Anyone still running Windows 7?

I'm wondering if it's possible to boot a PC via a USB port, assuming the BIOS supports it. I'd have Windows 7 installed on the HDD. My current machine is running Windows 8, but I need to run some older software that just won't work on 8, so this would be a fix... I've considered adding another partition and installing Windows 7 there to set up a dual boot, but I'm specifically interested in that first option—is it actually doable? I heard somewhere that booting via USB might only be an option if you're using version 8.

If you’re looking to boot Windows 7 from a USB drive, it’s definitely doable—no biggie. The main question is, do you already have an ISO file handy, or are you working with a physical Windows disc? Personally, I always use a little tool called Rufus to burn ISO files onto a thumb drive, and it works like a charm. If you only have the actual CD, you can just grab a small utility like ISO Recorder to turn that disc into an ISO file first—maybe save it right to your desktop? Once you’ve got the file, just pop the USB in, run Rufus, and tell it to move those files over. After that, you just head into your BIOS and set the USB as your primary boot device, and you should be all set.

I’m running into a massive headache with Windows 7—I just can't change my desktop wallpaper.
The only thing it lets me pick are solid colors; it won't touch an actual image. I've tried everything—stuff downloaded from the web, files saved on the drive, even my own photos—but nothing sticks. I tried the usual route too, right-clicking the desktop to hit Personalize, then going through the Control Panel to Change Desktop Background, but zilch...
I follow all the steps perfectly, click "Set as desktop background," and... absolutely nothing happens.😢

The PC is pretty much brand new—I never had any issues back when I was using XP—and I've been messing around with desktop customization for a few days now.
Anyone got a clue what's going on?

Is there something else my computer might be missing?

If you're stuck using Windows 7 Starter, you can't personalize or tweak your desktop—at least according to the official Windows documentation. There's actually a little program designed specifically to bypass that limitation; you can grab it at www.renaudgerson.fr/Starter BackgroundChanger/en/download

Sean Moore77 said:If you're stuck with Windows 7 Starter, customizing your desktop is basically off the table—at least according to the official Microsoft manual. But hey, there's this one little tool built specifically to bypass that headache. You can grab it over at www.renaudgerson.fr/Starter Background Changer/en/download

I actually have Ultimate Edition, though—you think it’s still worth messing around with?
Thanks a ton for the link!😁

I don't believe you're going to pull this off with that program. It was built exclusively (if I had to guess) for Windows 7 Starter, which is exactly what the name implies.

You might want to double-check the registry just to be sure everything is set correctly. Open Regedit from the Windows Start menu, then navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Authentication/Logon. You're looking for the OEMBackground key; it needs to be set to 1. If it isn't, go ahead and change it. Just don't touch anything else besides this specific path—you don't want to end up causing more problems than you're solving. Every time you reach a new folder, just right-click on EXPANDE

Thanks for the tips—I'll give it a shot.

Alright, I gave it a shot, but unfortunately, nothing changed.
Now under data it shows 0x00000001(1), but the wallpaper is still stuck—no change at all.

It’s driving me absolutely nuts—I can't believe I'm having this much trouble just changing a background.
Thanks for the instructions, though; they were super detailed. 🙂

Check out this page and see if you can get it sorted out—maybe it'll actually work for once. www.support.microsoft.com/kb/2504610/en-us

Sean Moore77 said:Check out this site and give it a shot—hopefully, this actually fixes the issue for you! Check out this Microsoft support link: www.support.microsoft.com/kb/2504610/en-us

Thanks!

Grab Slim Drivers, update Intel's driver (and any others) first, then go ahead and download the graphics driver.

Robin Johnson said:I'm having an issue with Windows 7—I just can't change my desktop wallpaper.
I can only pick solid colors, and it won't let me set any actual images. I've tried everything: stuff from the web, files on my PC, even my own photos, but nothing works. I've tried right-clicking the desktop to hit Personalize and going through the Control Panel to Change Desktop Background, but no luck...
I follow all the steps, click "set as desktop background," and absolutely nothing happens.😢

The computer is brand new. I never had this issue back when I was using Windows XP, and I've been messing around with the desktop settings for a few days now trying to fix it.
Any ideas?

Is there something else my PC might be missing?

If I remember correctly, isn't that what happens with unactivated versions of Windows?

I think you've got a point there 😁 Especially since he mentioned it's the Ultimate version—if it were just the Starter edition, that would be a whole different story altogether..

Now, let's get serious for a second—in my experience, Driver Genius has actually been pretty solid when it comes to drivers. If you're hitting a wall with whatever else you're using, give that a shot instead...

quiethound10 said:If I remember correctly, isn't that how it works with unactivated Windows versions?

What does "unactivated" even mean here?😕
I'm using them just fine—they must be activated, I guess... I'm not totally sure...😕
I'm no expert, but they look activated to me.😁

Robin Johnson said:Thanks!

Did those tips from Microsoft actually work for you?

Sean Moore77 said:did those Microsoft tips actually work for you?

Tried them—nothing worked, honestly.
Looks like it’s definitely a driver issue.
I ran the update, but now Windows won't even boot properly—I have to jump through hoops using Safe Mode and Recovery every single time just to get things running normally.
The Recovery option basically just wipes everything back to how it was before I messed with the drivers.
So yeah, that's my life right now.🤣 Hey, learning something new every day, right?
😁

But yeah, it's clearly the driver.
I'm gonna try installing it a different way this time—I used Windows Update before, so I'll try a manual approach and let you know how it goes.

I use Slim Drivers www.driverupdate.net for my driver updates, and I rely on Update Checker www.filehippo.com/updatechecker.probab to handle everything else. Here is one more way to fix your "main" issue. This time, it actually HAS to work. Just follow these steps carefully: 👋Windows Start/Computer/WINDOWS(C🙂/Users/yourusername/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/Themes. You'll see two files there; leave the first one alone, but delete the second one, "Transcoded Wallpaper." It’s basically just a copy of whatever image you have on your desktop. Restart your computer. Once it boots back up, Windows will default to a solid color desktop (either black or blue). From there, just go into your standard desktop settings and set your wallpaper again.

Sean Moore77 said:I usually grab my driver updates through Slim Drivers www.driverupdate.net—and for keeping everything else current, I use Update Checker www.filehippo.com/updatechecker.probaj. Here's another way to tackle your "main" issue. This time, it actually HAS to work. Just follow these steps carefully: 👋Go to Windows Start/Computer/WINDOWS(C🙂/Users/your-username/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/Themes. You'll see two files there—don't touch the first one, but go ahead and delete the second one called "Transcoded Wallpaper." It should basically be a copy of whatever photo you have on your desktop. Restart your PC, and once it's back up, Windows will just give you a solid color background (like black or blue). From there, just head into your normal desktop settings and set your picture again.

Thanks! I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes.😉