Wallpaper specification (XP Pro SP3)

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This is more of a curiosity than a problem, but I have noticed that there can be two versions of wallpaper:

• one which exists for a short time between logon and display of desktop icons, and after you click on Logoff or Shutdown, when the icons disappear from the destop, until this action actually happens
• during the main bulk of the time when you are working on the PC.[/list]I can specify the latter with the usual Right-Click on the Desktop -> Properties -> Desktop -> Background, but how do you specify the former? I only noticed this because the ‘fleeting picture’ was an earlier version of the ‘normal picture’. Of course, in normal circumstances, both ‘versions’ are identical, and thus you never notice any difference!

  A puzzle…

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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I can’t answer the mystery but I can broaden the search. I began my hunt way back in Win98 days because of background colors doing the same thing you describe about wallpaper. I don’t use wallpapers, but prefer to festoon my screen with pix and other silly graphics as you can see in this mini shot. I noticed that during bootup and shutdown some solid color, not my chosen one, would appear for a short time and then be gone. I never found an answer on the web and didn’t even bother asking here. I, like you, sort of concluded that it had something to do with having changed background colors, but I got tired of digging and gave up.

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TweakUI XP, available for free from Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP, has a page where you can copy your personal settings to the logon desktop, including wallpaper. See screenshot below.

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Does Windows XP Logon Wallpaper – How To Change It! help?

Joe

--Joe

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Joe

If anything, it deepens the mystery somewhat!

There is nothing specified for Wallpaper in the .DEFAULT entry for HK_USERS (HK_USERS.DEFAULTControl PanelDesktop)

but in my own userid in HKU, or in HKCU, Wallpaper (and OriginalWallpaper) has the value “C:Documents and SettingsLocal SettingsApplication DataMicrosoftWallpaper1.bmp and this BMP is a conversion of the original ‘Logon’ JPG or GIF whose path appears in the ConvertedWallpaper value entry!

This then gets overwritten on the screen, at the time the icons become visible, by the Wallpaper/Background specified in the Properties area I pointed to in my previous post. This information seems to be held in HKCUSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsInternet ExplorerDesktopGeneral value “Wallpaper” which has the value “%SystemRoot%WebWallpaper

I think I understand it, but it would seem that two different MS teams have been involved in writing code for Wallpapers!

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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Just as a matter of interest, do you use Windows XP or Classic themes? I’m still happy with the Classic look, but I notice that Log-on and Log-off appear in the ‘XP theme’. Could it be that you are using Classic, but you are experiencing flashes of a previous XP theme you may have set up?

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Leif

This really relates to my work PC, and this is set to the “Windows XP” theme, I discover.

The reason I observe the difference is that using RDP into it from home, the delay between requesting a Logoff and it actually happening is 10-15 seconds, whereas ‘natively’ it is a matter of 1-2 seconds… The two ‘pictures’ are the ‘pre-Hans’ version of my grid (10 squares x 10 squares) and the ‘Hans-ified’ version (19 squares x 19 squares). A noticeable difference!

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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If you want to change the Logon screen background manually these are the quick instructions and reasons (if you have a laptop) gleaned from a Woody’s newsletter in 2005. I have My name, company name, address, phone #, and email on my Boot/Shutdown Screen Wallpaper
Subject: Woody’s WinXP #3.01 – Make your own Welcome screen 1/2/2005
Why Brand Your Welcome Screen?
Although the numbers are hard to pin down, it’s likely that more than half a million portable computers are stolen every year in the US alone. Many of those computers are never returned to their rightful owners, simply because it’s difficult or
impossible for a casual purchaser to figure out who owned the machine, and how to contact him or her. Add to that the mistaken identity problem – where a portable user accidentally picks up the wrong machine (common in companies that have standardized on one brand of portables!) – and you have the makings for a lot of mayhem. Four months ago, Peter Deegan ran an interesting article in Woody’s Traveler’s Watch about branding portables. Some people mark their portables with tape or pens. Others attach metal plates. The Web abounds with various devices for finding wayward portables, many of which are quite expensive. But I have a soft spot in my heart, not to mention my head, for easy and simple (read: cheap!) solutions that you can whip up in a nonce. Peter’s article steps you through creating a customized Windows logon screen which says something along the lines of “This PC belongs to Peter Deegan. If you find it, return it to me at XXXX”. Here’s the condensed version, for Windows XP users:
_ For this hack to work, you can not use the WinXP Welcome Screen: you have to revert to the old logon screen, which forces you to type a user name and password.
To disable the Welcome Screen, click Start | Settings | Control Panel | User Accounts | Change the way users log on or off, and make sure Use the Welcome Screen is not checked.
_ Make a simple BMP file that includes your name and address, and any other message you want to appear on the logon screen. Windows Paint (Start | Programs| Accessories | Paint) works fine. Save the file someplace that’s convenient.
_ Use Regedit (Start | Run then type regedit and hit Enter) to modify three Registry settings:
_ HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTControl PanelDesktopWallpaper should point to the location of the BMP file
_ HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTControl PanelDesktopTileWallpaper should be set to 1
_ HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTControl PanelDesktopPattern should be blank or (None)
That’s all it takes. Whenever you start Windows, or log off of your machine, the custom BMP file with your contact information will appear underneath Windows’ logon screen.
The Achilles Heel with this approach for Windows XP users lies in disabling the Welcome Screen. Many of you like the Welcome Screen, particularly because it
doesn’t require you to type in a valid username. Also, if you disable the Welcome Screen, you lose Fast User Switching. For many of you, that’s too big a price to pay. You’d like to brand your portable, but not if it involves dumping the Welcome
Screen.

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