Wallpaper Reverting to default after upgrade

2019-12-03

Question

_{Tuesday, December 3, 2019 6:59 PM}

Hey there, we are in the process of rolling out 1909 to our 1809 machines (in place upgrade) but the wallpaper is being reset to the default and i would like to have it keep the original custom wallpaper or the one we use on our image, but i can't for the life of me figure out how to prevent it from getting changed.

just a little background. the way i set it on our image is by replacing C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\img0.jpg with our own custom img0.jpg. We don't force the wallpaper with group policy since many of our users like to customize their wallpaper.

is there a way to prevent the upgrade from replacing the users wallpaper?

i also tried replacing the img0.jpg in the upgrade media (install.wim) but it almost looks like it detects the change and restores the default.

i also tried adding a post install command to replace the default img0.jpg (and delete the contents of the C:\Windows\Web\4k folder but it seems that it doesn't happen fast enough and the user has already logged on and got the default by the time my script runs.

any help is appreciated.

All replies (7)

_{Monday, December 16, 2019 6:22 PM ✅Answered}

I ended up solving this by mounting the install.wim from the install media and removing the image files from \Windows\Web\4K\Wallpaper\Windows and also replacing img0.jpg in \Windows\Web\Wallpaper\Windows with my own custom one. Then i dismounted and saved the wim and deployed the OS upgrade using that instead.

Also worth noting that if the user customizes their wallpaper then the upgrade by default preserves the users custom wallpaper. its only these default wallpapers that get affected by an os upgrade.

_{Tuesday, December 3, 2019 7:04 PM}

And bonus question, does anyone know where the wallpaper is stored/cached in each user profile? if all else fails then i guess i can just do a seek and destroy (replace) in each profile on the machine. (Yes all of this for a wallpaper..... i know, i know...)

_{Thursday, December 5, 2019 3:04 AM}

Hi Jaybird283,

The wallpaper image (file name) is stored in this folder (in each user).
C:\Users\<account>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\RoamedThemeFiles\DesktopBackground\

Regards,

Ashidacchi -- http://hokusosha.com

_{Monday, December 9, 2019 4:23 PM}

I was hoping this was the solution but that folder doesn't appear to exist. i assume it only exists if a user sets a custom background.

_{Tuesday, December 10, 2019 2:41 AM}

Hi Jaybird283,

To show hidden folders/files, please check on [Show hidden files, folders, and drives] in Folder Options. And you will be able to see that folder.

open File Explorer > [View] > [Options] > [Change folder and search options]