Yes, I know this is an old issue and I Googled it until I was blind, but ...

I have two (very different) WindowsXP computers here -- one is a 3-year-old
Dell and the other a brand new one. One machine happily has a transparent
background for the Icon Text and the other uses the Desktop Color. Both
machines are set to the same wallpaper and I've even used the same Themes
file in both machines to make sure that those settings are the same.

I've set the Use Drop Shadow option in System - Advanced - Performance ----
I've even tried toggling it. I've changed the desktop color from white to
black to gray and all I can get is the desktop color as the background.

Once, 2 years ago, I had saved a different Themes file on the problem
computer and restoring it with no wallpaper produced what looked like a
transparent background but clearly isn't because it's just the same color as
the desktop which I proved by adding back the current wallpaper.

It's not the Use Drop Shadow setting problem. AFAICT there isn't anything
else that's supposed to affect this but obviously there is. I have a very
vague recollection that in the distant past -- the machine was purchased in
'02 and the hard disk replaced in '03 with a new XP load -- I made some
registry hack that affected this, but I certainly can't remember what it
might have been and I have no record of what I did.

I'm open to all suggestions, hints. links, and even constructive flames.

TIA
Norm

To hell with Google --- the Microsoft Knowledge Base came through perfectly.

The problem on this computer was that on the Desktop's Properties -
Arrange menu, I had "Lock Web Items on Desktop" checked. Unchecking it did
the trick

Norm

"Norm Dresner" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:n11Qj.241538$(E-Mail Removed)...
| Yes, I know this is an old issue and I Googled it until I was blind, but
....
|
| I have two (very different) WindowsXP computers here -- one is a
3-year-old
| Dell and the other a brand new one. One machine happily has a
transparent
| background for the Icon Text and the other uses the Desktop Color. Both
| machines are set to the same wallpaper and I've even used the same Themes
| file in both machines to make sure that those settings are the same.
|
| I've set the Use Drop Shadow option in System - Advanced -
Performance ----
| I've even tried toggling it. I've changed the desktop color from white to
| black to gray and all I can get is the desktop color as the background.
|
| Once, 2 years ago, I had saved a different Themes file on the problem
| computer and restoring it with no wallpaper produced what looked like a
| transparent background but clearly isn't because it's just the same color
as
| the desktop which I proved by adding back the current wallpaper.
|
| It's not the Use Drop Shadow setting problem. AFAICT there isn't anything
| else that's supposed to affect this but obviously there is. I have a very
| vague recollection that in the distant past -- the machine was purchased
in
| '02 and the hard disk replaced in '03 with a new XP load -- I made some
| registry hack that affected this, but I certainly can't remember what it
| might have been and I have no record of what I did.
|
| I'm open to all suggestions, hints. links, and even constructive flames.
|
| TIA
| Norm
|

"Norm Dresner" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:n11Qj.241538$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Yes, I know this is an old issue and I Googled it until I was blind, but
> ...
>
> I have two (very different) WindowsXP computers here -- one is a
> 3-year-old
> Dell and the other a brand new one. One machine happily has a
> transparent
> background for the Icon Text and the other uses the Desktop Color. Both
> machines are set to the same wallpaper and I've even used the same Themes
> file in both machines to make sure that those settings are the same.
>
> I've set the Use Drop Shadow option in System - Advanced -
> Performance ----
> I've even tried toggling it. I've changed the desktop color from white to
> black to gray and all I can get is the desktop color as the background.
>
> Once, 2 years ago, I had saved a different Themes file on the problem
> computer and restoring it with no wallpaper produced what looked like a
> transparent background but clearly isn't because it's just the same color
> as
> the desktop which I proved by adding back the current wallpaper.
>
> It's not the Use Drop Shadow setting problem. AFAICT there isn't anything
> else that's supposed to affect this but obviously there is. I have a very
> vague recollection that in the distant past -- the machine was purchased
> in
> '02 and the hard disk replaced in '03 with a new XP load -- I made some
> registry hack that affected this, but I certainly can't remember what it
> might have been and I have no record of what I did.
>
> I'm open to all suggestions, hints. links, and even constructive flames.
>
> TIA
> Norm

Try this:
Start - Control Panel - Display/Screen - Personalize Desktop - Web and then
delete the file you see there that is causing all the trouble


--
Touch Base
Post back here on the result- good or bad
>

Thanks, I deleted the file and it turned the icon color into transluter
Dana

"Touch Base" wrote:

>
> "Norm Dresner" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:n11Qj.241538$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Yes, I know this is an old issue and I Googled it until I was blind, but
> > ...
> >
> > I have two (very different) WindowsXP computers here -- one is a
> > 3-year-old
> > Dell and the other a brand new one. One machine happily has a
> > transparent
> > background for the Icon Text and the other uses the Desktop Color. Both
> > machines are set to the same wallpaper and I've even used the same Themes
> > file in both machines to make sure that those settings are the same.
> >
> > I've set the Use Drop Shadow option in System - Advanced -
> > Performance ----
> > I've even tried toggling it. I've changed the desktop color from white to
> > black to gray and all I can get is the desktop color as the background.
> >
> > Once, 2 years ago, I had saved a different Themes file on the problem
> > computer and restoring it with no wallpaper produced what looked like a
> > transparent background but clearly isn't because it's just the same color
> > as
> > the desktop which I proved by adding back the current wallpaper.
> >
> > It's not the Use Drop Shadow setting problem. AFAICT there isn't anything
> > else that's supposed to affect this but obviously there is. I have a very
> > vague recollection that in the distant past -- the machine was purchased
> > in
> > '02 and the hard disk replaced in '03 with a new XP load -- I made some
> > registry hack that affected this, but I certainly can't remember what it
> > might have been and I have no record of what I did.
> >
> > I'm open to all suggestions, hints. links, and even constructive flames.
> >
> > TIA
> > Norm
>
> Try this:
> Start - Control Panel - Display/Screen - Personalize Desktop - Web and then
> delete the file you see there that is causing all the trouble
>
>
> --
> Touch Base
> Post back here on the result- good or bad
> >
>
>
>