Edit Display Properties "wallpaper" list

[T. Wise]

When I open Display Properties / Desktop there's a window called Background,
in which there's a list of tons of .jpgs on my hard drive that I'd never use
as a wallpaper.

Is there some way to get those jpg's off this list? I've created a folder
called Wallpaper which contains the backgrounds I most frequently use, and I
know I can hit the Browse button to go to that, but is there a way I can
have that folder show up as the default here?

 

[Guest]

Go to my pictures,search,type in the name of one of thr jpgs,in results,select
"search for all files of this type" then delete the unwanted.

 

[T. Wise]

I'm not looking to delete the jpgs - I just don't want them showing up in
the Display Properties list. That's why I'm looking for a way to have my
Wallpaper folder show up as the default in that window.

Any way to do that and not have all my others jpg's show up as potential
Backgrounds?

 

[Alex Moreau]

I'm not looking to delete the jpgs - I just don't want them showing up in
the Display Properties list. That's why I'm looking for a way to have my
Wallpaper folder show up as the default in that window.

The wallpaper files you see in the desktop properties are found in the
C:\windows directory (assuming C\: is your boot drive). Any .bmp file you
place in the windows folder will show up in the desktop properties wallpaper
list. You probably would have to delete or move the files you wish not to
show.

An alternative would be just to use Windows Explorer to manage your
wallpaper. You could create a shortcut to your wallpaper folder and set that
folder to display thumbnails. Right click on the thumbnail and choose 'Set
as Desktop Background'.

 

[T. Wise]

The wallpaper files you see in the desktop properties are found in the
C:\windows directory (assuming C\: is your boot drive). Any .bmp file you
place in the windows folder will show up in the desktop properties
wallpaper list. You probably would have to delete or move the files you
wish not to show.

Weirdly, the image files showing up in the Desktop Properties list are not
in C:\Windows. They seem to be EVERY .jpg in C:\Pictures (the folder that
used to be the "My Documents\My Pictures" folder). Most are images I'd
never use as wallpaper. I have no idea how they got into the Desktop
Properties list, but I suspect it happened when I changed the MyDocuments\My
Folders folder to C:\Pictures. Any idea how I can purge them from the
Desktop Properties list?

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Wallpaper background files are...
All bmp, jpg, gif, jpe, dib, png and htm files located in these folders:

%Systemroot%
%windir%\Web\Wallpaper
%userprofile%\My Documents\My Pictures (& sub-folders)
%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
%ProgramFiles%\Plus!\Themes (& sub-folders)

If you want to clear a file from that list, move the file away from the
above locations. Type the above paths in Start, Run dialog.
from...
Where do the image files come from? [the background images listing]
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/background.htm
-----
However...
This can happen if the desktop.ini file is missing from My Pictures folder.
And maybe if the desktop.ini file is messed up, don't know that for sure.

desktop.ini is a Hidden System file.

To display Hidden files and folders...

Start | Settings | Control Panel | Folder Options | View tab
Check:
Display the contents of system folders
and
Show hidden files and folders
UNCheck:
Hide extensions for known file types
and
Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)
Click Apply | Click OK

When you uncheck: Hide protected operating system files,
you will get this message...

Warning
----------
You have chosen to display protected operating system files (files labeled
System and Hidden) in Windows Explorer.These files are required to start and
run Windows. Deleting or editing them can make your computer inoperable.Are
you sure you want to display these files?
----------

Click YES.

[[Hidden files and folders will appear dimmed to indicate they are not
typical items.]]
-----

Now look through My Pictures and see if there is a desktop.ini file. Can
you find the desktop.ini file?

Here's what it should have in it:

[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Name Here
Personalized=39
PersonalizedName=My Pictures
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\System32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101
-----

See also...
144. Clear Wallpaper Most Frequently Used List
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

wallpapermruclear.reg is the file that you want.

wallpapermruclear.reg deletes the registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpaper\MRU

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[T. Wise]

Now look through My Pictures and see if there is a desktop.ini file.
Here's what it should have in it:

[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Name Here
Personalized=39
PersonalizedName=My Pictures
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\System32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101\

Thanks Wesley... here's the entire contents of the desktop.ini file in
C:\Pictures:

[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101
OriginalIconFile=
OriginalIconIndex=
ConfirmFileOp=0

Should I add the [DeleteOnCopy] section from what you posted?

(BTW, in TweakUI, I have pointed "My Pictures" to C:\Pictures.)

 

[Wesley Vogel]

You no longer have a My Pictures folder.

Your Pictures folder is no longer special.

