Question : Wallpaper GPO Issue

I'm trying to setup a GPO that forces users' wallpaper (2003 Active Directory with XP clients).  I'm also using BGInfo to overlay the computername and IP address.

Here are the GPO settings:
User Config:
    Admin Templates
        Control Panel / Desktop
            Prevent changing wallpaper - enabled
        Desktop / Active Desktop
            Active desktop wallpaper - enabled
            Wallpaper name: c:\windows\bginfo.bmp
            Wallpaper style: Stretch
        Enable Active Desktop - enabled

Here are the BGInfo settings:
Background tab
    Wallpaper Bitmap: \\server\share\background.bmp
    Make wallpaper visible behind text - checked
Desktops tab
    User Desktop: Update this wallpaper
    Logon Desktop for Console Users: Update this wallpaper

Here's the logon script that calls BGInfo:
    "w:\information services\bgi\bginfo.exe" "w:\information services\bgi\test_bginfo.bgi" "/timer 0"

So in a nutshell..
BGInfo runs:
     grabs background.bmp from the server, overlays the computername and IP and then saves it as c:\windows\bginfo.bmp.
The GPO is then applied which specifies the wallpaper as c:\windows\bginfo.bmp.

Everything runs fine, except that all of the desktop icons have a "halo" of the default blue background color surrounding them.  It looks as if the icons have been selected, but they were never clicked-on.  I know it's not a BGInfo issue because if I set "Enable Active Desktop" to "not configured" in the GPO, the wallpaper is applied and the icons are merely white text on the multicolored wallpaper (as they should be).  However, users are able to change the wallpaper since "Enable Active Desktop" is not configured.

I can specify the background color with a custom ADM template, but the wallpaper image I need to use has more than one color... it fades from burgandy at the bottom to black at the top.  Therefore if I specify a background color, that color will be visable in the opposite color area of the image (burgandy halo on black or black halo on burgandy).

Is this a bug with Active Desktop and GPO's or is there a way to resolve this?

Thanks.

Answer : Wallpaper GPO Issue

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