Desktop Background changes pictures at random.

[John]

Earlier this week while I was working on my computer, the screen image
flickered and the desktop background photo I've been using for weeks
disappeared to be replaced by Santa Fe Stucco(looks like sunburned wrinkled
skin).

I changed the background back to my regular picture(clicking Apply) and
carried on. When I signed into the computer the new day, SFS was back again.


I selected another photo of mine as a desktop background and it, too, was
replaced by SFS in about an hour. My selection typically lasted 1-2 hours.

I posted my problem on Dell Forums but have gotton nothing from them.
Yesterday I ran all my utilities (Norton SystemWorks, Registry Mechanic,
CCleaner, Ad-Aware- all of which I've used for a long time) twice. Now the
selected desktop photo last 6-8 hours.

When it goes away, I always get Santa Fe Stucco. Why? It's not the first
or the last choice on the menu.

 

[Elmo]

Earlier this week while I was working on my computer, the screen image
flickered and the desktop background photo I've been using for weeks
disappeared to be replaced by Santa Fe Stucco(looks like sunburned wrinkled
skin).

I changed the background back to my regular picture(clicking Apply) and
carried on. When I signed into the computer the new day, SFS was back again.


I selected another photo of mine as a desktop background and it, too, was
replaced by SFS in about an hour. My selection typically lasted 1-2 hours.

I posted my problem on Dell Forums but have gottEn nothing from them.
Yesterday I ran all my utilities (Norton SystemWorks, Registry Mechanic,
CCleaner, Ad-Aware- all of which I've used for a long time) twice. Now the
selected desktop photo last 6-8 hours.

When it goes away, I always get Santa Fe Stucco. Why? It's not the first
or the last choice on the menu.

Set the wallpaper, then try this registry tweak to lock in the background:

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
Line 142. (r-h column) Allow Wallpaper/Background Changes - Disable

Still, you need to find what software, or malware is changing the
background.. Try these:

Malwarebytes© Corporation
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam/program/mbam-setup.exe

SuperAntispyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/superantispywarefreevspro.html

 

[John]

Elmo,

I tried both the programs. Malwarebytes removed some scraps of a program I
uninstalled a a couple of weeks ago- not malicious. SuperAntiSpyware found
nothing.
I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with " Line 142. (r-h column) Allow
Wallpaper/Background Changes - Disable". Go into regedit and make a lot of
register changes? Very scary!

 

[Elmo]

Elmo,

I tried both the programs. Malwarebytes removed some scraps of a program I
uninstalled a a couple of weeks ago- not malicious. SuperAntiSpyware found
nothing.
I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with " Line 142. (r-h column) Allow
Wallpaper/Background Changes - Disable". Go into regedit and make a lot of
register changes? Very scary!

Right-click the link to the .reg file, click Save and save to the
Desktop. Then double-click the file, or right-click, click Merge. The
changes will be made and you can try setting the wallpaper again.

 

[John]

Elmo

I did as instructed. I'll just have to wait to see if it worked.

An unplesant side effect: I was going to uninstall one of those free
utilities but when I clicked Add or Remove Programs, I get a pop-up saying
"Add or Remove programs has been restricted. Please check with your
administrator"

I am the administrator and sole user of this PC and this registry tweak
seems to have locked me out of Add/Remove and maybe other things I haven't
discovered yet.

 

[Elmo]

Elmo

I did as instructed. I'll just have to wait to see if it worked.

An unplesant side effect: I was going to uninstall one of those free
utilities but when I clicked Add or Remove Programs, I get a pop-up saying
"Add or Remove programs has been restricted. Please check with your
administrator"

I am the administrator and sole user of this PC and this registry tweak
seems to have locked me out of Add/Remove and maybe other things I haven't
discovered yet.

You're still infected. Try some other removal tools, possibly rootkit
removal tools, like "gmer".

You can look at the registry entries and see that none would lock you
out of Add/Remove Programs.

The one entry, "NoDeletingComponents"=dword:00000001 should only block
removal of desktop components, but you could edit the .reg file, and
change that value to "NoDeletingComponents"=dword:00000000, then apply
wallpaperdisable.reg again. That way you won't need to use regedit to
make that change.

 

[John]

Joe,
I wouldn't recognize an registry entry that locks me out of Add/Remove. I
have run all 3 utilities mentioned above plus ThreatFire and still have an
unstable desktop and am still locked out of Add/Remove. I guess I'm to the
point where I pay someone to clean my computer.
John

 

[John]

I paid Symantec to fix the problem.

John

You're still infected. Try some other removal tools, possibly rootkit
removal tools, like "gmer".

You can look at the registry entries and see that none would lock you
out of Add/Remove Programs.

The one entry, "NoDeletingComponents"=dword:00000001 should only block
removal of desktop components, but you could edit the .reg file, and
change that value to "NoDeletingComponents"=dword:00000000, then apply
wallpaperdisable.reg again. That way you won't need to use regedit to
make that change.

 

[Unknown]

Symantec probably WAS your problem.

I paid Symantec to fix the problem.

John