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Desktop Icon Labels Now Transparent - how do I restore opacity?
My computer (Win XP SP2) took a small hiccup this morning and when it re-stabilized, the desktop icon labels presented with a box around them that shows the desktop color (i.e., the color you select in Display Properties/Desktop/Color) behind them. You normally cannot see that color selection at all if your background position is set to “Stretch.” I can also see a bit of the color around the icon itself. In other words, the label box has become transparent through the background to the desktop color. Try as I might, I cannot find a control that returns the opacity to the text label box back on. Elsewhere on this forum, there was a reference to enabling “use drop shadows for icon labels” in the Visual Effects/Performance/Options menu – but that is not the solution here. It is not the drop shadow on the box – it is the box itself. Can anyone guide me? Thx
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You say it's not this,
"Use drop down shadows for icon labels on the desktop"
So try this,
right-click on the desktop
point to Arrange Icons By >
and make sure that "Lock Web Items on Desktop" is un-checked.
If you have Desktop settings set to "Lock Desktop Items"
you can't remove the background color.
You can do it here too,
Right click on desktop / Properties / Desktop Tab /
Customize Desktop button / Web Tab
and take the check out of "Lock Desktop Items"
Ok / Apply / Ok
Elsewhere on this forum, there was a reference to enabling “use drop shadows for icon labels” in the Visual Effects/Performance/Options menu – but that is not the solution here. It is not the drop shadow on the box – it is the box itself.
To be clear: use drop shadows for icon labels is checked on your system?
but that is not the solution here. It is not the drop shadow on the box – it is the box itself.
If Flatiron2's suggestion isn't it, have you tried the drop shadow setting? That setting has nothing to do with a shadow on the box. If it's enabled the text box will be transparent. Without it enabled you'll see exactly what you're describing.
I had the same problem and, following this thread, I went to the link to a Google search and, following one of those links I came to a thread that had my solution. I wasn't sure how to post a link to that so I just am pasting the response here.
Originally Posted by fatjack
I had the same problem and the solution is really simple. If you have ever right clicked on an item and clikced 'set as desktop item...' then this may be the problem. You need to make sure that they are not selected. Do this by goin to control panel, display, destop tab, then selcting 'customize desktop'. Click on the webs tab and make sure none are selcted. Hope this works.
When I did what is described above I saw three lines in the desktop items list box. One of them WAS checked, and it looked as if it was greyed out, but I was still able to uncheck it.
Royalty - Thank you. I will give it a try. The problem is on the computer at my business, so I'm afraid I won't be able to post back with results until Tuesday.
One new piece of information:
When I checked my computer at home, I observed that what I am seeing on ALL the desktop icon labels on the computer in distress is what one sees, under normal circumstances, when you click a desktop just icon once, without opening it.
Does that additional information indicate anything new to anyone?
Thank you all. (never did get through all the links in Welsh Jim's post - but thank you all.)
Details:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Royalty
I had the same problem and, following this thread, I went to the link to a Google search and, following one of those links I came to a thread that had my solution. I wasn't sure how to post a link to that so I just am pasting the response here.
Originally Posted by fatjack
I had the same problem and the solution is really simple. If you have ever right clicked on an item and clicked 'set as desktop item...' then this may be the problem. You need to make sure that they are not selected. Do this by going to control panel, display, destop tab, then selecting 'customize desktop'. Click on the Web tab and make sure none are selcted. Hope this works.
When I did what is described above I saw three lines in the desktop items list box. One of them WAS checked, and it looked as if it was greyed out, but I was still able to uncheck it.
THIS SOLVED THE PROBLEM!
Well, I'm happy to report that this solved my problem too. What was strange was that the file that appeared in and was checked in the Web tab was a temp file in Documents and Settings that came from parts unknown.
Last edited by WFC_Exile; 21st February 2006 at 17:26.
Problem Solved 
