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From: andreww@uniwa.uwa.oz (Andrew John Williams)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: How do I get large BMPs as desktops?
Summary: Can I use large bitmaps as backgrounds?
Keywords: BMP desktop
Message-ID: <1991Apr13.125238.17769@uniwa.uwa.oz>
Date: 13 Apr 91 12:52:38 GMT
Article-I.D.: uniwa.1991Apr13.125238.17769
Organization: University of Western Australia
Lines: 30


Hi- I have been converting gifs to .BMP files to use as wallpaper,
hoping to have a large (1024x768x256c) file as a backdrop.
Unfortunately, Windows seems to crash if I try to install a file larger
than around 260k or so as a wallpaper. (257894 bytes workes, 262000
doesnt). At first I thought it was the type of file, but it definitely
seems to be the size. (I was trying OS2 .BMPs, and Windows compressed
and uncompressed formats, to see which gave the smallest file size. Why
did microsoft support an image compression standard so much worse than
GIF???????).
	If I select a large BMP from the desktop section of the control
panel, it grinds the disk for a while and thinks, then exits with an
unrecoverable application error, and the program manager crashes soon
after. If I edit win.ini and make the wallpaper field point to a large
BMP file, then windows never gets as far as putting it on screen. (It
shows the logo, blanks the screen, displays the cursor, then exits with
no error message).
	What can I do to try and solve this problem? I have seen posts
from people using 1024x768x256 bitmaps as wallpaper- it must be
possible!
	My system is a 386/25, with AMI bios, C&T chipset, Tseng ET4000
card (from Tseng), Tsengs 1024x768x256 windows driver, 4Mb of ram, using
himem.sys. I can display all of the images ok, even full screen, using
Windows image viewers, but I can't install them as desktops!
		Andrew Williams
		Physics Department,
		University of Western Australia.

		andrew@earwax.pd.uwa.oz.au   OR
		andreww@uniwa.uwa.oz.au  (note the extra 'w')