Please Help! Desktop background/wallpaper trouble

[aterborb]

Dear All,

I've been having this problem which started a few days ago with my desktop. I will try to be as specific as I can with regards to the screwed up situation I'm in.

I'm running on Windows XP with service pack 2 installed, anti-virus program I use is Norton corp. edition and I also have AdAware 7. I've dutifully updated all my virus definitions and all that.

But I can no longer change my wallpaper and it's only a plain blue screen. Funny thing is, when I go into display and select the pic I want to use, it actually shows up in the display area, but nothing happens when I click the apply button, and the background remains plain blue. However, if I click on the default windows XP theme, it changes to that theme, and if I then click back on the photo I want to use, it shows up!!! But a few minutes later, the screen flickers and all is back to plain blue screen again. But when I turn the computer off, a brief flicker of the picture I want to use flashes before shutting down, just what exactly is happening to my machine????

Nothing like this has ever happened to me before!! Also, it seems as if some settings that I've tried to change (for ex, selecting windows media player as the default player for all types of media files) do not stay that way for long. What I mean is, the changes take place right after I've selected them, but a few minutes later, they change back to the way they were which is really frustrating, not to mention creepy as hell as well.

I've practically looked thru all that the web has to offer on this issue and has now officially become desperate and despondent.

however, after running regedit and following the paths, I can't find the chunk after "Policies" and all I have after that path is an "explorer" folder, no mentioning of wallpaper strings whatsoever.

I've also ran norton many times and have the latest updates and etc, I've also ran ad aware and nothing suspicious have to found which might indicate the culprit behind my problem, just a few cookies and trackers.

therefore, if anyone can please help me, I will be forever grateful and much appreciative.

THANKS again

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Hello and welcome to Techspot.

I`d like to do a quick check to see if your system is infected with malware.

Go and read this thread HERE and post a HJT log as an attachment into this thread.


Regards Howard :wave: :wave:

 

[atrebor]

Dear Howard,

Thanks for your quick response, I have attached the hijack log file as per your request, thanks again!

 

[howard_hopkinso]

I`m sorry, but you need to reattach your HJT log as a .txt or .log attachment. That`s because .doc files can carry viruses. I have therefore removed your HJT .doc file.

Regards Howard

 

[atrebor]

no problem ! I have reattached my log file as a txt file!

Thanks again and I appreciate the quick response

 

[howard_hopkinso]

I can`t see anything nasty in your HJT log. However, you have not renamed it as per the instructions.

Regards Howard

 

[atrebor]

hi howard,

thanks for being so patient with me despite my lack of following the directions, I have reposted my log again following the directions exactly, and have renamed the exe part.

would be so appreciative if you could be so kind as to help me check out the log again.

thanks a bunch!

 

[howard_hopkinso]

Still clean mate.

Your problem may still be malware related as not all malware shows up in a HJT log. On the other hand, it could also be caused by something else.

We can eliminate malware as the cause, if you follow the instructions HERE.

Regards Howard