Desktop Shortcut Icons' Background Color changed?!

[johan]

Hi,

Today (17 May) the background color of my desktop shortcut icons changed.
Before that, the background color of the desktop shortcut icons was
transparent. So, there are 4 layers on the desktop: desktop background (blue
but invisible because it is covered by a desktop picture), then desktop
picture, then desktop icon background color (which is normally transparent),
and finally the desktop icon itself with its text underneath.

So, today, the background color of the desktop icons (which was transparent
before) became now blue, exactly the same color as the desktop background
itself.
I tried to change the desktop icon background color back to transparent
using: Display Properties-> Desktop tap (or Appearance tap) but *Transparent*
is not even present in the menu. I did notice, though, that changing the
desktop background color changes also the desktop icons background color, as
both background colors are now always the same.

So, how can I change the desktop shortcut icons' background color to
transparent and this in an INDEPENDENT way from the desktop background
color????
Note that I have also 2 *.jpg pictures that illustrate the problem, but
there is no way to post/upload it onto this forum. I can send it by email if
MS specialists read this.

I have found a temporary solution by using a System Restore to yesterday (16
May) but at the expense of loss of datafiles on the D partition. This is
clearly a devastating bug in System Restore (see other message of mine).

Please reply with an answer for the background color problem of the desktop
shortcut ions.

thanks

[Alan Edwards]

Four things are required for transparent icon backgrounds:

1.Control Panel-System-Advanced-Performance Settings.
Check "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop" on the Visual
Effects tab.

2.Right-click on Desktop - "Arrange Icons by" and ensure Lock Web
items is cleared.

3.Transparency will not work if you have web content on your desktop,
Control Panel - Display Properties - Desktop tab - Customize Desktop -
Web tab. Clear all check boxes.

4. Ensure the Wallpaper is an image file not HTML.

See:
Desktop icons and icon labels may not display background transparency
or the drop shadow effect in Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;305117

....Alan
--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP Windows - Internet Explorer
http://dts-l.org/index.htm



On Thu, 17 May 2007 05:59:00 -0700, in
microsoft.public.windowsxp.general, johan
> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Today (17 May) the background color of my desktop shortcut icons changed.
>Before that, the background color of the desktop shortcut icons was
>transparent. So, there are 4 layers on the desktop: desktop background (blue
>but invisible because it is covered by a desktop picture), then desktop
>picture, then desktop icon background color (which is normally transparent),
>and finally the desktop icon itself with its text underneath.
>
>So, today, the background color of the desktop icons (which was transparent
>before) became now blue, exactly the same color as the desktop background
>itself.
>I tried to change the desktop icon background color back to transparent
>using: Display Properties-> Desktop tap (or Appearance tap) but *Transparent*
>is not even present in the menu. I did notice, though, that changing the
>desktop background color changes also the desktop icons background color, as
>both background colors are now always the same.
>
>So, how can I change the desktop shortcut icons' background color to
>transparent and this in an INDEPENDENT way from the desktop background
>color????
>Note that I have also 2 *.jpg pictures that illustrate the problem, but
>there is no way to post/upload it onto this forum. I can send it by email if
>MS specialists read this.
>
>I have found a temporary solution by using a System Restore to yesterday (16
>May) but at the expense of loss of datafiles on the D partition. This is
>clearly a devastating bug in System Restore (see other message of mine).
>
>Please reply with an answer for the background color problem of the desktop
>shortcut ions.
>
>thanks

[johan]

Hi Alan,

Thanks for the reply, I'll store it on my drive. For the time being the
desktop icon problem is solved by a System Restore to yesterday, which,
however, caused some loss of a few data files on my D partition and, which I
am now trying to repair.
I think it is fair to say that those little and silly problems with desktop
icons require a pretty messy too-many-level deep digging in menu folder.

I checked the link
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;305117
but it did not work.

Thanks


"Alan Edwards" wrote:

> Four things are required for transparent icon backgrounds:
>
> 1.Control Panel-System-Advanced-Performance Settings.
> Check "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop" on the Visual
> Effects tab.
>
> 2.Right-click on Desktop - "Arrange Icons by" and ensure Lock Web
> items is cleared.
>
> 3.Transparency will not work if you have web content on your desktop,
> Control Panel - Display Properties - Desktop tab - Customize Desktop -
> Web tab. Clear all check boxes.
>
> 4. Ensure the Wallpaper is an image file not HTML.
>
> See:
> Desktop icons and icon labels may not display background transparency
> or the drop shadow effect in Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;305117
>
> ....Alan
> --
> Alan Edwards, MS MVP Windows - Internet Explorer
> http://dts-l.org/index.htm
>
>
>
> On Thu, 17 May 2007 05:59:00 -0700, in
> microsoft.public.windowsxp.general, johan
> > wrote:
>
> >Hi,
> >
> >Today (17 May) the background color of my desktop shortcut icons changed.
> >Before that, the background color of the desktop shortcut icons was
> >transparent. So, there are 4 layers on the desktop: desktop background (blue
> >but invisible because it is covered by a desktop picture), then desktop
> >picture, then desktop icon background color (which is normally transparent),
> >and finally the desktop icon itself with its text underneath.
> >
> >So, today, the background color of the desktop icons (which was transparent
> >before) became now blue, exactly the same color as the desktop background
> >itself.
> >I tried to change the desktop icon background color back to transparent
> >using: Display Properties-> Desktop tap (or Appearance tap) but *Transparent*
> >is not even present in the menu. I did notice, though, that changing the
> >desktop background color changes also the desktop icons background color, as
> >both background colors are now always the same.
> >
> >So, how can I change the desktop shortcut icons' background color to
> >transparent and this in an INDEPENDENT way from the desktop background
> >color????
> >Note that I have also 2 *.jpg pictures that illustrate the problem, but
> >there is no way to post/upload it onto this forum. I can send it by email if
> >MS specialists read this.
> >
> >I have found a temporary solution by using a System Restore to yesterday (16
> >May) but at the expense of loss of datafiles on the D partition. This is
> >clearly a devastating bug in System Restore (see other message of mine).
> >
> >Please reply with an answer for the background color problem of the desktop
> >shortcut ions.
> >
> >thanks
>