Active Desktop Recovery

[Magic Johnson]

PITA!

Ok so some user's backgrounds have a whitescreen and that message. When you click restore it comes up with a script error. Fine, there was a simple fix, to tick the webpage in the 'web' section of customize desktop, apply it, then untick it and apply again. That normally fixed it. Now it's not, and more and more of our users are getting this problem now. So we looked in to it, scoured the web, scoured the registry of computers that are working, and that aren't, quadruple checked group policy, nothing looks out of place!

Unfortunately, the deputy MD now has this problem, and it doesn't make the company look good when he's doing presentations etc with a broken background.

Any ideas?

 

[Magic Johnson]

Ok guys, thought I'd found a fix! Deleting the desktop.htt file in the user settings! It worked on one user's machine, but not another!

This is driving me f**king insane.

 

[Gumby]

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

 

[Andy.]

We have the problem on our site too from time to time. This registry fix solves it most of the time:

* Click “Start” and then “Run.”
* Type in “regedit” and press “Enter.”
* Search for the following:
* HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\Desktop\SafeMode\Components
* Click the value written as “DeskHtmlVersion.”
* Select or click on the “decimal” button.
* Change the value to read “0″ instead of “272.”
* Wait until the screen changes or reboot if nothing happens.

 

[Darren S]

This is one of the biggest pain in the arses on domain XP machines. It appears to be so random as to who/what/where it effects. It does however seem to affect laptops a lot more than desktops in our case.

I'll try that idea above Andy, when I'm back in tomorrow.

Cheers,
D.

 

[Magic Johnson]

Does that definitely work Andy? Only one machine that deleting the desktop.htt file hasn't worked.

 

[Magic Johnson]

Andy, tried that already just remembered, there is no 'safe mode' in our computer's registry. That fix I found online.

 

[Andy.]

It works on our machines, but it depends on the image I suppose. I have the key on my machine too.

Did you try it when the user was logged on? Are you using roaming profiles?

 

[Magic Johnson]

Yes. No.

Deleting the .htt file seems to be working now. Just have to do a gpupdate/force afterwards.

 

[DMS]

Deleting the desktop.htt file fixes this on local profiles (at least temporarily) but you may want to check the user's roaming profile if they have one - that may contain a copy of desktop.htt which has been copied back to the server. You'll need to delete that too, in order for the OS to replace it with a non-corrupt copy.
Why are you doing gpupdate /force MJ? Are you enforcing the desktop background via Group Policy?

BTW... do you just have the "Technology Chat" section of the forum open all day? There isn't a post goes by that you don't reply to.

 

[Magic Johnson]

No roaming profiles.

Yeah. It's showing up as a member of the group via gpresult anyway but I do it just to enforce it.

The simple fix used to work before we upgraded to IE8, now a lot of people are complaining, and some quick internet research indicates this is the problem. Why all the machines aren't doing it though, is beyond me.

BTW, no, but as soon as a new post flags up I'm here.

Anything to boost the knowledge I need to read. You'll note mostly with more in depth stuff I have to be corrected but a mistake made is a lesson learnt.

 

[DMS]

I haven't seen it happen for an IE8 user yet. IE7 users used to get it all the time though.

 

[Magic Johnson]

Strange, huh.

 

[Darren S]

I haven't seen it happen for an IE8 user yet. IE7 users used to get it all the time though.

I'm sure some of ours that suffer from this are running IE8. Desktop wallpaper is enforced via group policy too.

D.

 

[iain187]

We have the problem on our site too from time to time. This registry fix solves it most of the time:

This works... on our site we had to connect to a remote registry because our users cant do this... had to until we wrote a script which I will post tomorrow if I remember

 

[Magic Johnson]

Ok, deleting the desktop.htt file is only a temp fix...for some reason it seems to corrupt itself again shortly after?

Any ideas?

 

[sargey]

THIS.

* Click “Start” and then “Run.”
* Type in “regedit” and press “Enter.”
* Search for the following:
* HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Internet Explorer\Desktop\SafeMode\Components
* Click the value written as “DeskHtmlVersion.”
* Select or click on the “decimal” button.
* Change the value to read “0″ instead of “272.”
* Wait until the screen changes or reboot if nothing happens.

Only thing I would add is click on the desktop and press f5 to get the background back.

 

[Magic Johnson]

That key doesn't exist, as i've previously mentioned.

 

[Ronnie R]

We have this at work and somebody create a .vbs file which you just run. Restores the desktop.

I justed edited the file, I'm a noob to stuff like this but this is what it contains.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER = &H80000001
strComputer = "."
Set objReg = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\default:StdRegProv")
strKeyPath = "Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\SafeMode\Components"
strValue = "0"
ValueName = "DeskHtmlVersion"
objReg.SetDWORDValue HKEY_CURRENT_USER, strKeyPath, ValueName, strValue

 

[Magic Johnson]

Once more, that key doesn't exist on our machines.

Should it? I don't have it on mine and it's working fine, I've checked several users and they're all fine too. The ones that don't work don't have it either.

All our machines have IE8 on them. I thought this is only a problem with 7! My head is about to burst!

 

[Ronnie R]

Might be barking up the wrong tree but can't you export the .reg file and import it?

I'm not to sure what will happen though lol

 

[Magic Johnson]

Well I could create it but if it's not there and everythings running fine why would I?

 

[Ronnie R]

Doesn't exist on mine ethier...

 

[Magic Johnson]

Shocking development! That registry key exists in the screwed machines! Changed it to 0 and it worked. Now just to wait and see if it reverts itself back to 272.

 

[iain187]

We have this at work and somebody create a .vbs file which you just run. Restores the desktop.

I justed edited the file, I'm a noob to stuff like this but this is what it contains.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER = &H80000001
strComputer = "."
Set objReg = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\default:StdRegProv")
strKeyPath = "Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\SafeMode\Components"
strValue = "0"
ValueName = "DeskHtmlVersion"
objReg.SetDWORDValue HKEY_CURRENT_USER, strKeyPath, ValueName, strValue

That's what I was going to post... didn't forget, honest...

 

[Magic Johnson]

That key isn't in SafeMode, it's just under Desktop\Components.

EDIT: Changing that worked on one machine, didn't on t'other. This is fucked!

 

[The Hoff]

After you change the key, are you rechecking before assuming it's being overwritten?

Are you making the changes as Admin or User?
Have you tried changing the permissions on the key (remove user rights to modify?)?
Tried changing the file to read-only after you fixed it (the .htt)?
You sure there's not a GPO somewhere changing this? Use gpresult with a /v or /z switch and pipe it to a .txt (gpresult /z >c:\log.txt

edit - are all the machine running the same AV version/dats/config? Might be worth checking the script blocking logs and check there's no foul play there.

 

[Magic Johnson]

I haven't tried restarting it, to see if it gets over-written again.

User. There are limits on the registry for users but this one is changeable. Interesting though, how do you think removing rights to it would stop it from reverting back?
No I haven't, thanks will try this!
Positive. If this was the case, all machines would be doing it.

Yep, they are. There's nothing different at all.