Why Can't i see my desktop background?

Anonymous
2009-06-22T12:40:30+00:00

I got this Asus laptop, its vista and i used to be able to change the desktop background easily.

But suddenly, the next day, i switched on my laptop and realised that the background was pitch black with not wallpaper.

I am able to change the background colour but i am just unable to set a wallpaper.

When i went to control panels to change the wallpaper, i am able to select the picutures but i cant see it.

 In other words, I cant see the pictures available for us to choose for our wallpaper but i am able to select it.

 But when i jus randomly select the pic, the background is still pitch black.

And that 'cant see picture prob' oso happened to the rest of my pictures in my folders.

i am able to see my pics in the folders onli when i refreshed the page about 3 times.

When i searched for pictures on the internet, i right click on the picutre and slelect 'set as background wallpaper' and it works!

But i still hav no idea why my laptop has this prob. Help pls?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

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  1. Anonymous
    2009-06-22T20:00:50+00:00

    Hello AhxiuXIII,

    Thank you for posting.  It seems that you might be having some problems with your Pictures folder.  The desktop background defaults to a black background whenever it can't find the picture it was using for the backgraound before.  I would suggest that you check your Pictures folder to see if it still contains the pictures in it or whether you moved the Pictures folder.  Moving the Pictures folder can have the same effect on your desktop background.

    Please let me know if this helps you.

    Zack

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

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  2. Anonymous
    2009-06-23T10:04:56+00:00

    Thank you for your reply Zack,

    i checked my folder and the pictures are still there.

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  3. Anonymous
    2009-06-24T07:47:40+00:00

    I'm having a similar problem, also with an Asus laptop.

    I've check the file location, appearance panel, EVERYTHING I could possibly think of.

    But still no improvement.

    One thing I've noticed is that when I tile a background, it pops up faintly as the background of the toolbar and sidebar.

    I can change the color of the background and everything, but it just seems like the picture is under the background color.

    Like, at startup and after running a full screen app. I get a flicker of it, but the colored screen covers it up again.

    Mine won't work with any pictures I select, at all.

    And it's really annoying! Haha.

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  4. Anonymous
    2009-06-24T12:06:53+00:00

    Yea! Same boat ? XD .

    Hope i and u can solve our own probs!

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  5. Anonymous
    2009-06-24T12:45:09+00:00

    Hi ahxiuXIII and VitaminEnhanced

    Lets try a Selective Startup (clean boot) - this will help determin if a Service or Startup program is causing the issue

    How-to run Windows in Selective Startup (Clean Boot)…
    1.    <br>Click<br>Start, click Control Panel, click<br>System and Maintenance, click Administrative Tools, and then double-click<br>System Configuration.<br><br><br>2.    <br>Click<br>Continue, or provide Administrator credentials if prompted.<br><br><br>3.    <br>Click the<br>General tab, and click Selective startup.<br><br><br>4.    <br>Under<br>Selective startup uncheck Load startup items.<br><br><br>5.    <br>Click the<br>Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services box, and then click<br>Disable all.<br><br><br>6.    <br>Click the<br>Apply, then OK, and then Restart.

    If you still have issue, re-do the above steps and this time click on Normal Startup.

    If this is a recent issue, have you considered doing a System Restore to a point before this issue started?

    Running the**System Restore**utility…
    1.    <br>Click<br>Start, click All Programs, click<br>Accessories, click System Tools, and then click<br>System Restore.<br><br><br>2.    <br>Click<br>Continue or provide Administrator credentials if necessary.<br><br><br>3.    <br>Click<br>Choose a different restore point, and then click Next.<br><br><br>4.    <br>Select a<br>Date and Time prior to first sign of the issue you’ve described.<br><br><br>5.    <br>If the date you need is in excess of (5) days click the<br>Show restore points older than 5 days check box.<br><br><br> <br><br><br>Important Notice **:**That System Restore affects Windows system files, programs, and registry settings. It can also make changes to scripts, batch files, and other types of executable files on your computer. Thus, any recently installed programs, updates, or changes to configuration will be lost if you use System Restore. However, make note that System Restore does not affect personal files, such as e-mail, documents, or photos, so it cannot help you restore a deleted file.

    Ken

    Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

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

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