On my parents computer (windows xp) all the desktop icons look like they are highlighted all the time, but you can still click them and highlight them. Usually they do not look like this and I cannot figure out how to change it back to normal. I guess all of the sudden they looked like this. Any ideas?

No such thing as "all of a suden."  They screwed with their display settings and didn't realize it.

Right-click Desktop -> Properties -> Appearance -> Advanced (screwed around in there)

Either that or some accessibility thing was changes... 


Turn off the "Web Shots" and set the background to black...  Then tell them they HAVE to use it that way.   

I tried messing around with that, and no luck. They said it was fine, then they went to turn it on the next day and it was like that. This computer is fairly new (less than a year old) Toshiba brand.

try this:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
3. On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Performance.
4. Click to clear the Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop check box, click Apply, and then click OK two times.

or

go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore. try going back to a time before this occurred.

Here's something that's sure to get some interesting feedback.

1. Go to www.apple.com
2. Click on "Store"
3. Buy the 1.8GHz Core Duo MacBook for $1099.00.

Hah, well my mom has an apple, they just bought this toshiba laptop for out in the other room.

Also, apple's don't seem to work that great for some things.  Such as playing windows media files.

Quote from: roguegeek on May 18, 2006, 07:38:51 AM
Here's something that's sure to get some interesting feedback.

1. Go to www.apple.com
2. Click on "Store"
3. Buy the 1.8GHz Core Duo MacBook for $1099.00.

Quote from: porsche4786 on May 18, 2006, 08:10:54 AM
Also, apple's don't seem to work that great for some things such as....

...such as anything except for software related to the arts, like graphic and audio. Everything else it is crap. 

Anyways, did what Jetswing suggest fix the problem?

We'll see when I get home.

I do like macs, that's all we had untill I bought my own computer because I wanted it for games. Then when I bought my second computer (laptop) I bought another PC, it's actually also a Toshiba but has been an awsome computer with no problems. I think you really need to have 2 computers anymore, one of each, because one won't do what the other will.

www.ubuntu.com

Quote from: porsche4786 on May 17, 2006, 08:22:51 PMThey said it was fine, then they went to turn it on the next day and it was like that.

They all say that...  Years of taking Tech Support calls taught me that most people are two things:

1.  Stupid
2.  Liars

And with these rules I trust no end user...  Most times it's just an ID-10-T error.

EDIT: ...Umm, not sure why this one is here....

Quote from: Phaedrus on May 18, 2006, 03:27:05 PM

Quote from: porsche4786 on May 18, 2006, 08:10:54 AM
Also, apple's don't seem to work that great for some things such as....

...such as anything except for software related to the arts, like graphic and audio. Everything else it is crap. 

Anyways, did what Jetswing suggest fix the problem?

Didn't work, unfortunately.

Quote from: Phaedrus on May 18, 2006, 03:27:05 PM

Quote from: porsche4786 on May 18, 2006, 08:10:54 AM
Also, apple's don't seem to work that great for some things such as....

...such as anything except for software related to the arts, like graphic and audio. Everything else it is crap. 

Anyways, did what Jetswing suggest fix the problem?

Even the System Restore didn't work? 

Did you run an anti virus scan with the most up to date definitions, as well as a spyware scan with up to date definitions?

No, I didn't do the system restore, I got to distracted looking up stuff for my bike, then forgot about the computer, and then went back to my room and got on my computer. oops. 

Quote from: Phaedrus on May 18, 2006, 07:01:56 PM
Even the System Restore didn't work? 

Did you run an anti virus scan with the most up to date definitions, as well as a spyware scan with up to date definitions?

Quote from: roguegeek on May 18, 2006, 07:38:51 AM
Here's something that's sure to get some interesting feedback.

1. Go to www.apple.com
2. Click on "Store"
3. Buy the 1.8GHz Core Duo MacBook for $1099.00.

Mac nancy boy   They suck and I own one.  If it isn't crashing 3 or 4 times a week, it's reminding me trhat windows has much better apps and many are free.

I'm banning you for being a mac fanatic.  

Ok, so I'm at work, and I was looking at my desktop picture. Then I was looking at the icons to see if they were doing what my parents computer are doing. They are currently on a blue background with a picture smaller than the whole desktop. I dragged a icon to the picture and it's just like the other computer! So I tried what jetswing said to do...the first part...and it worked! But when I do the same thing at home, it doesn't. Weird...