No JPG backgrounds

[Mike]

Hi -

I am running Windows XP SP2, patched to the latest security patches. I
normally use 'azul.jpg' as my wallpaper. Recently, I was on a website and
inadvertently set an image as my wallpaper. After a few minutes, I went to
Destkop Properties, Desktop tab and looked in the 'Background' list to reset
my background to my beloved 'azul.jpg', but alas it was missing! In fact,
all I see in the list are files of type '.bmp'. Any idea of what could have
happened, and how I get the jpg's back in my list??? In addtion, if I try
to browse to 'azul.jpg', or another jpg for that matter, the file will not
get opened.

Thanks in advance.

Mike

 

[HEMI-Powered]

Mike added these comments in the current discussion du jour ...

Hi -

I am running Windows XP SP2, patched to the latest security
patches. I normally use 'azul.jpg' as my wallpaper.
Recently, I was on a website and inadvertently set an image as
my wallpaper. After a few minutes, I went to Destkop
Properties, Desktop tab and looked in the 'Background' list to
reset my background to my beloved 'azul.jpg', but alas it was
missing! In fact, all I see in the list are files of type
'.bmp'. Any idea of what could have happened, and how I get
the jpg's back in my list??? In addtion, if I try to browse
to 'azul.jpg', or another jpg for that matter, the file will
not get opened.

On my XP Pro SP2 system, while I can easily use any JPEG as
wallpaper, if I go back to the Desktop Properties, indeed the
previous one isn't listed nor are any I've previously used.
Instead, I must re-browse to get it back. A nuscience to be sure
but probably a "feature" going back to when Windows only recognized
BMP files for wallpaper. But, I do not understand why your system
won't re-open the file, if it is still valid and didn't get
corrupted somehow; seems to work OK for me, but I use the Power
Towy Wallpaper Changer to flip through an entire folder full of
JPEGs at pre-set time intervals and haven't manually set wallpaper
in sometime.

 

[Mike]

Well, I figured out what it was. Not sure how this got set, but, in the
registery I found the following item:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ActiveDesktop\NoHTMLWallPaper

set to 1. I reset it to 0, and I could finally see the list of all
backgrounds. Anyone know how/why this would have been set?

Mike

 

[HEMI-Powered]

Mike added these comments in the current discussion du jour ...

Well, I figured out what it was. Not sure how this got set,
but, in the registery I found the following item:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Pol
icies\ActiveDesktop\NoHTMLWallPaper

set to 1. I reset it to 0, and I could finally see the list
of all backgrounds. Anyone know how/why this would have been
set?

Thanks for the info, Mike! I never knew about this Registry
key/item, maybe that will help me, also. How did you discover this?
BTW, you may like the Power Toy Wallpaper Changer; I find it makes
seeing a variety of pictures very easy to do.

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Display Properties Desktop background tab lists only BMP files:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/jpgbackground.htm

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


Hi -

I am running Windows XP SP2, patched to the latest security patches. I
normally use 'azul.jpg' as my wallpaper. Recently, I was on a website and
inadvertently set an image as my wallpaper. After a few minutes, I went to
Destkop Properties, Desktop tab and looked in the 'Background' list to reset
my background to my beloved 'azul.jpg', but alas it was missing! In fact,
all I see in the list are files of type '.bmp'. Any idea of what could have
happened, and how I get the jpg's back in my list??? In addtion, if I try
to browse to 'azul.jpg', or another jpg for that matter, the file will not
get opened.

Thanks in advance.

Mike