Can't add folders for desktop wallpaper

[goodBEan]

Recently I had to move my documents to a new drive and that included the folder that has all my wallpapers. It wouldn't let me set the wall paper to the new location so I ended up using this guide to reset the wallpaper locations. I even used the registry file that I got off the guide.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/70606-desktop-background-remove-picture-location-history.html

Now my choices for desktop locations are limited to Solid colors and the windows defaults. For some reason it will not allow me to add any new folders. It would do nothing after I pick the folder in the "browse for folder" window. Its not making any sense.

Also the new location for the wallpapers is C:\Users\BEan\Wallpaper\Double wide

Here is my current registry for the wallpaper settings
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers\KnownFolders]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers\KnownFolders\0]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers\KnownFolders\0\Windows Wallpapers]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers\KnownFolders\0\Windows Wallpapers\MergeFolders]
"C:\\Windows\\Globalization\\MCT\\MCT-US\\Wallpaper"=""

Also I tried coping that part of the registry from my laptop but there was no real change except for adding a few folders that didn't exists on that computer. I still can't add anything.

 

[spectrelives]

Unable to add/remove desktop wallpaper locations folders in Windows 7

I have almost exactly the same problem as above. Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.

I cannot add a new location to the Personalization > Desktop Background wallpapers dropdown.

I even tried to go into regedit and delete the old location strings in KnownFolders, then manually add the new locations under the KnownFolders area as new strings, but that did not work.

The Desktop Wallpapers still shows the old default location library and continues to display folders of wallpapers that are no longer in existence.

No number of restarts, or even logging on as a new user, will solve the issue. What am I missing here??

There must be some other registry area that holds these locations? Did the guy above ever solve his issue?

 

[hjonesMCT]

Hi Spectre,

Can you give us a screenshot of what your Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization and Personalization > Desktop Background windows? Let's see what we can figure out.

Edit: here's my Desktop Background window, just for visual reference.

 

[spectrelives]

Hi hjonesMCT,

Sure. Here are a few screenshots. One is showing my registry. Every subfolder and key is an empty default 0 value, no other keys or strings. So what I don't understand, is where the dropdowns are coming from (see other screenshot), and where their Library-like folder locations are coming from. The KnownFolders registry area is empty... Adding to the peculiarness, there is one folder of images under the Windows Desktop Backgrounds location called "All Good Ones" which is an old folder I created temporarily and does not even exist anymore. Yet, it's still pulling in this name from somewhere.

What my goal is here, is to remove all these saved locations, saved dropdowns, folder locations, and just have two: Wallpapers, and Worksafe Wallpapers.
These are already folders on my hard drive, however, adding them (or any other folder) via the Browse button (in ANY theme) does not work.

 

[spectrelives]

Unfortunately, I can change my desktop backgrounds using the default themes that are there, however, following these steps I cannot add a new folder location to the dropdown list. When I select the folder containing my pictures I want to use as wallpapers, I click OK and it simply does nothing. The location did not get added to the dropdown, nor did the folder get added to the "Library" of folder locations showing the different wallpaper folder locations. What should I do to fix the problem now?

 

[eltranced]

im running into same problem.. cant add custom folders... never did, im cheating by putting images into the default folders

 

[Jedakiah]

I had the same problem. It turns out that the issues happened because I disabled Libraries. If like me you have done that, simply follow this guide for enabling libraries, reboot, then change your wallpaper folder location. If you are so inclined, you can safely disable Libraries following that same guide after you are happy with your wallpaper location.

 

[PcWizKid]

libraries conflicting with browse option ?

so, youre telling me because i disabled libraries i cant browse to more pictures in the personalization settings to change my desktop background ?

is there any other way i can get this to work and keep libraries disabled ?


Please See 3 Pics to better explain myself



Thank You

 

[Indianatone]

Just an FYI. Once you navigate to the folder where your background pictures are you have to let the pictures appear in the personalization screen and the check the select all box. Also in my experience getting Windows to change the wallpaper by itself is sometimes tricky as it seems to forget. It seems to be forgetting since patch Tuesday in July. Hopefully it will fix itself.

 

[PcWizKid]

doesnt apply to libraries topic

i know how to apply desktop pictures and slideshows but ever since i disabled libraries i cant browse for them anymore i have to do it manually, please refer to the pictures

my real main point is how to completely disable libraries and still use desktop background to browse for a picture

if you are still confused on what i mean i might make a video to better explain what i mean


thanks

 

[eltranced]

I had the same problem. It turns out that the issues happened because I disabled Libraries. If like me you have done that, simply follow this guide for enabling libraries, reboot, then change your wallpaper folder location. If you are so inclined, you can safely disable Libraries following that same guide after you are happy with your wallpaper location.

thanks for shedding light i would have never guessed it had something to do with me using the disable tweak....


pcwizkid, heard of Acdsee 3.1? Argued by many including myself to be still the best image browser... makes changing wallpaper easy with right-click

 

[XRay7]

I have this problem, too, because I disabled libraries. However, enabling them in order to change the background image folder, and then disabling them again, is no solution to me. I'd like to switch between my several background folders quite often. Has anybody found a "real" solution yet, i.e. leaving libraries disabled AND being able to change the background folder?

 

[lunchtime]

Alright, I signed up just to post for you guys since this is top result on google.

I had to goto my pictures folder, and right click an image > set as wallpaper. Then my images would show up in the Personalization section. I was having the exact problems you guys are.

Hopefully it works for you!

 

[Casparov007]

Thank you Lunchtime-a bunch!

This problem is very frustrating and Lunchtime so generously signed up to chime in with the Answer.

This tread should be marked as solved, I guess.

...and thanks for a great forum, life saver any time

 

[As9999]

I have the very same problem as described in the original post. But unlike people here, I did not disable Libraries. The cause remains obscure. There are still workaround ways to get a custom wallpaper set, but that's not how it's supposed to be. Windows 7 added these bugs to the simple ability to change the desktop background. (You can't update a theme anymore either, you must give it a new title and delete the old one.) Using the context menu option on Explorer pictures is also problematic, as I had it disabled. (See here.) That context menu entry blows the context menu out of proportions with its huge length in a language other than English (where it is already the lengthiest option); is useless for the most part; and we're supposed to set things in the Control Panel anyway. Those tutorials should also be providing a .reg file to move the option to the extended context menu (holding shift) instead of just removing or adding altogether. Opening the wallpaper in Windows Photo Gallery and right clicking there to get the option might be better, as it may keep the wallpaper in high quality according to here.

Just saying/reporting, not really needing assistance.

 

[Peachville]

Another solution

Win7 Ultimate 64bit
I also didn't disable libraries. I moved some files and changed drive letters which made my previous desktop background locations inaccessible. This screwed-up accessing new folders from the drop-down menu...would not select and retain a new folder.

My solution was to close the desktop background and then change the registry Wallpaper key to the address of a known image in the folder I wanted to access:

In my case: E:\MovieMadness\Æon Flux (2005).jpg

Once this key was changed, I ran the desktop background again and it automatically changed the Wallpaper key back to:
C:\Users\SSD\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\TranscodedWallpaper.jpg
...and the entire folder was now accessible for partial/all image selection.

Don't forget to save the altered theme!!!!

 

[Fedd]

Also might be useful, go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers\KnownFolders\0\Windows Wallpapers\MergeFolders

create new String value (REG_SZ) named as folder location, e.g. D:\Wallpapers . This folder will appear in Windows Desktop Backgrounds