Images/Pictures are getting saved to Desktop Backgrounds

[Guest]

How can I stop images from being saved to the Desktop Background folder. Every time I "right click" on an image to save it (I thought it was being saved to My Pictures, gues it is not) it gets sent to the Desktop Background list in Display Properties. I guess I need to know if there is a fast way to delete them instead of doing a search on individual images and deleting them. If there is an easy way to delete unwanted images/pictures I sure can use some help in this area. I assume I changed a setting somewhere that caused this to start happening... I just don't know what I changed. I am new to XP and learning every second. I tried using help, to no avail. Thanks for any help.

 

[Ramesh [MVP]]

Eddy,

This is normal.

From: http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/background.htm
--------------------------------------------------------
Windows XP fetches the image files from the following paths:

BMP Files from C:\WINDOWS
BMP, JPG, GIF, JPE, DIB, PNG, HTM files from the following locations:

C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper
C:\Documents and Settings\<USER NAME>\My Documents\My Pictures [& ALL THE SUB-FOLDERS]
C:\Documents and Settings\<USER NAME>\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
C:\Program Files\Plus!\Themes [*** & ALL THE SUB-FOLDERS ***]

 

[Sharon F]

Eddy,

This is normal.

From: http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/background.htm
--------------------------------------------------------
Windows XP fetches the image files from the following paths:

BMP Files from C:\WINDOWS
BMP, JPG, GIF, JPE, DIB, PNG, HTM files from the following locations:

C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper
C:\Documents and Settings\<USER NAME>\My Documents\My Pictures [& ALL THE SUB-FOLDERS]
C:\Documents and Settings\<USER NAME>\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
C:\Program Files\Plus!\Themes [*** & ALL THE SUB-FOLDERS ***]

Just an add on here: I redirected My Documents to D:\My Docs using the Move
button in My Documents' properties. I allowed the various My* folders
stored within My Documents to be moved at that time (answered yes to a
prompt). Results: I no longer see the images stored in My Pictures in the
Desktop portion of Display properties.

Added bonus: Windows still defaults to the correct My* folder: My Documents
when it's a document file, My Pictures when saving images, etc.

Front Page (XP and 2003) wanted to create My Webs under Documents and
Settings but that's another story...

 

[Guest]

Although Ramesh claims this is normal he doesn't give you the entire story. Yes this is normal for XP when saving images to the "My Pictures" folder. Why that is is anyones guess. Somewhere there is a registry setup that causes this. I haven't found it yet. The simple and I do mean simple solution is don't save pictures that you download or load from a camera to the "My Pictures" folder. I save the pictures from the internet in a file I have named "Net". Pictures from my camera I save to a file called "Camera". This is done simply by clicking the "browse" button when downloading and then saving the picture to the file you have created. Creating files is as simple as open the "My Document" folder and then right clicking in a blank area and choosing new\file and then click that and name it what you want. Then when you download just click the My Documents and then the folder you created and the pics will be saved there. The pictures do not show up in the background choices if they are not in the "My Pictures" . Stupid of MS but then the "My Pictures" folder also seems to be the default "Background" or "Wallpaper" folder. Good luck.

 

[Ramesh [MVP]]

Hi Sharon:

Tried the same in our lab here:

Machine 1:
Redirected My Documents to D:\My Docs. Display tab still shows the same images. (I just renamed one of teh pics to "TESTdemo.jpg" for easy identification. Shell has been restarted, logoff/logon done.

Machine 2:
By default, the pics don't show in Display tab. Redirected to d:\My Docs. Still does not show-up.

In either case, the number of image files in MyDocuments/Mydocs folder was 5 [jpg files.]

--
Ramesh - Microsoft MVP
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k

Eddy,

This is normal.

From: http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/background.htm
--------------------------------------------------------
Windows XP fetches the image files from the following paths:

BMP Files from C:\WINDOWS
BMP, JPG, GIF, JPE, DIB, PNG, HTM files from the following locations:

C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper
C:\Documents and Settings\<USER NAME>\My Documents\My Pictures [& ALL THE SUB-FOLDERS]
C:\Documents and Settings\<USER NAME>\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
C:\Program Files\Plus!\Themes [*** & ALL THE SUB-FOLDERS ***]

Just an add on here: I redirected My Documents to D:\My Docs using the Move
button in My Documents' properties. I allowed the various My* folders
stored within My Documents to be moved at that time (answered yes to a
prompt). Results: I no longer see the images stored in My Pictures in the
Desktop portion of Display properties.

Added bonus: Windows still defaults to the correct My* folder: My Documents
when it's a document file, My Pictures when saving images, etc.

Front Page (XP and 2003) wanted to create My Webs under Documents and
Settings but that's another story...

 

[Sharon F]

Hi Sharon:

Tried the same in our lab here:

Hi, Ramesh. Interesting. Is machine 1 still using a wallpaper from My
Pictures? You may lose those after selecting a default wallpaper. Or maybe
not. I have no idea what I did to "break" this but sure have been enjoying
it . ;^)

 

[Ramesh [MVP]]

Sharon,

It still lists the JPG even after I select another one as default. Will check it in my system @home, where I can run the required tests leisurely )

--
Ramesh - Microsoft MVP
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k

Hi Sharon:

Tried the same in our lab here:

Hi, Ramesh. Interesting. Is machine 1 still using a wallpaper from My
Pictures? You may lose those after selecting a default wallpaper. Or maybe
not. I have no idea what I did to "break" this but sure have been enjoying
it . ;^)