Blue shadows? [Solved]

[Pussycat]

Just installed 2010.1 onto my Toshiba laptop (2009.2 had developed an aversion to wifi n/w induced, I believe, by a wifi mouse!).

Anyway, all seems ok (well, there are a couple of other issues but not for this thread) except the shadow for the active window is blue rather than grey.  This is not a problem in 2010 on my netbook nor was in 2009 on this machine.

I've tried various themes but to no avail.  Could someone please point me to a suitable tweak?

[Pussycat]

I guess nobody else has experienced this and/or there is no solution?

(Should have specified graphics as Intel GMA 4500M in OP)

[Lee2010]

Are you using the kwin effects?

I have a blue shadow but that is normal. There is a way to change it but I don't know of it.

You could try changing your color scheme

[rubentje1991]

KDE Configure your Desktop (the crossed tools icon in the panel at the bottom of your screen)
>> Workspace Appearance and Behavior >> Workspace Appearance >> Window Decorations

Then, at the bottom of the window, there's a button called 'Configure Decoration' (or sth alike, don't have it in English here)
=> the third tab in that little window gives you the options to change the colors... (don't know the name in English)

Success.

[Pussycat]

I'm not sure about "normal" - across 5 multi-boot systems it is only PCLos 2010 on one machine (it was also Mandriva 2010 I think).  Colour schemes have no effect on this.

Comparing settings between this machine and a netbook - where shadows, transparency and wobbly are all fine - they appear to be identical.  I don't want a neon sign round the active window on this machine!

My usual strategy is to "Enable desktop effects" via Look & Feel>Desktop>Desktop Effects where under All Effects>Shadows the shadow colour is shown as Dark Gray.  I don't usually interfere with settings in CompizConfig - mostly because I don't understand them and am not interested in other fancy effects - but Enable Windows Decoration is checked by default.  Anyway Compiz is disabled since any effects I want are available in kwin.

Personally I suspect an issue with the graphics driver for this particular machine (yet 2009 was OK - but no transparency!)?

EDIT Compiz is disabled and Shadows are disabled in Desktop Effects - but I still have shadows (including the neon)!

[Pussycat]

I'm beginning to see the problem - if not the solution.

In Look & Feel>Appearance>Windows the default style is Oxygen which has "built-in" blue shadows for the active window. Comparing this to my netbook installation where the Oxygen shadows are grey!  Furthermore, the Oxygen control buttons in preview on this errant install are not evenly spaced.  This suggests some corruption.

Additionally, this machine (laptop) also offers a Crystal style not available on the netbook.  But when I click on it in Configure Your Desktop closes/crashes!  I suspect that when I installed 2010 onto this machine over an experimental (multiple DTEs) 2009, some settings may have been preserved.  I also observe in SPM that Crystal is "gtk" whilst Oxygen is "kde".

Can I rectify this defect without reinstalling?

I feel some trial and error experimentation coming on - but what to un/reinstall...?

UPDATE

1  Unchecked Custom button positions (I didn't do it!) and that sorted that.

2  Removed gtk-crystal (reinstallation made no improvement - still crashed).

3  Uninstalled kde-oxygen-molecule.  But it's still there and different (chunkier).  However, there is now a solution - there is a "shadow" tab that allows customisation - uncheck "active window glow".  [NB Oxygen does not appear as installed anywhere in SPM - but is available as gtk -  so can only assume it is part of a "meta" package.  Mmm...].

All very peculiar but at least it demonstrates that blue shadows are not compulsory!  I suspect that Oxygen was/is an attempt to provide shadows where they would not otherwise be supported?

[uncleV]

Lee, October is coming...

When do you leave to NAVY?

[Pussycat]

That's a really helpful contribution, uncleV.

In the meantime, I'll probably do a completely clean reinstall, banishing all interfereing residuals of previous installs, now that I've deduced the solutions.

[Lee2010]

Lee, October is coming...

When do you leave to NAVY?

Oct 26 

[uncleV]

Sorry for offtop, Pussycat.

[rubentje1991]

I can't understand fully what the problem is/was
Some screenshots could have helped.... (one from the pc, and one from the netbook) 

[Pussycat]

It's a "was" - see #5!

[rubentje1991]

Yes, I saw (that's why I said "the problem is/was)
=> only a recommended method of posting for the next time 

:: so we can get faster the needed details...

[Pussycat]

Don't understand?

Anything after #5 is irrelevant for which I take no responsibility (and #5 was updated before subsequent posts)!

[rubentje1991]

Yes, OK - glad you sorted it out!

Understanding, probably my IQ is zero... euhm no, something like 30 because I have to breathe, and eat (and drink!) to stay alive...