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In Windows, what is Active Desktop, and how do I enable or disable it?

Active Desktop was first available in Windows 98, and was last issued with Windows XP. It allows a variety of file types to be displayed as desktop Wallpaper. Previous versions of Windows could display only bitmap image (.bmp) files as Wallpaper, but Active Desktop supports web content, movies, and a range of graphical formats. These dynamic applications use more processor power than most users want to assign to their desktop background, so Active Desktop is mostly used to display only static images.

To enable or disable Active Desktop in Windows XP

  1. Click the Start button and choose either Control Panel, or Settings and then Control Panel.

  2. Double-click Display.

  3. Choose the Desktop tab, and then click Customize Desktop... .

  4. Click the Web tab. Under "Web pages:", add the page that you want on your desktop and check the box next to it. This will enable the Active Desktop. If you wish to disable the Active Desktop, uncheck the box next to the web page.

For more, see Microsoft Help and Support article 190228.

Search Microsoft Help and Support.

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Last modified on October 11, 2011.

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