Desktop wallpaper is not showing up

Hi Nimsha,

I've continued to search and study to see if I could better understand the "why"/"cause" of the problem that you have experienced.

I may have been as troubled at giving my "lame" recommendation to you, as you might have been in receiving it.
My reason for giving the recommendation was as follows:
I had researched a large number of "apparently competent" solutions presented on several Forums and help sites by supposed experts. The unfortunate result was that none of the solutions actually "worked" for the persons posting the problem.
I tried out the "apparently competent" solutions on various of my machines to see if I could get the behavior to happen and then get it fixed with the proposed solution…….. I could not.
Invariably, the "expert" reverted to recommending that the person with the problem just create a New Account and transfer documents.
I didn't like it, but I didn't like the idea of putting you through a bunch of complicated "fixes" that were already known to not work for many people.

Today, I finally received a superb explanation from a truly expert individual who I have been trying to reach.
The following is an exact copy/paste of his explanation and recommendation.

I realize that this may be "too little, too late" for you, but I still want to post it for your information and possibly for others who may read this thread in the future.

Here goes:

Good day, Doug. Regarding the Registry keys -

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ActiveDesktop]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ActiveDesktop]

- there is seldom any good reason for either key to exist. Therefore the simplest strategy is to delete the ActiveDesktop key, then log off and log on to implement the change. Note that deleting the key in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE requires administrative privileges.

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In brief, here is a common scenario.

The settings in the ActiveDesktop key are intended to stop the user from using some feature - changing the background, adding or removing Desktop objects, etc. - when Active Desktop is enabled.

In previous versions of Windows, the user can enable or disable Active Desktop with a couple of clicks, but Windows XP enables Acive Desktop automatically when a GIF, JPEG, or HTML file is used as a background or added as a Desktop object. XP automatically disables Active Desktop when all Desktop objects are disabled or removed, and a BMP or no image is set as the background.

This new behavior contributes the the problem. If NoChangingWallpaper is set to 1, there will initially be no effect if no Desktop objects and a BMP background (or nothing) is set. When the background is changed to one of the other types, Active Desktop is automatically enabled. The background then cannot be further changed due to the restriction, which remains in force since Windows will not turn off Active Desktop due to the background type.

—————————————————————————–

If the ActiveDesktop keys do not exist, or deleting them and logging off and on does not resolve the problem, it's likely that the following Registry settings exist -

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"Wallpaper"="drive:\path to file\filename.ext"
"WallpaperStyle"="0|1|2"

WallpaperStyle may be set to 0,1, or 2. In this case, delete both values. It is usually safe to delete the System key, but if other values exist in this location or there are subkeys, it's best to first determine their purpose.

Nimsha, you may very likely be able to create your own "fix" from the above information.
If you need "step-by-step" instructions, I will be glad to walk through it with you.

Best Regards,
Doug

Hi Nimsha,

As you mentioned in your PM's to me, TC is a wonderfully resourceful place.
Just to prove that point, one of our very helpful contributing Members, Ax238, has recommended an automated (registry merge) solution for your problem. The solution that Ax238 offers comes from Kelly Theriot's well regarded site "Kelly's Korner" [http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp.htm] which contains hundreds of "fixes" for the sometimes thorny problems that can crop up with XP.

Kelly's encyclopedic reference catalog of fixes contains listings of problems and pre-scripted "fixes" that the user can directly download and apply. Because Kelly lists so many problems, and engineers so many fixes, he does not have the time to "explain" how the problem may have initially been created, nor what his "fix" does to solve the problem. As a result, the user must take a "leap of faith" when using the downloaded fixes.

This "style" at Kelly's Korner can be daunting for some, while others just want the problem fixed and are willing to place their faith in Kelly's well reknowned expertise. I generally have a mixture of both feelings when using fixes from Kelly. (and I've used his expertise to solve many, many problems that I've encountered)

Here's what I do (and did in this instance):
I downloaded the fix. But because of my curiosity, I wanted to see what was included in the fix.
So I "opened" (edit) it into NotePad to take a look.

Much to my satisfaction, Kelly's fix addresses the same issues that were "explained" by the expert that I quoted in my previous reply. Kelly takes a somewhat different approach by entering DWORD values of "0" which instructs the Registry to "disable" Registry Key items that are related to the problem. He also has crafted the fix, such that it applies to the Current User logon account which the owner/user (you) is having difficulty with. Kelly adds attention to a few other "contingencies" that may be involved in that Current User account, and ignores the Local Machine entries that would apply to the entire machine and all user accounts. This is sensible for folks with multiple logon accounts on their machine.

So what are you to do, after this rather long-winded description?
Well first, I'm glad that we've taken the time to examine how the problem may have been created.
And I'm glad that we've taken the time to examine how any fix might perform.

You can confidently download and apply the fix from Kelly's Korner, which can be found as #142 (2nd Column)

Or download and apply the fix directly.
Here's the Fix

Backing up the Registry before making changes:
As with any instance when the owner/user makes changes to the registry, it is prudent to make a Registry BackUp - FIRST.
To back up your registry:

Open the Registry Editor (go to Start > Run and type regedit and press Enter). Pull down the Registry menu and choose ExportRegistry File.... Navigate to where you'd like to store the backup file, type in a name for the file, Select All under Export Range, and click on Save.

For extra protection you can also Create a System Restore Point -
Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - System Restore - Create a Restore Point

Then you can double-click on the downloaded fix from Kelly's and answer "yes" to allow the fix to merge with your Registry.

Please keep us posted with your progress.

Best Regards

Fixed, I found out how to edit my registry and manually deleted all of those unneeded registries. Thanks for your assistance

Sorry I am noob too. I been having the exact same problem as you and have been looking for a solution to this problem forever. I have question though do I copy the fix into notepad and then import it into Registry Edit? Sorry I new to the entire thing.

