Maybe this will help.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=833258

The fill color, the fill pattern, or the line color of a WordArt or
AutoShape object in an Office document does not change

As directed, change the High Contrast setting in Windows OS


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP


On Thu, 1 Mar 2007 10:23:38 -0800, What Went Wrong 27555 <What Went Wrong
wrote:

I use to be able to see the color text or cell shading as it was applied but
for some reason I am now not able to. I'm not sure if the problem was caused
by my incorrectly responding to pop up options offered during a recent up
date to windows and MS Office 2003 or if I somehow clicked on a feature
within excel which I don't know how to undo. When I attempt to edit the
contents within a cell it turns to the color I previously applied, but, when
I go on to a different cell the text or cell shading goes back to black and
white.