This problem was discussed by D K Lippert solving this problem for XP.
He responded to the problem, “Background Color won’t show in cells” posted by “dryflies on| 05/18/2005 @ 08:07 AM (PDT)”.
The solution for Vista is to right click on the desktop background, select Personalize, select Window Color and Appearance, and select Windows Classic, i.e., DO NOT select High Contrast White.
I had the same problem using OpenOffice Calc.
