Solved Background wallpaper disappearing

Am tidying up an older machine that I suspect has had XP on it and now has 7 Ultimate on it. But I set a background wallpaper on it and after a few minutes it reverts back to a solid colour. The machine is running an Intel E7400 dual core and 4GB DDR2 RAM so quite capable of handing 7.

The sound for opening apps keeps changing too and a Google suggested it might be a pirated version. In the bottom right hand corner it has a tiny message that says "Test mode Windows 7 Build 7601.

Now I would go along with the the suggestion it was a pirated version this girl has bought but a search with SIW gives me a Windows Product Key.

I am not sure of where this version came from as there is no disk and the owner is away at the moment. It is downloading and installing updates which has me a bit confused too because I thought that if the OS was not genuine that would not happen.

So can anyone tell me what this Test Mode message is all about please?

If she has been sold a crooked deal then it is a shame as she has a lot of university and nursing studies already started on it.

Well, you obviously need a genuine Windows. lol

Amazing Aura said:

Well, you obviously need a genuine Windows. lol

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Hiyya Aura and welcome to the forum - mate it isn't mine it is a work colleagues machine and she is like me in the nursing profession and while I know what I am getting she the poor girl has obviously if what you implied is right has been sold a a nice little earner for some pondlife somewhere then eh? and that person is the only one that I can think of as having a few laughs re this rather despicable act.

Oh well maybe I might get to treat him or her in the emergency room one day eh? Then the LOL!! will be mine?

Hey but thanks for your concern I appreciate any help I can get.

Sounds like it isn't genuine. Especially about the test mode thing, unless she's changed the watermark like this Windows Forums • SevenWatermarkChanger - Add and modify watermark in 7 - View topic It may be a pirated version as well. Then I would buy a Windows 7 disc (or to save money for a few more months) Windows 8 RP and format the hard drive, and install it.

ubunturules said:

Sounds like it isn't genuine. Especially about the test mode thing, unless she's changed the watermark like this Windows Forums • SevenWatermarkChanger - Add and modify watermark in 7 - View topic It may be a pirated version as well. Then I would buy a Windows 7 disc (or to save money for a few more months) Windows 8 RP and format the hard drive, and install it.

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Yes Ubuntu the more I think about it the more sus it becomes.

I have tried removing the Test mode message as suggested in the Microsoft forums (in a Google) - Bcedit something or other in the command window but it didn't work.

I have a nagging idea that her son who had a load of Apple stuff and no security on this machine might have been trying to be a smart alec and has downloaded a mates disk or something like that because the fact that it is the Ultimate version leans me toward what some young know it all might be just greedy enough to want it because ti looks the best - it is certainly not what I think my work colleague would have done or tried as she is not that computer savvy enough apart from using the machine for her studies.

Still as soon as I can get on to her I'll suggest slipping in some more ram and perhaps a larger HDD and then an OEM .

Hi
May I propose to see if it's activated in control panel--> system?

Hanna 1 said:

Hi
May I propose to see if it's activated in control panel--> system?

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Hiyya Hanna it's got a small blue message that is saying activation in two days will be automatic?? But I am guessing even then it's going to flick up not a genuine.

You said SIW found a product key. try googling it and see if there are hits on a known key. A Guy

Yeh, seems its not genuin sorry to say but its best to just buy the disk and re-install the os, if i remember correctly you will be able to save the files, if not just buy a key from microsoft, worse comes to worse you could use this,

** REMOVED **

Educational Only

And given the "Test mode Windows 7 Build 7601." Its possiable, but dont hold me to it, that this is an older test build of windows 7, because i had the test build, and after they released it it gave me a not genuine error, it blacks your screen and the bottom right it has text saying the build # and OS name. Hope i helped!

A Guy said:

You said SIW found a product key. try googling it and see if there are hits on a known key. A Guy

Click to expand...

HUm didn't know you could do that Guy will give it a burl.

Thanks jz too - have decided to fling in some more RAM strip the drive - which at the moment is going too well - may have to replace it and install a spare OEM I have here.

In the meantime I have got onto her and her son "got it" from the net and I am strongly suspecting by not so proper means - he has utorrent on the machine so who knows what the silly boy did?

But I will Google that number and I am thinking if it turns out to be a pirate or someone low life flogging dead horses should I report this to Microsoft - can they rack where it might have come from??

The test build watermark suggests to me its a beta or pre beta version. Those versions have a time limit on them and expire. Microsoft doesn't want you using them past a certain point and want you to buy an official retail version. If you research it you'll likely find one of the things that happens after the time runs out is you loose your wallpaper. Forced reboots after a couple of hours was another gotcha I think. I think there was a thread on this at one point, might even be a sticky.

EDIT: ops, test mode isn't the same thing as test build so I may be off track.

Tell me, does the computer shut down/reboot every two hours? If so, you're using beta version.

John,

Run this tool, then click 'Copy' (ignore any error message that pop-up), then use CTRL+V to paste the contents in your next reply. We'll have a quick look to see whether this is a dodgy Windows installation.

MGADiagtool

Regards,
Golden

Thanks everyone but have wiped and diskparted the drive now and slipped in some more RAM and installing a Home Premium OEM for her, as she needs the thing back for university stuff or else I would have carried through to find out just what it was.

Still I do think this wayward son of hers got the version from a dubious source.

Again thanks for all the input I really appreciate it as always and what I have learnt here may come in handy on another occasion perhaps because I am sure her son isn't the only one doing darn stupid things like this.

Yeah, that watermark is usually there for a reason, its to let you know something isn't kosher. The son may have had good intensions that just backfired on him. Either way she's nice and legal now and you can feel good about helping someone out that really needed it.

That's good, she's legal now! feel proud of yourself for helping!