Force Classic Theme for Windows 2008 R2 RDS Users

One of my client are facing Windows Classic Theme is NOT applied to users, even with the following GPO setting configured and enforced

User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Control Panel -> Personalization ->Force a specfic visual style file or force Windows Classic = Enabled (Empty) 

Note: To select the Windows Classic visual style, leave the box blank beside "Path to Visual Style:" and enable this setting.

User logoff from the existing session and login again, they still do not get the Classic Theme applied, and users complaining that the default Windows 7 AERO theme are too bright and they are NOT comfortable with this theme

RDS-TS-01

Solutions
We found ThemeSwitcher and we decided to prepare a login script to apply Windows Classics Theme with the following steps

  1. Download and extract ThemeSwitcher to c:\Theme in Server
  2. Copy Classic.theme from C:\Windows\Resources\Ease of Access Themes to c:\Theme
  3. Share the C:\Theme folder
  4. Prepare a logon.bat script as below and assign to User
@echo off
net use j: \\10.1.13.13\Theme
j:
ThemeSwitcher.exe Classic

With Windows Classics theme applied, users can see their desktop more clearer now

RDS-TS-02

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