Cannot change desktop background in Windows 7 Home Premium

Hi JMcKelvey.

What happens when you try to change the desktop background? Any errors, or is the option missing altogether?

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Desktop Experience]

If I select a new desktop background, the button at the bottom doesn't say "Save Changes", it just says "OK" and when I click on "OK", it just goes back to whatever background it had originally.  I don't get any error messages.

http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/10/20/hp-and-stardock-team-up-to-ship-netbooks-with-custom-wallpaper-themes/ 

Try this:

1. Open the control panel and type "experience" into the search box. One of the options should be "Check the Windows Experience Index'. Click on that, and make sure your video score is higher than 3. If any are blank, you've never seen this screen before, or you've upgraded your video drivers since installing windows then click on Refresh Now and let it do its thing.
2. Now type "glass" into the search box at the top right corner of the control panel. Select "Change Windows Glass Colours" or "Enable or disable transparent glass on windows" - they both bring you to the same screen. Make sure that enable transparency is selected. This is also where you can pick eggplant or whatever.
3. Now right click on the task bar beside your icons, and pick properties. At the very bottom of the taskbar tab is a check box for aero peek. Turn it on if you want the previews for your windows when you move your curser over the icons. I believe this requires the newer style taskbar though, so if you've changed it to the old style it won't work.

If none of that is what your looking for, go back to the windows experience index page. On the left hand side there should be an option 'Adjust visual effects', this lets you manually choose animations. Aero Peek and transparency can also be activated from this menu.

Hope some of this helps!

I have the same issue. I upgraded my Windows 7 starter to Windows Home Premium on my netbook and all was working well. I could select themes from the personalized option and they would change instantly (including the theme desktop pic). A day later and now when i select a theme the Windows colour and sounds will change but not the desktop pic. The pic is just stuck on a landsacpe image i had selected the day before. There is no error message. No matter what picture i select for the desktop and save, it still just stays on the same pic. I have tried aero themes, basic themes, just changing the desktop background on its own - nothing will change the current background picture. Very odd - please help