Hi there,
I am new to the whole posting thing but I have been browsing this site for quite a while.
I recently got locked out of my task manager by way of a virus. I promptly downloaded AVG and got rid of that...now I cannot seem to change my desktop background...perhaps a residual effect from the task manager lockout. Anyway, here is a screenshot of my peril:

As you can see it will not let me select a background, and even when I choose a different color it stays white. Please help.

-Phr0st

A virus, certain spyware, a malformed registry, or other circumstances can transpire making it impossible for you to change the Windows XP desktop wallpaper. When you try to modify the background picture, neither the list of images nor the "Browse" button is clickable. If this happens, you can perform a registry tweak to restore the functionality. Note you must be an Administrator to perform this tip.

NOTE: Be careful what you are doing when modifying the registry as you can harm your computer or keep it from booting! Read the disclaimer.

1. Run "Regedit".

2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\policies

3. If you see a folder (key) "ActiveDesktop" select it. If not, make a new key and label it "ActiveDesktop".

4. If you see "NoChangingWallPaper", double-click the DWORD value and set it to "0". Otherwise, you need to create a new DWORD value of "NoChangingWallPaper" and set it to "0".

5. Try changing your wallpaper. If this fix doesn't solve the problem, you may also need to make the above registry changes at location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies .

Fixed. Thanks :yippee:

Cool! Glad all is well. Let us know if we can help further in the future. :wave: