Solved Problem using My Pictures sub-folders as desktop slideshow...

[Veyron]

Hi folks,

I've got a problem with the desktop slideshow feature of windows 7 home premium. I know other people have posted similar threads to this, but none (that I could find) with the same issue(s) as me.

The problem is this:

I did a clean install of windows 7 home premium the other day and before applying any windows updates I copied my (pre format) photo collection back into the My Pictures folder, creating 35 sub-folders. Then I personalised the desktop background.

I selected the My Pictures folder and clicked OK. Windows automatically selected the sub-folders and displayed the photos in the box with check marks. At this point the desktop slideshow worked.

Then I updated windows and at some point, the windows desktop slideshow stopped working.

I tried to re-select the My Pictures folder. It now displays "This folder is empty." instead of the previously displayed 35 sub-folder photos.

Windows does this no matter which My Pictures folder I browse to -- by this I mean:

Libraries, C:\User\..... and the User\My Pictures

This feature does work if I only select one (1) folder inside My Pictures, but I don't want to have to choose which folder to get my desktop background from, I want the system to choose one (1) at random from the 35 sub-folders like it did prior to updates being applied.

Please help if possible.

 

[Brink]

Hello Veyron, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Be sure that you are selecting your Pictures library instead.

In addition, double check to make sure that both your users and public Pictures folders are included in your Pictures library.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/28346-desktop-slideshow-shuffle-images-multiple-folders.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Veyron]

Hey Brink, thanks for the quick reply.

I've actually tried selecting the Pictures library. It didn't work, neither has selecting the pictures in the way I described (badly) in my original post.

FYI: I don't have any pictures stored in the public folder(s), I don't share stuff online thus I don't use them.

I've also tried to follow the tutorial you suggested and I can't follow all the steps as my version of windows is somehow different from the one used in the guide.

For the moment I've removed all of the sub-folders in a vain attempt to see if I can get windows to 'see' two (2) folders of pictures.

----------

Edit:

I found, and used 'Reset_Desktop_Background_Picture_Location_History' registry edit and when after rebooting I checked to see if it had worked (it did), I noticed that if I select 'Pictures Library' from the default options windows does nothing, it doesn't even attempt to select the pictures library folder. Windows is ignoring the fact that there are 2 folders available for it to use.

 

[Brink]

Did you get it to work for you?

Are the folders that your images are in shown as being included in your Pictures library?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/585-library-include-folder.html
​

 

[Veyron]

Unfortunately not.

The Picture library still isn't showing them.

 

[Brink]

Ok. Are you able to include these folders to your Pictures library?

C:\Users\(user-name)\Pictures (My Pictures)

C:\Users\Public\Pictures (Public Pictures)

 

[Veyron]

Nope. It appears that that is one of the things that Home Premium is incapable of doing (I think).

When I follow the guides my screens look different and I don't have access to some of the places that I need to be to change options.

 

[Brink]

You should be able to. Please go ahead and post screenshots of what you are seeing instead to see if it may help ID the issue.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

 

[Veyron]

I downloaded a version of win 7 home premium with out all the bloat-ware that Acer add to the HD image. I'm going to install it tomorrow, update it and then try again.

If the desktop slideshow doesn't work after this then I'll post some screens. Hopefully it'll do the trick.

Fingers crossed!

 

[Brink]

Ok. I'll be here. Hope it goes smoothly.

 

[Veyron]

Well, the install went smoothly, thank goodness.

Had to contact Microsoft to get them to re-activate but that wasn't a problem.

Tried the background slideshow and it worked!

So, just in case, I made regular system restore points as I was installing my regularly used software. All was well until I used Tuneup Utilities 2013....

For those that don't know, there is an option to optimize the registry. I do this as a part of my routine when installing this piece of software. Tuneup's optimization stops the background picture slideshow from working! I tried a restore to see if that put the issue right but unfortunately the restore points (I found) do not save the registry, so when I tried to use the slideshow it didn't work.

Luckily I did a system backup after installing my systems drivers and a few updates from Microsoft but nothing else and hey presto, it works again!

Would love to know which registry settings Tuneup changes or removes during optimization though so I can try to avoid this happening again.

 

[Brink]

Good news. Thank you for posting back with your findings and results.

 

[nowick]

Same problem as above, but without the solution. Just happened recently, coincidentally (?) after other reboot problems and reverting to previous restore point. Inconsistent before, now cannot change desktop beyond individual folders. I've tried the Library linking method posted here as well as other various fixes posted elsewhere. I did run a reg cleaner but within Windows (not third party like the poster above), before this problem reached this point. Any more help available?