>Far more important than whether users like the colors is that when you mess with colors with your app, you're explicitly ignoring the user's color selections in Windows. Since some users choose colors not based on personal preference, but based on what they are able to see, you do so at risk of making your application unreadable to some.

No disagreement, Tamar - but see my last post. The originator just didn't quite pose the question clearly, I think, he only wants menu icons (I think). If so, he's on solid ground with what he wants to do, so far as standards, user-settings, and whatnot. (Though I'm not gonna come out and say I necessarily approve of the XP menu standards with the icons, it is getting a little on the "gaudy" side :-)

I would at least provide the ability for users to disable those icons, if I were to use the menu icons in an app.