How to restore Windows XP interface settings to defaults?

[clickynext]

A while ago I had a package of viruses/spyware/adware go on a romp through my system. I got rid of them, but now there are a few things wrong with my desktop. I can't change wallpapers (the selection box in display properties is greyed out) and the text under icons has a border around it rather than showing the wallpaper under. Can I somehow just restore all the view settings to defaults and start fresh?

 

[Taz480]

Uhhhhh.....reinstall????
Just kidding. For the icon text block backgrounds, Rclick My Computer>Properties. In System Properties, click Advanced tab. Under the Advanced tab, click Performance Settings button. Under the Visual Effects tab, scroll down to "Use drop shadows for icon labels on desktop", make sure it has a check mark. I'm not sure about the wallpaper deal. Let me look into it real quick while you do the other.

 

[Taz480]

On the desktop wallpaper thing, do you mean under the "Desktop" tab where the selection box with the vertical scroll bar and all the XP wallpapers are? Like Zapotec, Tulips, Acsent, Azul, Bliss and has the Browse, Position and Color deals next to them? Is that the area that is grayed out, the big box??

 

[clickynext]

The box for "use drop shadows for icon labels on desktop" is already checked, and unchecking/re-checking does nothing.

I searched around and found a registry value that enabled the wallpaper again! But the wallpaper is no longer automatically resized smoothly. I use large wallpapers in stretch mode to have them fit, and now when they're being downsized there are jaggies.

Thanks for your help...

 

[Taz480]

Originally posted by: clickynext
The box for "use drop shadows for icon labels on desktop" is already checked, and unchecking/re-checking does nothing.

I searched around and found a registry value that enabled the wallpaper again! But the wallpaper is no longer automatically resized smoothly. I use large wallpapers in stretch mode to have them fit, and now when they're being downsized there are jaggies.

Thanks for your help...

....How large of WPs? When I was still using 1024x768 and tried to down stretch a 1280x1024 wallpaper it looked like crap.
Well, anyway, have you tried to restore to a point before all the virus trouble? What ALL programs did you use to remove all the bad stuff? Some of even the good ones will not get everything. Are you positive they are all gone?

 

[Taz480]

Heh, I was joking in my first post about a re-install, but actually, if a system restore doesn't take care of it, is it a good time of year for a good spring cleaning re-install?

 

[ManyBeers]

Go here
they will fix you up.

 

[clickynext]

Heh, I really did think about reinstalling, but I've simply got too many programs and customizations to be able to afford that at this time of the year. It'd take days! Unfortunately I disabled system restore because in the past, all it did was restore the virus.

Anyhow I used a combination of Panda, Ad-Aware, the Microsoft Antispyware, and deleting the registry keys running the things to get rid of them, and I'm pretty sure they're gone because besides the desktop, nothing weird's happening, and there are no mystery processes running in the task manager.

Thanks, I'll try in the microsoft place. Seems to me like it should just be some kind of registry keys hiding somewhere to fix these.