The Background list contains the names of images that you can use as the Desktop background. Regardless of the Windows version you use, you should have a choice of images that come with the operating system. In our version, Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2, we have 31 images provided by Microsoft.

Using the Browse button, you can import an image from any location on your computer, such as the My Pictures folder or a CD. Once you choose another image to use as your Desktop background, that file name will appear in the list under Background.

However, that image file name may not stay on that list. On our system, for example, WinXP gives the boot to an imported image from the list once we set another image as the background, whether the new background is another imported image or one from the list. So if we want to go back to that first imported image, we have to use the Browse button to find it again and reopen it. It will then reappear on the list—and will stay there—as long as we keep that image as the background.

The default images Windows gives you to use for the Desktop background are stored in the C:\WINDOWS folder. We experimented by placing our own photos in that folder and then importing them into the Background list. However, once we changed the image, our imported images—even though they were stored on the hard drive in the same folder as the default images—no longer appeared in the list.

If you experience similar behavior with your version of Windows, one solution is to browse every time you want to use an image other than the default ones supplied.

Clean Out The My Pictures Folder

We must add a very important detail to everything we just told you about the Background list, which works in conjunction with the My Pictures folder. As some Smart Computing readers have discovered, the Background list—which by default lists the files included in the My Pictures folder—has a limit to the number of files it can display. One reader discovered that his Background list could display only 102 images. Once the number of images in his My Pictures folder pushed the total number of files in the Background list past 102, Windows “kicked out” all the nondefault images from the list.

Because the My Pictures folder on our system was bulging with hundreds of digital images that weren’t listed in the Background list, we assumed that our Background list had a limit. We were curious to find out what it was. So we created a new photo folder on our system and transferred all but about 30 of the images in My Pictures to the new folder. Sure enough, once the transfer was complete, the images left in My Pictures showed up in the Background list, bringing the total number of images in that list to a little more than 60.

But the limit in our Background list turned out to be greater than 102. In fact, we pushed it to 125 with no problem. Once we added a folder with 25 more images, however, the Background list dropped all the imported images.

We also discovered that any images not stored in My Pictures, even if the number of images in that folder kept the Background list under the minimum, did not remain in the Background list once they were deselected as the chosen background image. To appear in the Background list, image files other than ones provided by Windows must reside in the My Pictures folder.

So, another possible way to keep images from disappearing in the Background list is to clean out the My Pictures folder so that it holds no more than whatever the limit on your system may be. If you’re an avid digital photographer who stores lots of images on your PC, staying under this limit or transferring them to another folder may be more of a hassle than browsing for an imported image every time you want to change the background. The choice is yours.

Repair A Corrupt File

You no doubt take precautions to prevent infection from a computer virus, but sometimes a good defense fails. Files can become corrupted from a virus, or they can be rendered unusable by an incompatible program.

If the image you want to set as the background is on your system but won’t appear when you try to open it, try resaving the image, whether from a CD, your digital camera, or the Web site from which you downloaded it. Make sure you delete the old image first. You also could try moving the image from its current location on your system to another folder.

Check The Display Settings

Occasionally, you may encounter a display problem with a background image. While the image file is listed under Background, it may not look right once you select it as your default Desktop background.

If this happens, click the Settings tab in the Display Properties dialog box. Try changing the Screen Resolution or Color Quality settings. The higher the resolution, the crisper the image will look. However, increasing the resolution will render everything on your display a little smaller, including the Desktop icons. Click Apply to view how the changes you’ve made affect the display. If they don’t improve it, revert to the original settings.

Finally, check the Position setting on the Desktop tab. The choices are Center, Tile, and Stretch. Stretch is usually the best option, but sometimes that setting can distort images. Experiment with the Position settings until you find the best fit.

by Rachel Derowitsch