Okay, i do not know what i did, but i somehow changed my icons so that they have a box around the names... for ex. Internet Explorer, instead of just being white or black, now has a blue rectangled outline around it... the color of my background, usually it is transparent, How do i fix it?

Go to start, And right click on My Computer. Go to advanced and under preformance, click settings. Check the one that says Use drop shadows for icon lables on the desktop.

jablonskia@gmail.com

Umm sorry i just tried that to no avail, still dont know whats up with it, thanks for trying though.

Follow the instructions at the link below.

Remove icon border shadows on the desktop

If that doesn't work you may have Active Desktop enabled. To disable Active Desktop follow these instructions.

Open the Control Panel.
Open Display Properties.
Click the Desktop tab.
Click the Customize Desktop button.
Click the Web tab in the Desktop Items window.
If you wish to enable the Active Desktop, check "My Current Home Page". Add your current home page into your desktop or click New to add another web page and/or other Active Desktop features. To update the content, click the Synchronize button.

"If you wish to disable Active Desktop, make sure all checkboxes in this window are un-checked."

The instructions in the last sentence above should disable the Active Desktop and then try following the instructions at the link above.

Tufenuf

Okay i just checked all of it, still have the box around the text

If after trying the possible solutions for your icon issue you're still having a problem go to the link below and download the TransparentIconBox.exe and run it.

TransparentIconBox

Tufenuf

Yeah, if that does not work, right click an empty area of the desktop, go to Properties>Desktop>Customize Desktop, and uncheck "Lock Desktop Items" if it's checked. Then click Ok, then Apply, and OK.

Okay i am soo confused, i donwloaded TransText, but it syas Active Desktop is on, and where u turn it off it says its off

but69ler, See Response Number 3 in this thread above. It's spelled out very clearly how to disable Active Desktop.

Tufenuf

I know this, i have tried it about 40 times now, still does the exact same thing, nothing changes.

Have you tried response #6 yet?

Yes i have, id like to thank you for all the help though even though we still have not figured it out

Open the Control Panel.
Open Display Properties.
Click the Desktop tab.
Click the Customize Desktop button.
Click the Web tab in the Desktop Items window.
Make sure all checkboxes in the Web pages window are un-checked,
Make sure that Lock Desktop Items is unchecked then click OK/Apply/OK

Tufenuf

You're welcome. Hold on while I try to think of something else.

Still absolutely nothing everythings unchekced, eveyrthing just like #3 says, tried everything a million times

Also, after all that you may need to log off or restart.

jablonskia@gmail.com

Yeah try what Tufenuf suggested first then I may think of something else if that dosn't work.

Sorry, ya'll are quicker than me, lol. Try reapplying your theme. Right click empty space on desktop, goto Properties>Themes, and select something different than what you are currently using, and click Apply. When it the theme changes, change it back to where you had it, and see if it it's gone.

Yeah tried the restart and evertyhign still syas i have an active desktop...which in settings i dont.. i tried the themes thing eveyrthing

Sorry, I'm running out of ideas.

Oh im getting anxious about just reformatting it, because the computer is about 2 days old, and the registry isnt under my name, but i dont really feel like taking the time to do that.

Okay i may not have epxlained it well enough, see its not just around my text (i just noticed this) it makes an outline around the folder or icon too.

but69ler, "Yeah tried the restart and evertyhign still syas i have an active desktop...which in settings i dont"

Can you explain what is telling you you have Active Desktop enabled? Also in what settings are you seeing that you don't have Active Desktop enabled?

Explain it the best way you can.

Tufenuf

Okay that Trans Text is telling me that it is enabled... and by settings i mean all the boxes are unchecked, everything like you have told me to do.

"Can you explain what is telling you you have Active Desktop enabled? Also in what settings are you seeing that you don't have Active Desktop enabled?"

By the Way, thanks for leaving my great spelling errors when u copied it, haha

but69ler, "Okay i may not have epxlained it well enough, see its not just around my text (i just noticed this) it makes an outline around the folder or icon too".

Well that explains why none of the fixes are working. Start your computer in SAFE mode then restart it in Normal mode. This will rebuild the iconcache.db file and may solve the icon problem. Follow the instructions for Windows XP at the link below if you don't know how to use SAFE mode.

How to Start Windows in Safe Mode

Tufenuf

restarting it in Safe mode did take away the Active Dekstop thing, Trans Text works now, but all i sitll have the boxes around the icons and trans text turned the text yellow

but69ler, I'm totally out of ideas and honestly I never saw the boxes around the icon problem before that you have. I wish I had a solution but I'm stumped. Have you tries a System Restore to the closest date prior to this icon problem? Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Restore.

Tufenuf

Well System restore did work... but yeah i did lose some things i had messed around with before but, im not changin it back, thanks to all of your for your supprot in helping me, evne though i thought iwas a descent computer person, guess not, haha

but69ler, Glad to see that a System Restore corrected the icon problem and Thanks for posting back to let us know.

Tufenuf

I found the solution, although its late, to the boxes! You have to go into the registry and change the value of the Forceactivedesktopon to 0, and the value of noactivedesktop to 1.
To get to the registry* click start then run, then type regedit (I'm sure most already know this)

Currentuser\software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Polices\Explorer

right click on the forceactivedesktopon and click modify. Change the value from 1 to 0. then do the same for noactivedesktop, except change it from 0 to 1. then click ok and restart.

*don't screw with the registry you can really hose things up*