This all happened when you moved My Pictures folder. My Pictures folder
gets its name from this line: PersonalizedName=My Pictures Without that
line the name changes to Pictures as you have already seen.

Should I add the [DeleteOnCopy] section from what you posted?

[DeleteOnCopy] means that if you copy a desktop.ini and paste it into
another folder, the copy of the desktop.ini will be blank. Or if you copy
the folder elsewhere – for instance, to back up the contents – these entries
will not be copied.

I wouldn't bother.

Your desktop.ini for C:\Pictures has been changed as you can see.

You still have:
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101

Which means that the folder may have the My Pictures icon, or it may not.

ConfirmFileOp=0 avoids the You Are Deleting a System Folder warning.

The question is, do you want the folder to be My Pictures again located in
My Documents or what?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Now look through My Pictures and see if there is a desktop.ini file.
Here's what it should have in it:

[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Name Here
Personalized=39
PersonalizedName=My Pictures
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\System32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101\

Thanks Wesley... here's the entire contents of the desktop.ini file in
C:\Pictures:

[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101
OriginalIconFile=
OriginalIconIndex=
ConfirmFileOp=0

Should I add the [DeleteOnCopy] section from what you posted?

(BTW, in TweakUI, I have pointed "My Pictures" to C:\Pictures.)

 

[T. Wise]

I simply renamed C:\Pictures to C:|\PicturesOld, moved all the folders and
files into a newly created C:\Pictures, then deleted the old folder, and now
everything's fine. THe only image files that show up in Desktop Properties
are the ones in C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper.

Thanks.

created a new

You no longer have a My Pictures folder.

Your Pictures folder is no longer special.

This all happened when you moved My Pictures folder. My Pictures folder
gets its name from this line: PersonalizedName=My Pictures Without that
line the name changes to Pictures as you have already seen.

Should I add the [DeleteOnCopy] section from what you posted?

[DeleteOnCopy] means that if you copy a desktop.ini and paste it into
another folder, the copy of the desktop.ini will be blank. Or if you copy
the folder elsewhere – for instance, to back up the contents – these
entries
will not be copied.

I wouldn't bother.

Your desktop.ini for C:\Pictures has been changed as you can see.

You still have:
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101

Which means that the folder may have the My Pictures icon, or it may not.

ConfirmFileOp=0 avoids the You Are Deleting a System Folder warning.

The question is, do you want the folder to be My Pictures again located in
My Documents or what?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Now look through My Pictures and see if there is a desktop.ini file.
Here's what it should have in it:

[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Name Here
Personalized=39
PersonalizedName=My Pictures
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\System32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101\

Thanks Wesley... here's the entire contents of the desktop.ini file in
C:\Pictures:

[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101
OriginalIconFile=
OriginalIconIndex=
ConfirmFileOp=0

Should I add the [DeleteOnCopy] section from what you posted?

(BTW, in TweakUI, I have pointed "My Pictures" to C:\Pictures.)

 

[Wesley Vogel]

As long as you have things the way that you want, that's what matters.

Keep having fun.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

I simply renamed C:\Pictures to C:|\PicturesOld, moved all the folders and
files into a newly created C:\Pictures, then deleted the old folder, and
now everything's fine. THe only image files that show up in Desktop
Properties are the ones in C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper.

Thanks.

created a new

You no longer have a My Pictures folder.

Your Pictures folder is no longer special.

This all happened when you moved My Pictures folder. My Pictures folder
gets its name from this line: PersonalizedName=My Pictures Without that
line the name changes to Pictures as you have already seen.

Should I add the [DeleteOnCopy] section from what you posted?

[DeleteOnCopy] means that if you copy a desktop.ini and paste it into
another folder, the copy of the desktop.ini will be blank. Or if you
copy the folder elsewhere – for instance, to back up the contents – these
entries
will not be copied.

I wouldn't bother.

Your desktop.ini for C:\Pictures has been changed as you can see.

You still have:
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101

Which means that the folder may have the My Pictures icon, or it may not.

ConfirmFileOp=0 avoids the You Are Deleting a System Folder warning.

The question is, do you want the folder to be My Pictures again located
in My Documents or what?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Now look through My Pictures and see if there is a desktop.ini file.
Here's what it should have in it:

[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Name Here
Personalized=39
PersonalizedName=My Pictures
[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\System32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101\

Thanks Wesley... here's the entire contents of the desktop.ini file in
C:\Pictures:

[.ShellClassInfo]
[email protected],-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101
OriginalIconFile=
OriginalIconIndex=
ConfirmFileOp=0

Should I add the [DeleteOnCopy] section from what you posted?

(BTW, in TweakUI, I have pointed "My Pictures" to C:\Pictures.)