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Desktop background suddenly changed to black in Windows 8

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As you can see, my desktop background suddenly changed to black this afternoon. On selecting personalization option, I saw the "Desktop Background" option grayed out so I cannot change (as seen in second pic). Now, when I tried to change the theme, the color of taskbar and menu bar changed but no corresponding image is seen in the desktop (third pic). Please tell me what to do.

Thanks in advance!

Answer
Answer

This is usually caused by a corrupted TranscodedWallpaper.jpg file.

If the TranscodedWallpaper.jpg file has become corrupted, you may be unable to change the desktop background picture. To resolve this issue, delete the TranscodedWallpaper.jpg file. To delete the TranscodedWallpaper.jpg file, follow these steps.

From: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2504610

  1. Click Start, paste the following text into the search box, and then press Enter

    %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\
  2. Right-click the TranscodedWallpaper.jpg file, and then click Rename.
  3. Change the file name to TranscodedWallpaper.old, and then click Yes when you are prompted.
  4. If slideshow.ini is listed, double-click this file. Slideshow.ini should open in Notepad. Select all the text in slideshow.ini if any exists, and then press Delete on the keyboard.
  5. On the File menu, click Save.
  6. Close Notepad.
  7. Close the Windows Explorer window, and then browse to the picture that will be set as the background image.
  8. Try to apply a background picture again.
Shawn "Cmdr" Keene | Microsoft MVP 2010-2024 | CmdrKeene.com | tweet: @CmdrKeene
Microsoft MVPs are independent experts offering real-world answers. Learn more at mvp.microsoft.com.

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Last updated November 17, 2024 Views 5,631 Applies to: