Desktop Background reverts to original on start up.

Everytime I turn on my iMac and the external 15" LG Monitor I have connected to it, once I log into my account my desktop background from the previous session will flash for about 2 seconds then revert to the default 'Snow Leopard Aurora' background on BOTH monitors. I then have to relocate the pictures and set them as backgrounds every day.
Does anyone have a solution on how to keep it the way I want?
Cheers, Stathi.

Drag the question mark off the dock. Replace with a new one from your app folder (drag to dock.)
Background could be corrupt plist . Delete the plist com.apple.desktop.plist
Found by Finder>G0>Go to Folder
copy and paste:
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist
Reboot or relaunch your Finder. Dock icon Finder by holding control + option keys> relaunch

Similar Messages

After editing a photo, I sometimes get an error message that the "File is empty". Can revert to original and start again, but file disappears after editing.

So frustrating! I open the photo. Edit by cropping, adjusting color, etc. It's perfect. I click DONE and move on to the next. When I come back, the first photo is gone. I can see it in the album but cannot open it. When I look at the file information, it shows zero KB. If I move it to the desktop and try to open it, the error message says the file is empty. I can revert to original and there it is. Edit again, and again it disappears. What am I doing wrong? I am using iPhoto 09

You shooting with a Nikon? We've seen a few examples of this bug with Nikons on 09 and 10.6, with no solution except to upgrade.
Regards
TD

My desktop background reverts to previous one upon restart

Hi,
I got my MBP with OSX 10.8.4 this May, and since changed my desktop background once to another image.
Now, whenever I want to change to another one, OSX accepts the change, but whenever I reboot or even change the user ( only 1 present, which is me = admin, though tried to log out and in to see what happens), OSX reverts to the first image and discards any changes made to the background.
Strange enough: when I go to the PrefPane and see what background has been selected, it is the new one! But the old one is showing up nevertheless.
What I tried so far:
I deleted the file that was selected as the background image ( it still keeps showing up as the background! )
I deleted the plists com.apple.desktop & com.apple.systempreferences, nothing changed
this is quite annoying!
i dont think i have anything on my machine that would interfere with the background image... no wallpaper programs & stuff like that.
any help is much appreciated!! thanks!
PS: no I dont want to use geektool etc. for things like that. it is an "unclean" solution to this problem which should not appear at all.

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software — potentially for the worse. The following procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed. Don’t be alarmed by the complexity of these instructions — they’re easy to carry out and won’t change anything on your Mac.
These steps are to be taken while booted in “normal” mode, not in safe mode. If you’re now running in safe mode, reboot as usual before continuing.
Below are instructions to enter some UNIX shell commands. The commands are harmless, but they must be entered exactly as given in order to work. If you have doubts about the safety of the procedure suggested here, search this site for other discussions in which it’s been followed without any report of ill effects.
Some of the commands will line-wrap or scroll in your browser, but each one is really just a single line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then copy it. The headings “Step 1” and so on are not part of the commands.
Note: If you have more than one user account, Step 2 must be taken as an administrator. Ordinarily that would be the user created automatically when you booted the system for the first time. The other steps should be taken as the user who has the problem, if different. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this paragraph doesn’t apply.
Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
When you launch Terminal, a text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.
Step 1
Triple-click the line of text below on this page to select it:
kextstat -kl | awk '!/com\.apple/{printf "%s %s\n", $6, $7}' | open -f -a TextEdit
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Then click anywhere in the Terminal window and paste (command-V). A TextEdit window will open with the output of the command. If the command produced no output, the window will be empty. Post the contents of the TextEdit window (not the Terminal window), if any — the text, please, not a screenshot. You can then close the TextEdit window. The title of the window doesn't matter, and you don't need to post that. No typing is involved in this step.
Step 2
Repeat with this line:
{ sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix)|org\.(amav|apac|cups|isc|ntp|postf|x)/{print $3}'; sudo defaults read com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook; sudo crontab -l; } 2> /dev/null | open -f -a TextEdit
This time you'll be prompted for your login password, which you do have to type. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. Type it carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. Heed that warning, but don't post it. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
Note: If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before taking this step. If that’s not possible, skip to the next step.
Step 3
{ launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.apple|org\.(x|openbsd)/{print $3}'; crontab -l 2> /dev/null; } | open -f -a TextEdit
Step 4
ls -1A /e*/{la,mach}* {,/}L*/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,Keyb,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo,Sta}* L*/Fonts .la* 2> /dev/null | open -f -a TextEdit
Important: If you formerly synchronized with a MobileMe account, your me.com email address may appear in the output of the above command. If so, anonymize it before posting.
Step 5
osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get name of every login item' | open -f -a TextEdit
Remember, steps 1-5 are all copy-and-paste — no typing, except your password. Also remember to post the output.
You can then quit Terminal.

Desktop background changed to black

After closing Photoshop CS6 my desktop background had turned to black. I had been playing around with the background color choices in the program before i exited.
Winsows 7 starter edition SP 1
1 GB Ram
ATI 7800 video card

I didn't even think you could set a desktop background image in Windows 7 Starter. Did you do something out of the ordinary to get it there? Or are you saying you had a different solid color?
In any case, it's hard to imagine changing Photoshop settings had anything to do with that. Any chance you actually changed the desktop color by accident, thinking you were changing Photoshop's background? What dialog were you using to "play around with the background color choices"?
-Noel

On Windows Server 2012 R2 the "Show my desktop background on Start" is grayed out

Hi
As shown below, the new 8.1/2012R2 function "Show my desktop background on Start" is not available on Windows Server 2012 R2.
I have tried multiple solutions:
- Activate OS (In Win 8.1 - the feature is unavailable when Win8.1 is not activated)
- Install Desktop Experience
- Playing with the registry key "Subkey: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Accent Entry:
MotionAccentId_v1.00
But no luck. Does anyone have a solution.
The reason why I need this is, that I am building a Remote Desktop solution, and here we want to give users the same experience as from their desktops.
Looking forward to some exciting feedback.
Regards,
Mr. Thomas

Hi,
I am trying to involve someone to further look at this issue. There might be some time delay. Appreciate your patience.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Jeremy Wu
TechNet Community Support
Jeremy,
I, too, am facing this issue.
Do we have any update on this?
With regards
With regards

On Windows Server 2012 R2 the option "Show my desktop background on Start" is disabled

Since this thread is
inactive, I am starting a new one.
On windows server 2012 R2, under the taskbar properties, the option to display desktop background on start is disabled and I have not found a way to enable the same.
Please suggest, how this can be enabled.
With regards

You should take a look at this thread. They still haven't figured it out yet though, I don't believe it is possible at the moment on server 2012 even with desktop experience installed.
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/9e26b0d5-e586-45b6-91bf-540a72dd36fc/on-windows-server-2012-r2-the-show-my-desktop-background-on-start-is-grayed-out?forum=winservergen
http://WrinkleFreeIT.com/

How do I revert to original footage in Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.9, for some reason I have lost some audio in my timeline and would like to start again but cannot get the original footage?

How do I revert to original footage in Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.9?
For some reason I have lost some audio in my timeline and would like to start again but cannot get the original footage?
Only the edited version which is no good without the audio?
Please Help

What format is your problem clip? Are there wave forms visible in the section without sound?
Right click on the clip in the event broswer and choose Reveal in Finder; open the clip in Quick Time to confirm that there is sound throughout at that stage of your workflow.
Russ

"Revert to Original" Grayed out

I notice on all photos in my iPhoto '08 library that the "Revert to Original" item is grayed out in the menu. This appears for all photos, but I know the originals are in the system, as they can be found in Finder, in the unaltered state that I imported them. Oh, and when I do a right-click on a photo, I just now noticed "Show Original File" is grayed out.
Could this have to do with my dragging files from the iPhoto window to my Photoshop Elements 4.0 dock icon? It seems the funny problems started when I edited a few files that way several days ago. I wonder if saving the changes I made in Photoshop Elements could have left iPhoto "confused" in some way with its complex file-management system.
Oh, and I got the latest iLife software update.

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
Using Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements) as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.
1 - select Photoshop as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
NOTE: With Photoshop Elements 6 the Saving File preferences should be configured: "On First Save: Save Over Current File". Also I suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always.
If you want to use both iPhoto's editing mode and PS without having to go back and forth to the Preference pane, once you've selected PS as your editor of choice, reset the Preferences back to "Open in main window". That will let you either edit in iPhoto (double click on the thumbnail) or in PS (Control-click on the thumbnail and seledt "Edit in external editor" in the Contextual menu). This way you get the best of both worlds
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
Note: There now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

How do I set the desktop background to automatically change every so often?

I had my desktop background set to change every five seconds, with the photos coming from a folder in my iPhoto files. I then made a new folder of background pictures in iPhoto, but when I switched to them and tried to make it "change every 5 seconds", or 1 minute etc., it would not change. I then reverted back to the original group of files and it STILL wouldn't change, even though it had been doing so for the many months that I had been using this set of background photos before.
I have clicked on "change every 5 seconds" and "random order", but for some reason I can now only change the pictures manually by clicking on them in the right hand pane of the system preferences window. Please can someone tell me how to make them change automatically again...?

Have you tried restarting your computer and attempting it again?
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but a lot of people run their machines 24/7 and sometimes a little reboot helps.

If autologin is configured desktop background picture is always galaxy picture after restart.

If auto login is configured, the desktop background picture is always the standard picture galaxy after restart. If i do an normal login the background is the right one. The which i have configured.

I seem to have a slightly different variant of this problem. My desktop picture is supposed to select a random photo from a large folder, and change every hour. When I start up my MacBook Pro by itself, it works fine--I get a random picture. When I connect my external Samsung display and have mirroring turned on, it also works--I get one random picture on both screens.
The problem shows up only when mirroring is turned off. I should presumably get two different random pictures. But instead I get the same two pictures every time--two different pictures, but always the same ones. After the first hour, I do get two random pictures--but at startup, I always see the same two. Removing the .plist file didn't help. I tried removing the original two recurring photos, and everything seemed fine for a couple of startups, but then it just got stuck on a different pair. A pretty inconsequential problem, all in all, but frustrating.

Desktop background not saving

Hey guys, I have a new model Mac Pro with dual monitors. I have a different desktop background image on each monitor. Every time I reboot or shut down and start my computer up again the desktop background that was on the right monitor moves to the left and the right monitor reverts to the red/orange canyon picture (one of the apple default pics). How do I make my backgrounds stay? Is this a known bug that apple is working on or am I alone?
As a note both of the desktop background picture files that i am using are stored in my pictures folder.
Help would be appreciated!!
Thanks
-JM

Yup. Can't figure out the issue. I've verified permissions using disk utility. Not sure why this is happening. Don't like that it's happening but at least i'm not the only one. Makes me feel a little better.

Desktop background problem

Hi
I have chosen to use a particular photo folder to use as desktop background for my Imac. I have also checked the "change image" and "random" boxes, every 30 minutes. As long as I keep the Imac running, everything is fine but as soon as for some reason, I reboot the computer, I get the original photo that came with Snow Leopard and I have to change the settings all over again as it had not remembered the information.
I have tried a few times to delete the finder's plist fife, to no avail. Is there something else I may try to try and fix it once and for all ?
thanks

I just created a new admin account, applied the same desktop background settings as my regular account and then rebooted to the newly created account. I was surprised to find out that it's the exact same situation with the new account.

