Desktop background problem

[Guest]

When I right click on my desktop, select "Properties", and go to the desktop
tab, I find that I have many, many choices for backgrounds that I didn't have
before. All of the photos that I have in "My Pictures" are now listed as
backgrounds. Can anyone tell me how they got there, and how to get them back
out? Thanks!

 

[Rich Barry]

Someone may have a better answer but I would open the My Pictures Folder>rt
click and select NewFolder. You can name
it Bonnie's Pictures. Then go to Edit on the Menu Bar and choose Select All.
rt click on any file and choose Cut. Then
rt click on Bonnie's Picture folder and select paste. That will remove them
from the Background List.

 

[Guest]

It's normal for all pictures in My Pictures AND its sub-folders to appear as
Background choices, UNLESS you put them in the Sample Pictures folder.
[You can move them out of My Pictures, to any other folder, even to My
Documents.]

 

[Alan Edwards]

FWIW, it is not normal for me.
I have 1872 pictures under My Pictures and subfolders and none appear
as Background choices.
(Perhaps I did something to change what is normal?)

....Alan
--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP Windows - Internet Explorer
http://dts-l.org/index.htm

It's normal for all pictures in My Pictures AND its sub-folders to appear as
Background choices, UNLESS you put them in the Sample Pictures folder.
[You can move them out of My Pictures, to any other folder, even to My
Documents.]

When I right click on my desktop, select "Properties", and go to the desktop
tab, I find that I have many, many choices for backgrounds that I didn't have
before. All of the photos that I have in "My Pictures" are now listed as
backgrounds. Can anyone tell me how they got there, and how to get them back
out? Thanks!

 

[WaIIy]

FWIW, it is not normal for me.
I have 1872 pictures under My Pictures and subfolders and none appear
as Background choices.
(Perhaps I did something to change what is normal?)

...Alan

Interesting. I don't use My Documents for anything except what
programs throw in there.

I put one picture in the My Picture to use as a user logo. The
jpg doesn't show up as a background choice.

Also My Picture has no 'S' on it on my machine.

Oh, well.

 

[Smirnoff]

Interesting. I don't use My Documents for anything except what
programs throw in there.

I put one picture in the My Picture to use as a user logo. The
jpg doesn't show up as a background choice.

Also My Picture has no 'S' on it on my machine.

Oh, well.

Try downloading TweakUI.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

Download available from right hand column.

Has an option in Repair (pull down menu) to restore My Pictures icon.

It would seem that you have somehow deleted the the default My Pictures
folder and replaced it with My Picture.

See if the option in TweakUI creates a proper default folder and then
copy/move your files to it.

 

[Alan Edwards]

Sorry, but I have no idea what folder you are talking about as "My
Picture" and I also have no idea why it should have an "S" on it.

....Alan

 

[Smirnoff]

In My Documents in XP, there are default folders called My Music, My
Video, My Pictures etc.

They normally have some kind of logo on them, such as a film strip or
musical note.

As I understand it, the default folders give you more options such as
saving as wallpaper etc.

TweakUI will (I think) restore such folders under the Repair option.
Follow prompts after selecting in pull down menu, regarding where you
want to place them (normally in My Documents).

 

[Smirnoff]

Just realised I should have replied to Wally, sorry.

Hope he reads my post anyway.

 

[Alan Edwards]

I think you misunderstand my response to Wally.
I am quite aware of the My Pictures folder.
I am not aware of a My Picture folder.
I have no idea why either should have an "S".

....Alan

 

[svinod]

When I right click on my desktop, select "Properties", and go to the desktop
tab, I find that I have many, many choices for backgrounds that I didn't have
before. All of the photos that I have in "My Pictures" are now listed as
backgrounds. Can anyone tell me how they got there, and how to get them back
out? Thanks!

Hi bjclark,
I dont know how pictures added to your desktop background list in
desktop properties.If u dont want all your pictures to list under the
background go here C:\WINDOWS\Web\WALLPAPER and delete the pictures that
u dont want to list.

 

[Smirnoff]

I interpret it to mean that the missing "S" he is talking about refers
to a folder he has created called My Picture instead of the default My
Picture(S).

This leads me to believe that he has somehow deleted the default folder
and possibly why it doesn't give him the option to save as background.

 

[Alan Edwards]

Fair enough.
BTW, Wally is not the OP with the problem, so we are getting off the
track a bit.

....Alan

 

[Smirnoff]

I assume whoever the OP was, he will be following the thread.

Put my theory to the test and it didn't work anyway.

Created a new folder in My Documents called just "My Picture" and copied
a .jpg into it.

When I selected it (one left click only) a new option to "Save as
background" appeared under Picture Tasks in the left column, so it seems
not to matter whether pics are in the default folder or not.

As was pointed out in another thread, the only difference seems to be in
the right-click menu. If View is set to File, "Save as background
doesn't" appear, you have to select Thumbnails view to get this option
in right click.

As it appears in left column Picture Tasks when pic is selected even in
file view, there is no need even to select Thumbnails (unless of course
you need to know what it looks like!).

 

[Guest]

Thank you! That's exactly what I wanted to know! Thanks also to the others
who provided me with more useful information.