Windows XP Changing wallpaper in registry

[Silverhazesurfer]

so here's the situation. have an admin account and a user account. the user account has been configured with Group Policy to remove certain aspects of the interface for the user. upon original configuration, a wallpaper was set.

I now reach a time where i have to change this wallpaper but unfortunately all normal means to change this have been disabled.

the only option i have is to log in as administrator and edit the registry for that particular user.

so far i have checked and changed the following keys

HKCU\Control Panel\desktop\Convertedwallpaper

HKCU\Control Panel\desktop\Wallpaper

HKCU\Control Panel\desktop\original wallpaper

HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENT VERSION\wallpaperdir (to include the location where the image resides.)

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\hints\%username%\PictureSource (to the location where image resides)

So far, hasn't worked. anyone got any good ideas?

- Surfer

 

[Ian]

From what I can see, it should be the 2nd one in your list "HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop" then the wallpaper key.

Ah.... actually, if it's for a particular user you'll need to use their user ID instead of the ".DEFAULT" bit above. For example HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-18\Control Panel\Desktop

 

[Silverhazesurfer]

yeah......i tried that part.

i went so far as to do each user SSID i could find. It's pretty easy cuz there are only two users on the box, so it's 50/50.

downside of it was that for each instance that i could find referencing wallpaper replacing the location to something simple, such as C:\picture.jpg. I even renamed the old file and searched the drive to overwrite the file.

say, for example, that you have a picture in IE. you want this pic to be a desktop wallpaper. set as background.........that gets stored in Internet Explorer cache as Internet Explorer wallpaper. even if that file you opened on the PC is stored on the PC, it will be cached. I assume that this cache is only available when the user logs on, however, i cannot make changes to the user profile due to restrictions.

i have duplicated the user profile with less restrictions, changed the wallpaper and restricted it again to the point right before i need the RUN box to go away. (Run is the only way i can navigate the OS. Start menu shows log off and shutdown.....that's all.....even in the administrator account, i can only navigate using Task Manager and the New Task option to view control panel.

I have a work around resolution, but i have other machines that will need to update..........and replacing the images on the drives is not an option.......it's about 100 at this point.

So i need to find the key to be able to write a login script to change the wallpaper............either that or the location where i can try to find the originally cached image.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated..............and fully explored with full report..........

- Surfer

 

[Madxgraphics]

i cannot make changes to the user profile due to restrictions.

You are the administrator, you implememnted the restrictions, you can remove the restrictions...

 

[Silverhazesurfer]

you are correct sir. unfortunately when the restriction to have no access to the run box on the start menu, the only option is a login script. to write a script you have to have something to modify. the key i need to modify is not in my arsenal.................hence a post here.

the computers are not on domain networks, so there is no group policy setting for the entire network. the settings are within the XP OS itself, then reimaged to each PC. Once you set the GPO on the machine for the particular user to remove that RUN box, you're dead in the water at that point. the PC can run programs, that require a certain amount of user interaction, that's it. the plan is to move to XP embedded next.

- Surfer