Remove the background from desktop shortcut name

[emcannon1]

For XP Specifically:

1. Open the Control Panel

2. Click the "System" Icon

3. Choose the "Advanced" Tab

4. Under the "Performanc e" Section, click "Settings"

5. Now, here's the trick.

a. Locate the "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop" Option

a1. If the box is checked, then "un-check it" (turn it off), then click "OK"

b. Check the box (turn it on), then click "OK"

The results are immediate.

[bartonc]

For XP Specifically:

1. Open the Control Panel

2. Click the "System" Icon

3. Choose the "Advanced" Tab

4. Under the "Performanc e" Section, click "Settings"

5. Now, here's the trick.

a. Locate the "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop" Option

a1. If the box is checked, then "un-check it" (turn it off), then click "OK"

b. Check the box (turn it on), then click "OK"

The results are immediate.

Thanks for that. But I guess that you didn't actaully read the thread. You solution was covered in post #12.

[ak1dnar]

Where is the "Disable Active desktop" really...

[contender]

I have the exact same problem with my PC. It definitely has something to do with active desktop. How it started was I did a print screen of an image and pasted it into MS word to crop. I then copied the cropped image and then right clicked on the desktop and pasted it. This then came up with a message about active desktop and I before I could read it I accidentally hit enter. Ever since I did this my desktop icons have had the blue drop shadow on the text below them. I have been trying all the solutions you have suggested so far in this thread and none of them have worked. Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards

[markrawlingson]

Hmmm, try this then...

1) Save the following in a text file with a .vbs extension (EG: regfix.vbs, and run it) This will toggle enabled/disabled the active desktop.

Option Explicit
On Error Resume Next

Dim WSHShell, n, p, itemtype, MyBox, vbdefaultbutton
Set WSHShell = WScript.CreateO bject("WScript. Shell")

p = "HKEY_CURRENT_U SER\Software\Mi crosoft\Windows \CurrentVersion \Policies\Explo rer\NoActiveDes ktop"
itemtype = "REG_DWORD"


n = WSHShell.RegRea d (p)
errnum = Err.Number

if errnum <> 0 then

WSHShell.RegWri te p, 1, itemtype
End If

If n = 0 Then
WshShell.RegWri te p, 1, itemtype
MyBox = MsgBox("Active Desktop is now DISABLED", 64, "Disable Active Desktop")
End If

If n = 1 Then
WshShell.Regwri te p, 0, itemtype
MyBox = MsgBox("Active Desktop is now ENABLED", 64, "Enable Active Desktop")
End If

Set WshShell = Nothing

VisitKelly's Korner

Sub VisitKelly's Korner
If MsgBox("This script came from the Tweaks Section of Kelly's Korner" & vbCRLF & vbCRLF & "Would you like to visit Kelly's Web Site now?", vbQuestion + vbYesNo + vbDefaultButton , "Visit Kelly's Korner") =6 Then
wshshell.Run "http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm"
End If
End Sub

2) Start > Run > gpedit.msc > under 'User Configuration' > Administrative Templates > Desktop > Active Desktop

There are two items referring to the active desktop here, double click each one and set its property accordingly.

Enable Active Desktop --> Disable
Disable Active Desktop --> Enable

Reboot computer.

I don't know what else you could do, I've suggested everything I can find - this is a tough one. I will research some more on the topic and see what else I can find, but I think we've sifted through every grain of sand on the beach here near enough so the answer can't be too far off.. lol

Sincerely,
Mark

[ak1dnar]

I have the exact same problem with my PC. It definitely has something to do with active desktop. How it started was I did a print screen of an image and pasted it into MS word to crop. I then copied the cropped image and then right clicked on the desktop and pasted it. This then came up with a message about active desktop and I before I could read it I accidentally hit enter. Ever since I did this my desktop icons have had the blue drop shadow on the text below them. I have been trying all the solutions you have suggested so far in this thread and none of them have worked. Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards

Yes yes me too did the same thing exactly. you are so great...! now i can remember the reason....
but after trying all the suggestions from my tsdn friends, i came up with this option. I just created another user account and no problem on that account. but problem remains on the earlier account still.

[InsanesnakeShinigami]

wow, Im glad Im not the only one who had this problem.
this should sound similar to what the others said, with a small but necessary twist.

alright, all you need to do is:

Open Display Properties (from Control Panel or right clicking on the deskop and picking properties). The first thing you should see is the Themes tab. In the Theme: drop down list pick Windows XP. Click Apply then OK.

after that, your background should change to the hill picture. Then go to system properties, click advanced tab, then click on the use drop shadows checkbox. Should make the shadow's disappear. then use a photo editing program to change the format of your desired wallpaper to JPEG. Browse for your newly reformatted background, then apply it. It should work :) My wallpaper I was trying to use was PNG.

[contender]

Thanks heaps InsanesnakeShin igami. I did exactly what you said and it fixed the problem.

[InsanesnakeShinigami]

Thanks heaps InsanesnakeShin igami. I did exactly what you said and it fixed the problem.

no problem, glad it worked for you :)

[TheVith]

Quick fix to this, first, have drop shadows for icon labels set to off, as I dont know how to change the drop shadows color to transparent. The box around the text is actually the desktop color that shows when you do not have a wallpaper. Just change the default desktop color by right clicking on the desktop and go to properties. Then click desktop and change the color accordingly.

I like a black background but I had a blue box around all my icon text, so after I changed the desktop color to black then it looked better. I can pull it off with this kind of background.



Shinigami's way works better though :) Need to have the drop shadows for icon labels to on for it to work, because when you change the theme to Windows XP it re-initializes the icon drop shadow to transparent. Good find mate.

[Mike K]

You could just use a BMP filetype for the wallpaper, that gets rid of it too.

[TheVith]

JPEG would be best though because your computer has to load the picture EVERY time you look at/change the desktop and I would rather load a 190 KB picture than a 3 MB picture every time if ya know what I mean.

[unexpected]

Hi there,
As you can see in the attached picture there is a blue color background on the name of the desktop shortcuts. How to remove this. (Should I say Plzzzzz ?)

Thanks
-ajaxrand

Hi,

I had the same problem and I resolved this as follows:

Four things are required for transparent icon backgrounds:

1) System Properties>Adva nced>Performanc e Settings>Visual Effects - check
"use drop shadows for icon labels".

2) Right-click on Desktop ->Arrange Icons by>Lock Web items must be
cleared.

3) If you have any web content on your desktop, transparency won't work.
To check for web content: Display Properties>Desk top>Customize
Desktop>Web - make sure all checkboxes are clear.

4) Wallpaper must be an image file, not html.

Hope it'll be useful!

[sparkyucsb]

I found a fix!
I had also messed with the active desktop by copying from MS Word onto desktop, but I found a way to fix it.
Open desktop properties then go to desktop tab then web then uncheck all web pages there- then I went back to systems to turn ON drop shadow and voila. it worked.

[konfetti]

Hello Mark ,

Thank you alot for your Hard work, i had the problem in this year after using some Graphic conversters & moving the worked out graphics to a Word file .
& i treid this & it worked , the Blue backgroundcolor is vanished =)
thank you very much
konfetti