Icon shadows on desktop

[theoldandgrey]

I am so frustrated and I seem to have tried most of the suggestions as to how to remove the icon shadows on Windows 7 desktop. They are to the right of the icons and although I can occasionally remove them within a few days they are back again as annoying as ever

Has anyone got a foolproof solution please. I have just downloaded a registry file Not Use drop shadows for icon labels on desktop as mentioned by Shawn some time ago but it has not made a happorth of difference

Please help

Thanks

 

[Bongo]

Welcome to the Seven Forums

Most icons shadows are build in the icons, they would need it be edited to remove them.
Post a screenshot of them.
Use these tutorials for posting screenshots.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9717-screenshot-paint.html
How to Use the Snipping Tool in Vista - Vista Forums
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

Jerry

 

[theoldandgrey]

Thanks Jerry - I am now at a basic desktop as the shadows were ruining the photos and driving me mad. It does vary from day to day and almost from hour to hour

 

[Bongo]

Is it just the folder icons? I don't see the shadows in your screenshot.
Can you post more screenshots with arrows pointing at them.

Jerry

 

[theoldandgrey]

Can you see them now?

 

[Brink]

Hello theoldandgray, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Did you already try all of the options in the tutorial below to see if they may be able to help?

Some require restarting the computer to apply.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/127333-desktop-icon-labels-turn-drop-shadows-off.html

Hope this helps for now,
Shawn

 

[Bongo]

My eye's do not see the shadows.

Sorry
Jerry

 

[theoldandgrey]

Really! I can't understand that. They are light rectangles to the right of all icons, however if I am imagining things so be it I'll just suffer Even shadows to right of all text in My documents
Thanks anyway

 

[theoldandgrey]

Shawn I have tried all your suggestions to no avail - Bongo says he can't see the shadows so I don't know what to do next put up with it I suppose

 

[Bongo]

Try changing the background color and post new screenshot, I just don't see it.

Jerry

 

[Anak]

I can't see any on either of the OandG's snips.

the OP may see them on his display, but they are processed out when made ready for posting.

OandG, do you still see the shadows in your posts? No offense, but how old are your eyes?

Bongo you may have something there with contrasting colors, in an extreme example, lets say you happen to get hit with glare from a car's window or molding, first you see bright white, but when you close your eyes you see a fluorescent green.

 

[Brink]

Shawn I have tried all your suggestions to no avail - Bongo says he can't see the shadows so I don't know what to do next put up with it I suppose

See if changing your desktop background as Jerry posted to white as a test to see how it looks afterwards.

 

[UsernameIssues]

I realize that too many people attempting to help can confuse things...
...so I'll make this one post and not speak again unless spoken to

As mentioned in another post, the JPEG image format might be taking the shadows out as it compresses and averages things. A BMP file format might be better.

From within Paint, chose the tab to the left of Home
Then pick Save as > BMP picture

But the file would need to be zipped or maybe the file extension changed to ZIP just to get it uploaded to the forum.

If theoldandgrey wants to try that...
...then this info might be needed to rename the BMP to ZIP
(assuming that it will fool the forum's file filters and not exceed the 8.3MB size limit)
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/10570-file-extensions-hide-show.html
Or maybe there is a tutorial for sending a file to be compressed.


There is a possibility that these shadows indicate a problem with the monitor and they will never show via a screenshot of the video buffer being fed to that monitor. Maybe a picture taken with a camera would show them. If they only appear on certain shortcut icons (certain colors) - then it might indeed be the monitor. Hence the suggestions to change the background color.

 

[Britton30]

I suspect uploading the image won't show the shadows because the monitor has some burned in images of icons if you have left the desktop on for extended periods.
If it is a good monitor it should recover after a time but the present icons will burn in too.

 

[nilank]

Can you see them now?

OMG! That's scary! Nobody including me can see them!

This seems to be a display problem. For instance, on my 9 year old CRT, I sometimes see such "shadows" towards right of the object I'm looking at. This can be text or anything such. This happens with certain color combinations. For example, blue text on red background, black object on absolute white background.

So, this either is a display problem, or can be an illusion. In my case, it's the aging CRT.

Hope that helped.

 

[Anak]

I suspect uploading the image won't show the shadows because the monitor has some burned in images of icons if you have left the desktop on for extended periods.
If it is a good monitor it should recover after a time but the present icons will burn in too.

This got me to thinking...

OandG, can you tell us what type of monitor you have? Is it a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or is it an older Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)?

If the former (LCD), this is what is done to help correct your symptoms:

Picture has shadows or “ghosts”

• Press (Auto) to automatically adjust the display image to the ideal settings.
• Remove any extension cables or switchboxes.
• Make sure that the video cable is connected securely to the back of the monitor and your computer. For more information about connecting the video cable,
• see “Connecting the monitor” in your manual.
• Make sure that the video cable is not damaged.
• Check the end of the video cable for any pins that might be bent or pushed in.
• Make sure that your monitor connection is using the VGA cable that came with your monitor.

Source: My manual

If the latter (CRT)

Ghosts, shadows, or streaks in picture adjacent to vertical edges.

Complaints about these kinds of problems are very common especially as
the screen resolution and necessary video bandwidth keeps increasing.

Most are due to cable and video termination deficiencies and not actual
monitor defects.

Source: How to Repair CRT monitor: Ghosts, shadows, or streaks in picture adjacent to vertical edges

I had thought that if a CRT you could try Degaussing the monitor, but the above suggests otherwise, still it wouldn't hurt.
You could also try resetting the CRT by pressing the AUTO button if it has that setting.

 

[boohbah]

if its an lcd
you could try running this page for a while ,either click the fix my screen or select the white button and leave it on overnight.
be sure to haave it fullscreen and hide the cursor either in the settings or move it offscreen...

LCD repair v2.0

turn the brightness up full also.

 

[theoldandgrey]

Hi everyone

Thanks for all your ideas, I will be working through them today (Tuesday) in the hope there is a winner somewhere. I don't want to have to buy a new screen to replace my Samsung Syncmaster 940N - will have to save my pennies

 

[Britton30]

It would still be helpful to take a photo of the problem for us to see and Analise.

 

[theoldandgrey]

I'll try a .bmp as a zip file

Incidentally the eyes are pretty old but grandson sees the shadows too