Question

Change Wallpaper with VBScript at Domain Login

Asked by: ddotson

Ok.  I've search EE and the internet for a way to change the desktop wallpaper with VBS.  I've found some code that claims to work.  One problem that users have reported is that the code will change the wallpaper, but it doesn't "execute" the change.  For example, I run the code, but nothing appears to have happened.  I open the desktop properties and find that my new wallpaper has INDEED been set, but it's not displaying.  I make a slight change in the properties, hit apply, and then it displays.  Other users have reported this, and the code that they were provided was said to correct that problem.  Almost like forcing a refresh on the desktop.  I have pulled that code, combined it with some that will identify the username, and executed it.  No refresh.  What am I doing wrong?

Here's the code:

----------------------------
dim wshShell
dim sUserName

Set wshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
sUserName = wshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%USERNAME%")

Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set oFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

sWinDir = oFSO.GetSpecialFolder(0)
sWallPaper = "D:\My Documents\DownLoad\" & sUserName & " - bkg.jpg"

' update in registry
oShell.RegWrite "HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper", sWallPaper

' let the system know about the change
oShell.Run "%windir%\System32\RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters", 1, True

-------------------------------------

By the way, I want to run this code only once.  I will call it from a login script.  I don't need to run it more than once.  So, if anyone can give me a good way to do that, I would appreciate it.  I have done this "run-once" type of thing before, but it is very un-elegant.

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Asked On
2005-06-25 at 19:15:04ID21470879
Tags

wallpaper

,

change

,

vbscript

,

script

Topic

Visual Basic Programming

Participating Experts
2
Points
250
Comments
10

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Answers

 

by: wraith821Posted on 2005-06-25 at 23:10:31ID: 14302814














<----Insert my name here

 

by: sj_hicksPosted on 2005-06-26 at 01:30:08ID: 14303019

A call to RUNDLL32.exe should allow you to force the wallpaper update.  I can track down some working code tomorrow to compare it with yours.
Regarding only running the script once, you can write a reg value to the HKCU reg hive to flag the script as completed.  Then set the first line of the VBS to exit if the reg value exists.  This will prevent the wallpaper change from re-applying.
e.g.

if oShell.RegRead("HKCU\Software\MyKey\MyWallpaperChange) = 0 then WScript.Quit(0)

' code to do the wallpaper change here

' write complete flag
oShell.RegWrite "HKCU\Software\MyKey\MyWallpaperChange", 0, "REG_DWORD"

 

by: sj_hicksPosted on 2005-06-26 at 21:01:22ID: 14305943

Hi, checked my previous code for forcing the wallpaper change.  The only difference I could tell is that I didn't use the path "%windir%\System32\".  I just used "RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters".  This may no resolve your issue, but I guess it's worth a try.

 

by: ddotsonPosted on 2005-06-27 at 06:30:10ID: 14308392

I tried inserting your code and got the same result.  I tried to log off and log back in to see if it would update the desktop.  It didn't work.  The desktop didn't update until I actually clicked "OK" on the Display Properties box.

Also, when adding the MyWallpaperChange key, I noticed that you put it in "MyKey".  Can't I just put it in "HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper"?  Changing the registry via VBS is new to me.  I've modified the registry before, but only with explicit instructions.

 

by: ddotsonPosted on 2005-06-27 at 07:03:38ID: 14308672

Here's a piece of information.  I discovered that when I use a bitmap, the update works great.  When I use a JPG, it doesn't.  Hum...  Any ideas?

 

by: sj_hicksPosted on 2005-06-27 at 15:46:04ID: 14313550

Yup, you can use any reg key you want.  'MyKey' was just an example.  Note that if you check the value of the wallpaper registry key, the users will effectively be unable to change the wallpaper as whenever they change it, your script will put it back.  If this is the desired outcome, than it's probably be easier setting the wallpaper via a GPO.

I forgot about the jpg thing - when you select a jpg for a wallpaper and click OK/Apply, it acutally converts the jpg to a bmp file and uses the bmp file for the wallpaper.  When using the RUNDLL32 command, it does not do the conversion to a bmp.  I'm unaware of a way to perform this step easily automatically.  I recommend converting the jpg to a bmp and deploying that as the new wallpaper.

