors>Advanced appearance settings, I would invoke the "basic color" color picker, then choose "Other" to open the "advanced" picker where there are entry boxes for HSL and RGB values. I can't enter more than 2 digits in these boxes; even if a box contains a 3 digit value, I can't replace it with another 3 digit value. This occurs in ANY Windows color picker. If I am using software such as Photoshop or the freeware program Stickies, say, which has its own picker, I am able to enter any numeric values 0-255 as expected.

I am going quietly nuts here because I want very specific colors on my desktop background at various times and trying to move the "mixers" to the exact numeric value is beyond frustrating. I have been entering numbers in color pickers since color came to Windows! (Yes, I am that old ... LOL!) For some reason I can't in Windows 7, and it seems it's "just me", so I have no idea how to fix it.**sigh**

Any ideas will be gratefully received.

EDIT: It occurred to me to check the Office 2007 color pickers - the ones that are a honeycomb style - and these are behaving as expected. The color picker then that I am referring to us the "square" one. Hopefully you know what I mean - I'd post a screen shot but my Frontpage extensions aren't working! What a day!

Cheers

Robin

Answer 5

Hi - I can't enter any RGB or HSL values greater than 2 digits in any Windows color picker (x64 Home Premium) even if a 3 digit value already shows in the box.

Any ideas, fixes?? It's really, really frustrating having to try to surf the color picker to get an exact value.

 

Robin

Hi Robin

Where are you trying to change the colors? These are several locations in Windows that display a color picker.

Let us know.

Thank You for using Windows 7

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Ronnie Vernon MVP