Welcome Black Thunder.

No, Doug mentioned using notepad to look at the file, that's all. Just follow his directions:

For extra protection you can also Create a System Restore Point -
Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - System Restore - Create a Restore Point

Then you can double-click on the downloaded fix from Kelly's and answer "yes" to allow the fix to merge with your Registry.

Hmm…I don't get an option from my browser to answer "yes". I just get a page with this on it: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ActiveDesktop] "NoChangingWallPaper"=dword:00000000 "NoAddingComponents"=dword:00000000 "NoComponents"=dword:00000000 "NoDeletingComponents"=dword:00000000 "NoEditingComponents"=dword:00000000 "NoCloseDragDropBands"=dword:00000000 "NoMovingBands"=dword:00000000 "NoHTMLWallPaper"=dword:00000000 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System] "NoDispBackgroundPage"=dword:00000000 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System] "NoDispScrSavPage"=dword:00000000 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoActiveDesktopChanges"=hex:00,00,00,00 "NoActiveDesktop"=dword:00000000 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System] "NoDispCPL"=dword:00000000 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer] "ClassicShell"=dword:00000000

Right click on the link and select "Save as" or "Save target as". Save it to your Desktop or any folder you want as long as you can find it after you've saved it.

Hi BlackThunder, the difficulty that you have experienced is not specifically a noobie problem. In fact, it appears that Kelly's Korner is presently doing some "housekeeping" and is changing to a new site. ___________ The instructions given to you by Ztruker will work safely. I'd recommend that you save the file to your DeskTop for easy access. Once saved, it will appear as a DeskTop Icon labled wallpaperenable.reg Double-Click on that Icon. You will receive an alert asking: "Are you sure you want to add the information in ……. to the Registry. Press "Yes" You will receive another alert telling you that the information has been successfully added to the Registry. This procedure should fix you up nicely. If you continue to have the same or different difficulty, please feel free to post back here. Best Regards

I followed Ztruker instructions and applied the fix, then I logged off and then back on. But I still have the original problem. My wallpaper still does not display an image, only a color I can set it to. And still in my Display properties, under the desktop tab, if I try to scroll the list up and down, it is locked to the bottom of the list, and I cannot select anything. I only have one account on my computer. What should I do? Did I forget to do anything else?

Okay, I think it's time to create a new account and see if the problem occurs there. If not then your current account is corrupted. You can keep the new account so pick a name you can live with when you create it, then copy you data from the old, corrupted account to the new one. Instructions to do this are here:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

Edit: I think my brain just kicked in. There are several malware infections that mess with the desktop background so there are several anti-malware programs that try to protect from this. One is Spybot Search & Destroy's Tea Timer. I know there are a few others, perhaps the Symantec or McAfee suites.

Do you run any of these? If yes, how does it behave if you boot to Safe Mode? If better then something is starting at boot that is causing the problem. Try the following:

Click on Start then Run, type msconfig and press Enter.
Click on the Startup tab and disable everything (I mean everything).
Do a regular boot, see if it runs normal.
If yes then use msconfig to enable several items at a time till you find the culprit.

If no, click on the Services tab. Check the Hide All Microsoft Services box then click the Disable All button.
Again, do a regular boot (not Safe Mode), see if it runs normal.
If yes then use msconfig to enable services till you find the culprit.

Once you've found the culprit, uninstall it or find out how to eliminate it from your system. Simply disabling it in msconfig is a temporary fix at best.

I now realize this "Wallpaper disappearing" is a symptom of a much larger problem. My PC will not let me boot in Safe Mode. I pretty sure that my F8 key on my keyboard is fully functional. When I boot in Normal mode; while I log in I see my original wallpaper, which a picture of a gold Toyota Supra car, but my desktop icons and taskbar have not yet loaded, then when my taskbar and desktop icons appear the picture of the Supra disappears and it is replaced by a blue background. And to add to that, sometimes when I boot in Normal mode, While I'm logging in, my Supra wallpaper loads but my desktop icons and task bar will fail to load. So I open up task manager and look at my "Process" tab and I notice that I am missing EXPLORER.EXE. So I click file, new task(run), and type explorer.exe and press enter. Then my Icons and taskbar reappear but my Supra wallpaper then disappears! I am extremely confused by all of this. I currently running CA Internet Security Suite 2008(which in my opinion is a piece of garbage ). I am about to try your msconfig solutions.

If F8 doesn't work, try F5. Either should get you to Safe Mode but some computer/BIOS makers usurp F8 for other uses.

I'm posting this from my other PC, F5 was the way to start my PC in safe mode. Thanks! But it is taking an extremely long time to load. Your first msconfig solution did not work for me, I have yet to to try the second solution. I have also noted that on my PC EXPLORER.EXE fails to load at boot after the Chkdsk utility runs.

UPDATE: It finally loaded in safe mode and the box that said that I was running in Safe Mode appeared, but before I could click "OK" the box disappeared. And my Safe mode is messed up too. Their is no icons or wallpaper or taskbar. Just a black screen with Safe Mode text in the corners of the screen.

Did you login as with your normal userid or did you try logging in as Administrator (no password)? If you can login as Administrator, I think it would be a good idea for you to check for malware on your system as there are several known viruses that can cause this problem.

Read through this area, see if you can Cleanup Your System. This takes care of the many of the problems without further action by the Malware Gurus on this site.

If this doesn't do it, post a HijackThis log HERE. Make sure you read the You Must Read This Before Posting A Hijackthis Log article before posting.

Please be patient as the malware removal experts are extremely busy and it can take 1 to 3 days for them to get to you.