Unable to change Windows 7 Starter wallpaper!

Anonymous
2009-12-25T02:35:37+00:00

original title: Windows 7 Starter wallpaper!

Seriously!?!?!?!? You can't change the background wallpaper on Windows 7 starter!? Of course I understand that this version of Windows is meant to be very light on features for running smoothly on netbooks...but F-ing wallpapers? Microsoft does remember that they are still writing computer operating systems right? My dinosaur, Nokia cell phone from like 5 years ago let you change the wallpapers.  They left the gadget feature but not wallpaper!?!? This really proves to me that Microsoft has absolutely no clue what they are doing.  Windows 7 comes on just about every netbook now as of this current holiday season.  So here is my question...Why would anyone want a windows 7 netbook when XP (the operating system before the one before windows 7) had more features than it does? Apple is looking better and better. I didn't even get a netbook for christmas, and even though I really wanted one, i'm very glad I didn't. I'm not going to get one at all now if its got windows 7 on it.  I'll wait for that Apple tablet and that's it.  What do you say Microsoft?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

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Anonymous
2009-12-30T19:20:26+00:00

Hello socratesman,

Thank you for visiting the Microsoft Answers Community.

In Windows 7 Starter you are not allowed to change the desktop background. You cannot even replace the default image with another one because the system compares the file hash of your desired background with the file hash of the default wallpaper.

You have to upgrade to a more complete version of Windows 7:

Why can't I change my desktop background?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Why-cant-I-change-my-desktop-background

Hope this helps


Chris.H

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-03-03T21:49:40+00:00

    Hi fenderstratman,

    At the risk of being repetitive, did you try the Oceanis download solution (link in my post above)?  It's possible it may have become lost in the passions of this thread so apologies if you tried it, or didn't want to. It doesn't attack the problem head-on for the geek crowd but it gets you where you want to go.

    Best,

    Sharon


    Sharon Roffey

    Queensland, Australia

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-03-04T00:15:20+00:00

    Yeah. It's ridiculous that the simpliest version of 7 can't have the simpliest feature like that and I have a Gateway netbook (brought yesterday) that has 250GB of Hard Drive space, pre-loaded their own picked sample images and Microsoft is telling me that from all those datas like images saved into that computer, I can't even set a single freaking image as a background wallpaper in Starter?! My two old Samsung Blast phone can set wallpapers, even my iPod touch or their Zune can do that, but not a computer with a more complex OS software. I'm no expert in programming, but I know that it isn't difficult nor long for them to input several more lines of coding that allows to customise background. Microsoft, if you're reading this, I'm gonna tell you guys this only once; don't you dare try to repeat and relive that same nasty mistake with Vista, leaving out important (and basic) features that makes your customers happy and proud of your products and update the Starter to allow us to customize the monitor's background with our images. This is the ONLY thing I'm requesting for my Starter version. It shouldn't kill the OS, the company, the programmers, or Bill Gates to make that one feature happen. BTW, what's with the financial charges for contacting the company? I know you're busy 24/7 perhabs, but that's only hindering your customers from reaching aid from you guys and charging for email contacts = bad call.

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-03-04T00:25:51+00:00

    I just don't understand how the simpliest version of 7 Starter can't do even the simpliest task like setting only one image as a background wallpaper. That's just pathetic of the programmers to set aside such a feature and I have loads of images in my possession. And if that version doesn't support it, why would the programmers at Microsoft or whoever involves in pre-loading data pre-installed sample images in the computer's HDD? Yet another thing that doesn't make any clear sense. I'm praying that a future update will fix this problem and allow us Starter users to change and set our own images as a background wallpaper. One more little feature shouldn't kill the OS itself in fact. Please Microsoft or anyone who reads these comments, don't make the same regretful mistake you did with Vista by expunging the important and/or basic feature of all of your OS products.

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-03-06T00:12:31+00:00

    That's just pathetic of the programmers to set aside such a feature ...

    Unfortunately, they didn't set it aside, they went through great lengths to disable the feature - even hard-coding a special code in a core OS file so that the image can't be changed behind the scenes.

    I'm a long time Windows user and developer, and I can usually see why they do certain things.  Disabling this feature is 100% pointless.  The other features that were disabled in the starter edition I can understand - but removing the ability to change the desktop background?  Not only removing it, but going to such great lengths to do so? Really?!?!?!?  Talk about wasted development and test effort.  Whatever manager thought this would be a good idea should be fired for sheer incompetence.

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