XP desktop theme problem

[gallon]

Hello, XP sp3 installation. Am able to select Windows Classic theme for display. Am able to select photos for background. But then a separate photo fragment overwrites about one third of screen. Changing theme or photo doesn't fix it. Rebooting doesn't fix it.

I'm not a systems guy, but I can use regedit if advised to in order to fix this.

regards

 

[accolite]

I am wondering if this is a video card issue?
Whats the system specs?

 

[gallon]

Accolite, not a card problem. The Dell 9300 laptop works fine otherwise. The added fragment behaves just as part of the desktop image. All other windows work just fine above the desktop image. I am guessing a bit of rogue code got in there somehow.

 

[tigsounds]

You may have seen it, but if you didn't...

The display properties allow pictures to be Centered, Tile, or stretched to fit desktop, but only if a picture is being displayed. Perhaps your picture is tiled and doesn't fit evenly and so only a portion appears along an edge or top/bottom of screen.

Check this by...

Right-click clear desktop area,
Select Properties.
Click Desktop tab
Position. If it is grayed-out, no picture is chosen to appear, you have a picture, so it should be there, and functional.

 

[gallon]

Thanks Tigsounds. Yep, that all works. My picture of choice gets posted up ok. But then, after screen rewrite, and after the icons get reposted up, the picture scrap gets slipped back in there.

 

[accolite]

Does it do this even if you have it as no background image?

 

[gallon]

Accolite, thanks. Yes, that is how it is set at the moment. My choice of background color, overlaid with a photo scrap on the right hand third of screen, overlaid with icons, overlaid with active stuff. Seems kind of stable just as it is.

 

[accolite]

Do a memory check on your ram?

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

 

[gallon]

Do a memory check on your ram?

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

Ok, working on it.

 

[gallon]

Update.
A ram check has not been run. Reason, I thought about it and at no time have I seen erratic behavior. It is exactly the same every time. A photo gets put on the desktop and slid to the right until only a third is showing. The rogue photo is over the wallpaper photo and under the icons.

More observations

My screensaver is a slide show. That works fine, as before.

Under control panel/display
I pull down the themes tab and I see a change. It should be set for Windows Classic, but now reads Windows Classic (Modified). Allows me to select Windows Classic again, but doesn't fix the problem.

When I right click on the desktop, click arrange items by, and then unlock web items on desktop, this seems to activate the rogue picture. One time I was able to grab the picture by the top bar and move it on the screen. It appears to be a desktop sized window with a photo. It then froze in new position, can't be moved, clicking the x doesn't exit it.

So, problem has appearance of a bogus desktop. Hmmm, must be a web items folder somewhere.

stay tuned

 

[gallon]

update

problem fixed

From the clues on previous post,

opened control panel/display
select desktop tab
select customize desktop
select web

And there it was, a photo location was listed and enabled. Fixed that quickly.

Thanks again to those who helped with this.