solid 'picture" blocking my selected background slideshow, which runs behind the solid picture. I can't fix this. what is happening? Settings are correct. I've tried lock screen

Question

I have a solid 'picture" blocking my selected background slideshow, which runs behind the solid picture. I can't fix this. what is happening? Settings are correct. I've tried the lock screen approach, starting a new user, but them i have no pictures. What is happening? Thank you for insight

Answer 1

Dear Robin Watts,

Thank you for your quick reply and detailed description of the process. I'm sorry for the late reply. Everyone's device situation is different, so I would ask you to be sure to perform all the steps of "Clean Boot", although it is troublesome, it is indeed a simple and effective method.

I'm glad to see that you are willing to take the time and effort to solve this problem. Great! Even a small success is worth celebrating. It's a pity that you can't remember which application caused the problem. If this problem occurs again, you can recall the new application you used recently. This will help. Otherwise, you may need to perform these steps again.

If you think my reply is helpful to you, please mark it as "yes", which is very important for our customer ratings and can also help others with the same problem quickly locate this solution. Thank you for your understanding.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the Microsoft Community. We are always here!

Best Wishes

Pyke.D | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Dear D. Pyke;

Good morning. Yes, the "solid image" is the picture in the foreground (guy fishing lazily on superior boat). The actual selected background slideshow was playing in real time in the background. So, I performed the full msnconfig disability and restarted, as directed. I printed your instructions for easy maneuvering. On restart, the slideshow worked properly! Next, I went back to reenable what I disabled (I made a list to be sure) and restarted. When I did that, the problem returned, a randomly selected image was on the screen, and the slideshow played in the background. That is where I am now. I went through apps, deleting apps I never use or heard of (all gaming apps, Spotify [I use pandora], and others). I shut down, gave it twenty minutes, and rebooted. The same problem exists, the immovable randomly-selected image in the foreground, while the slideshow plays in the background. Any insight? Thank you. Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Robin Watts

Answer 3

Dear Surfer,

Thanks for your quick reply, sorry for the late reply. Thanks for the photo, it's very useful. The "solid picture" you mentioned in your question refers to the one with a person in the foreground?

If so, please check if the "solid picture" still appears after switching your other slides or your background slides. Also, I noticed that you performed half of the steps of the clean boot, disabling the startup items of the application. If you forgot to disable all non-Microsoft services, please check the steps in the link and follow them strictly.

1. Select Search, type msconfig , and then select System Configuration from the list of results.
2. On the Servicestab of System Configuration, select Hide all Microsoft services, and then select Disable all. Select Apply.
3. On the Startuptab of System Configuration, select Open Task Manager.
4. On the Startuptab in Task Manager, for each Enabledstartup item, select the item and then select Disable. (Keep track of which items have been Disabled. You will need to know this later.)
5. Close Task Manager.
6. On the Startuptab of System Configuration, select OK. When you restart the computer, it will be in a clean boot environment.

Regarding third-party software, it refers to all non-Windows system software. Some of them don't even need you to open them manually, they will run automatically in the background, serve you some pop-up ads, etc. So please try to complete the full steps of the clean boot. This can rule out the influence of third-party software.

If the problem still occurs after the clean boot, try to switch your wallpaper to "solid color" or other options in personalization to see if the problem still occurs.

I hope the above steps can help you, and if you have any progress, please let me know in time.

Best Wishes

Pyke.D | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 4

Dear D. Pike;

Thank you for your prompt reply. Yes, this is the Windows background. You asked: "Are you using the "Personalization" function of Windows? Right-click on the desktop, select "Personalization", select "Wallpaper", and check your personalized wallpaper settings here." Yes, I do that. I select the file I want for the slideshow. The still picture (image) over the slideshow is randomly selected by the pc. It is an image from the file for the selected slideshow.

What is 3rd party software? (I am not a tech person. I write books, check news, research, and run my excel spreadsheet for household costs. Do you mean something like McAfee security? I have that. But I'm not running 3rd party software to my knowledge. I have added nothing to the desktop since I purchased it in December 2023. It has been fine until this glitch abruptly appeared around a week ago. Here is what it looks like. The second pic I took has not come through yet, but it was taken one minute later, and the background image changed as it typically would each minute as I selected for the slideshow.

I cannot get rid of the "static" picture. I thinki I did a clean boot yesterday: msnconfig>task manager>startup>select each item & disable>close Task manager>startup tab in sys confi>ok> restart ...no change. I did go back and fix that because all my printers were dc'd from functioning. No change.

Thank you for your time. I just took the pic of the monitor a few minutes ago. I await your reply.

Sincerely,

Raymond 'Robin' Watts

Answer 5

Dear Surfer,

Hello! Welcome to the Microsoft Community. I'm glad to be able to assist you. If I misunderstand your question, please let me know promptly.

It sounds like you have some problems when changing the wallpaper. The background slide you changed seems to be blocked by a solid color image. I understand the trouble this problem has caused you, and I will do my best to help you solve it.

First of all, I want to confirm that the problem you mentioned refers to the Windows background? If not, please correct me in time and explain your problem in more detail.

I noticed that you mentioned that "this problem does not exist in the new account", which means that there may be a problem with your current account profile, or the user settings cause the solid color image to appear.

How did you change the background settings? Are you using the "Personalization" function of Windows? Right-click on the desktop, select "Personalization", select "Wallpaper", and check your personalized wallpaper settings here. What is it?

At the same time, are you using or installing any third-party wallpaper software? Try running a clean boot, which can rule out the influence of third-party software and services to see if the problem is caused by third-party services:

-Clean startup, try to use clean startup, and check whether the problem still appears after eliminating the influence of third-party soft armor and services. If the problem is solved, you can follow the steps of clean startup to find the problematic software.

How to perform a clean boot in Windows - Microsoft Support

Disclaimer: A “clean boot” starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem.

These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step so that it will help you get you back on track.

If you can share a picture that illustrates your problem, I think I can understand it better. If you get any results when you try it, please let me know.

I hope the above information is helpful. If you have any progress or questions, please let me know.

Best Wishes

Pyke.D | Microsoft Community Support Specialist