Desktop Wallpaper Problem

[firthm]

Hi Everyone,

I currently have a problem with a wallpaper which I am deploying via Group Policy though i think the issue is a setting on the clients.

Basically I am deploying a corporate background, it's a JPG (and hence i'm using active desktop) and is going out to Windows XP clients. The machines are fairly capable with an OK graphics card and decent processor, so I have no specification worries.

Basically when the desktop appears, which is basically as soon as it is logged on, the bottom 75% of the image disappears and turns black, so that only the top 25% of the background is visible.

If you right click on the background and select "Refresh" it comes up no problem...

Any idea's greatly appreciated on this one!!

Thanks,
Mike

Michael Firth
Network Infrastructure Officer

~If it's not broke, break it and LEARN~

 

[firthm]

I found a way of fixing this on my network I wanted to update everyone on in case they are still experiencing issues.

For me, I set the background to CENTER rather than STRETCH in GPO and all my problems disappeared.

Very strange. Hope all is well.

Mike

Michael Firth
Network Infrastructure Officer

~If it's not broke, break it and LEARN~

 

[Leozack]

I tried making the background a webpage that displayed the jpg but got the same problem I think. In the end I've set the logon script to copy the wallpapers down to the local wallpaper dir in windows if the're not already there, and set the gpo to point there for the wallpapers and I think it's ok. Didn't try that disable classic shell idea though o.o

_________________________________
Leozack

MakeUniverse($infinity,1,42);

 

[linney]

Q310514 HOW TO: Distribute a Custom Desktop Theme to Users in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q310/5/14.asp

 

[Leozack]

Ok well after leting time do the testing I've found that my script to copy the wallpaper down and gpo pointing to local source hasn't stopped the issue happening People still get the top slither of wallpaper and nothing more until they hit refresh, intermitantly. Doh!
Thanks for the link linney but what were you suggesting - that I use themes somehow not just wallpaper?

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Leozack

MakeUniverse($infinity,1,42);

 

[linney]

The Theme would give you and everyone else the same Desktop appearance, I guess it was just suggested as an alternative?

 

[Leozack]

Well thanks for the idea, I think oyu can set themes in a gpo can't you? So I could edit the wallpaper= line of the theme, save it as something else, and then assign it to users? The only thing is they have a bunch of users that they want to have different wallappers, and they want them to be updatable just by changin a sever held image. So I hope the theme file can accept a unc path for the image? I'll have to test this one next week and if it's all possible, see how it works out. Thanks for the suggestion!

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Leozack

MakeUniverse($infinity,1,42);

 

[xwb]

How about loading up the jpg in paint and converting it to a bmp. Then you don't need active desktop, everything runs faster and the desktop doesn't keep on hopping off to the internet whenever it feels like it.

 

[Leozack]

Won't making it a bmp make it a fair size bigger? Which wouldn't be a good for a room full of people logging on if still grabbed from a unc path via gpo?

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Leozack

MakeUniverse($infinity,1,42);

 

[firthm]

BMP's will definitely increase your image size, and didn't solve my problem, it didn't appear active desktop was actually the root of my issue.

I think you'll find this issue occurs because of the stretch process if you are telling windows to stretch the wallpaper to the users resolution.

Depending on your wallpapers and your users resolution, try creating a 1024x768 version of the wallpaper and setting it to CENTER the image, rather than stretch.

This will resolve your issue.

Mike

Michael Firth
DIY MCSE

http://www.diymcse.com

~If it's not broke, break it and LEARN~

 

[Leozack]

I'll be sure to try that next week when I'm back there, assuming it's not already set to center. Will it make a difference pointing it to a locally copied file rather than the unc source was it was originally? Eventually I must find a combination - but seriously - what could even cause such a strange thing and why hasn't it been sourced and fixed by MS? I'm sure it's been reported since it seems most sufferers of this condition are closet sufferers and only come out in public about it on forums if someone elses posts

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Leozack

MakeUniverse($infinity,1,42);

 

[firthm]

Hahaha....very good, closet sufferers!

I personally kept the background on a UNC share and it all works hunky dory.

I can't imagine why this hasn't been fixed, I experienced it on all spec machines in different offices on different backgrounds, I just can't imagine the problem is anything other than a Windows bug, which usually get fixed pretty quick!

Let us know how you get on ...

Mike

Michael Firth
DIY MCSE

http://www.diymcse.com

~If it's not broke, break it and LEARN~

 

[Leozack]

Ok well I think the stretching thing (or lack of it) might've fixed it. Except now the tft's with 12*10 have borders around thew allpaper which is set to 10*7 for the crts

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Leozack

MakeUniverse($infinity,1,42);

 

[Leozack]

No problems since setting it from stretch to center, so it lokos like that was the problem. Of course now I haev 10*7 wallpapers for the lower res crts and the higher res tfts have a nice border aronud it because they're 12*10. There's always something!

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Leozack

MakeUniverse($infinity,1,42);