 

by: ddotsonPosted on 2005-06-27 at 19:07:02ID: 14314717

I've thought about setting the wallpaper with a GPO, except everyone has a personalized wallpaper.  It displays their name in the upper corner.

I converted the JPG to a BMP in Photoshop.  It went from 95kB to 2.25mB!  These are being pulled from a network share.  Let me ask you this: Will the client pull the BMP file at every login, or only once - being the first time it is set?  If it pulls it only once, then I don't think that 2MB is a big deal.  I can even try to pare it down...

 

by: sj_hicksPosted on 2005-06-27 at 23:13:46ID: 14315406

How are you pulling the wallpaper off the network share?  If you do it in your script, you can check to see if the file exists lcoally before copying it.

If you save your BMP with a lower color depth then it will be significantly smaller.  However, if there are lots of colours in the wallpaper picture, it may look bad if you change it to 256 colours or so.

 

by: ddotsonPosted on 2005-06-28 at 05:16:15ID: 14317318

I simply set the wallpaper in the display properties to "\\share\bkg\wallpaper.bmp".

I don't really like the idea of copying the background to the client machine.  However, that wouldn't really hurt, I guess.  As long as the script does the checking.  I'd really rather leave everything on the server.

 

by: ddotsonPosted on 2005-06-29 at 22:33:17ID: 14335677

Well, I got playing around and here it what I came up with:
-----
dim wshShell, varUserName, VarUserProfile, varComputerName, fso, varWallpaper, connect

Set wshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set fso = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set Connect = Wscript.CreateObject("WScript.Network")

' Get Username and Profile
varUserName = wshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%USERNAME%")
varUserProfile = wshShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%USERPROFILE%")

' Get Computer Name
varComputerName = wshShell.RegRead _
      ("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\" _
      & "System\" _
      & "CurrentControlSet\" _
      & "Control\" _
      & "ComputerName\" _
      & "ComputerName\" _
      & "ComputerName")

      
' Check computer name.  If it's the server, then abort...

if varComputerName <> "APDSERVER" Then            'Make sure computer name is in uppercase.

      ' Get Wallpaper that is set in the Registry.  LCase used because If statement below is case sensitive
      
      varWallpaper = LCase(wshShell.RegRead ("HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper"))

      
      'Run Once Code.  Commented out, in case it's needed due to user complaints about forced wallpaper
      'On Error Resume Next
      
      'if wshShell.RegRead ("HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\APDWallpaperChange") <> 0 Then
      '      Err.Clear
      
      
            ' This checks to see if the wallpaper exists on the local system.  If not, it copies it from the network share.
            If fso.FileExists(varUserProfile & "\" & varUserName & ".bmp") Then
                  msgbox("Wallpaper already exists in user's profile.  Will not be copied.")
            else
                  fso.Copyfile "D:\My Documents\download\" & varUserName & ".bmp", varUserProfile & "\" & varUserName & ".bmp", true
                  msgbox("Wallpaper copied to user's profile.")
            End if
            
            ' Check to see if wallpaper is already set.  LCase used because If statement is case sensitive
            if varWallpaper = LCase(varUserProfile & "\" & varUserName & ".bmp") Then
            
                  msgbox("wallpaper already set")
                  
            Else
                  
                  'msgbox(wshShell.RegRead ("HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper"))
            
                  ' Set variable to the location of the local copy of the wallpaper
                  sWallPaper = varUserProfile & "\" & varUserName & ".bmp"
            
                  ' Update in registry
                  wshShell.RegWrite ("HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\Wallpaper"), sWallPaper
            
                  ' Let the system know about the change
                  wshShell.Run "%windir%\System32\RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters", 1, True
            
                  msgbox("Wallpaper set")
                  'This will set a new RegKey to allow us to run this script only once.
                  'wshShell.RegWrite "HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\APDWallpaperChange", 0, "REG_DWORD"
                  'msgbox(wshShell.RegRead ("HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop\APDWallpaperChange"))
            
            End If
      'else
      '      msgBox("RegKey checked - key exists.  Exiting.")
      'End If
End If

Set wshShell = nothing
Set fso = nothing
Set Connect = nothing
-------------

What do you think?

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