Make Windows applications actually look right on Windows 8 and above

[Smithfield]

An issue that plagues certain applications is how they keep using the Classic theme buttons and controls when the rest of Windows has completely abandoned them. They look completely wrong, and I hate it! How do I fix this? I would prefer to force these applications to support visual styles (to look right on Windows 8 and above) rather than using any mods or customization software just to restore the classic theme to Windows itself and make Windows look a certain way just so these applications can look right. This primarily affects Kega Fusion, an emulator with virtually no alternative. I had to create a virtual machine just to run it!

 

If you all need screenshots to jog your memory as to what I am even complaining about, then just ask.

 

Technically this has actually been an issue since Windows XP and the introduction of visual styles, but you were able to just switch back to the classic theme. Windows and the (badly designed) application would still look right. Windows 8 got rid of the classic theme. Attempts to bring it back always result in either a visual disaster with Windows itself now looking horribly broken (but at least those applications now look right) or Windows being completely broken, the main GUI being completely unusable.

[roopx]

If you are running Windows 8 in a virtual machine, could you also run Linux in one?
The first website I found for Kega Fusion said it also had a Linux version.

 

Especially if it's an older piece of software, it will probably run better on a modern Linux distro.

 

[Smithfield]

5 hours ago, roopx said:

If you are running Windows 8 in a virtual machine, could you also run Linux in one?
The first website I found for Kega Fusion said it also had a Linux version.

 

Especially if it's an older piece of software, it will probably run better on a modern Linux distro.

 

I prefer not to use a virtual machine, as VM software requires installing drivers. Extra drivers can cause issues with other applications. I will try a Linux distro in a VM. I will look for a small one that doesn't use up much space (needs to fit in a 16 GB disk image). At that point, I could also just install Windows 2000 or Windows Vista in VMware. Preferably Windows 2000, as Windows Vista through MISSINGWIN. (version 6.4) are not really optimized for VMs and are heavier releases, so they only really walk rather than run in VMware.

 

VirtualBox kind of sucks, so I prefer not to use it. It is easy to use, but it has problems with Direct3D and audio. It might work for Linux, but not for Windows guests.

 

I would prefer a way to just force Kega Fusion to support visual styles so I don't have to resort to any of this.

[Smithfield]

I found out how! You use Resource Hacker to replace the application's manifest with this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<assembly xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1" manifestVersion="1.0">
<dependency>
    <dependentAssembly>
        <assemblyIdentity
            type="win32"
            name="Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls"
            version="6.0.0.0"
            processorArchitecture="*"
            publicKeyToken="6595b64144ccf1df"
        />
    </dependentAssembly>
</dependency>
</assembly>

Big thanks to this reddit post for helping me: https://old.reddit.com/r/WindowsHelp/comments/v07uru/can_you_force_windows_classic_apps_to_use_visual/