? about .gif images

What type of operating system are you using?

Windows XP
The computer's from 2003, but it still works so I'm still using it

I was just able to select a gif of a black and white cartoon from my hard drive and use it as the background image on my PC. The quality isn't very good and I'd recommend using another format. But, here's how I did it (I also use Windows XP):

Minimize all open browser windows, right click your mouse button to bring up a selector box. Click on Properties. Click on the Desktop tab. Click the Browse button. This brings up a list of directories. Be sure you change the Files of type field (located to the left of the Open and Cancel buttons) from the default of "Background Files" to that of All Pictures. If you don't do this, it will not include gif files in the list. Navigate to where you saved the gif file you wish to use as a background and select it, then click the Open button. Click the Apply button to preview the background image and the OK button to save the change.

Hmm, I thought that would do it, but the background just came out as the background color. But before I changed it to to All Pictures like you said, it would come out as all blank white. The thumbnail of the image in My Pictures shows it as white too, it's like it can only be seen in Internet Explorer. I looked at the properties of a gif image and then a jpg image and the gif is only like 43 bytes while the jpg is like 73.5 kilobytes. Could the gif image just be like a shortcut to the image on the web or something? But you can save it on your pc so...well darn I'm perplexed.

When I tried opening it with Paint to see if that would work, it was literally just a pinpoint of an image, that when I expanded from the corner turned out to be a white image again.

Try it with a different gif image. Doing so will help eliminate whether the problem is with the image you are attempting to use or the procedure you are using to save the gif to your hard drive and use as a background image.

By any chance, are you using AOL? AOL condenses and saves all images in bmp format. If not using AOL, how are you saving the gif? Are you selecting the gif format when you save it or are you just typing the gif extension as part of the file name?

Hi, sorry it's been so long since my last post!
Hey I figured it out, and I feel silly...I was trying to make a gif image on flickr my desktop background wallpaper. So I looked on the flickr help page and found that someone else had the same problem. It turns out that some of their photos are copyright protected, and so when I tried to make it my background, it simply wouldn't allow it. I thought it must've been the gif factor, because that was the only difference I could see between the ones that could be saved and the ones that couldn't. Sorry I hope I didn't waste your time. Thanks for trying to help me Buterflynet!