Can't set smart album pictures as desktop backgrounds.

i have imported 'without copying to library' a whole bunch of pics into iphoto and have created smart albums. now i went to 'change desktop background' by control clicking on the desktop and am selecting a pictures from one of the smart albums but its only displaying a blue background. this is true for all smart albums and normals ones as well. when i select an image from the other folders they work fine. what could be the reason?
the primary reason of importing stuff to iphoto was so that they are easily available across applications.

simport
Do you know of any reason why the Desktop pref pane should not be able to use photos in a "referenced" iphoto library
It's just the nature of the beast.
but I just don't trust it enough to do what it will with my photos by having them stored in the iPhoto library.
What are you afraid of?
When you import a pic into iPhoto in the default Managed mode all it does is make a byte by byte copy of the pic. Nothing else. It's an exact copy. It makes no alterations, adds nothing, removes nothing.
The pic is stored in the Finder. Yes, it's in a Unix Style Package file, but apart from all the ways to access your pics I'll describe in a moment, if you want to look inside the package you can do so at any time: Simply right click on the iPhoto Library and select 'Show Package Contents' from the resulting menu. A Finder window will open and you'll see the Library inside.
There are various files, which are the Library itself and some ancillary files. Then you have three core folders
Originals are the photos as they were downloaded from your camera or scanner. (As your Library is referenced the files will be aliases rather than the actual files.
(ii) Modified contains edited pics, shots that you have cropped, rotated or changed in any way.
(iii) Data holds the thumbnails the the app needs to show you the photos in the iPhoto Window.
Remember: iPhoto depends on the structure as well as the contents of this folder. Moving things, renaming things or otherwise making changes will prevent iPhoto from working and could even cause you to damage or lose your photos.
Running a referenced library has a number of pitfalls - apart from the fact that System Preferences cannot use the files.
1. Import and deleting pics are more complex procedures
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
Always allowing for personal preference, I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organisers.
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, there are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
For 10.5 users: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. If you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
Or, if you want to access the files with iPhoto not running, then create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use THIS
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
Your choice, obviously, but best to be aware of all the ramifications. By all means post back if you require more info.
You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
Other information that may offer comfort:
Events in the iPhoto Window correspond exactly with the Folders in the Originals Folder in the iPhoto Library package file (Right click on it in the Pictures Folder -> Show Package Contents).
You can move photos between Events, you can rename Events, edit them, create them, as long as you do it via the iPhoto Window. Check out the Info Pane (wee 'i', lower left) the name and date fields are editable. Edit a Event Name using the Info Pane, the Event Folder in iPhoto Library/Originals will also have the new name.
Mind you, I don't suggest that you change over in one go. I think the best thing to do is create a new Library (Hold down the option (or alt) key key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Create Library') and set it as a Managed Library. Import 50 or 100 pics an explore it, see how it works and see if that does anything for your confidence.
Regards
TD

Mac Mini (10.5.8) won't stop cycling through "Nature" desktop backgrounds.

My Mac mini is changing its desktop background by itself about every 30 seconds, strictly from the "Nature" folder of backgrounds. Tried switching to a different folder with a different desktop, but it will revert back to the nature folder after holding it for about a minute. I don't have it set to change the image. Using an LG monitor.

This is just the settings for Desktop & Screen Saver, let me know if you need screenshots of any other settings.

Desktop background doesn't show up

I have a new Mini with 2GHz Core 2 Due, 2G RAM, and 320G HD. I use it as a headless (no keyboard, mouse, or monitor) music server running iTunes. I control it through VNC client (I tried both JollysFastVNC and Chicken of the VNC). Screen resolution is set at 1024x768. The problem is that the Desktop background picture never showed in the VNC client window, no matter what picture I chose. More importantly, Cover Flow in iTunes doesn't show either; the top half of the Cover Flow window is always blank but the bottom half works fine. List and Grid view work without problem, however.
I really don't know what is the right forum to post this so I just start here. Does anyone have any idea on the cause and how to fix it?
Thanks in advance for all the helps.

Hmm, dunno what to tell you then. I've got an older Mini running headless and have controlled it with Chicken of the VNC and with Leopard's screen sharing. Both work fine (though I've never tried iTunes' cover flow with it... it's not a media server, it's being run as a calendar and FileMaker server). So I suspect you may have some odd, subtle system problem.

Desktop Background reverts to original on start up.

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for