Windows 8.1 lock screen problems...

bleepNpc · Jul 17, 2014

Long story short, i downloaded two pictures for my lock screen but i later decided i didn't want one of them so i deleted it. Now, i have the picture i deleted stuck as a blank white square under my Windows 8.1 Settings > PC Settings > Personalize > Lock screen > Lock screen preview... I also have a light blue Lock screen and it won't change at all... Help?! :banghead:

Go The Power · Jul 17, 2014

Hello bleepNpc

What happens when you try and change the picture?
Do you get an error message?
When you first changed the lock screen picture did you use a 3rd party app?

bleepNpc · Jul 17, 2014

I used Lock Screen Customizer to change the picture once because it wasn't changing under PC Settings. Before I used Lock Screen Customizer it was stuck on the default picture.

bleepNpc · Jul 17, 2014

I forgot to say. When i change my picture it doesn't change, it gets selected and shows under PC Settings what is chosen, but when i sign out it's a light blue screen still...

Go The Power · Jul 18, 2014

I personally never use/recommended using third party Theme Editors\Customization tools and this is the exact reason why.

Ok so on a test machine I downloaded this program to try and get some understanding of what it does. If you open up Lock Screen Customizer -> Click on Use Default Image -> Apply customizations to the default lock screen -> is that now showing the default lock screen instead of the blue screen?

If it is still displaying the blue screen?

Please map here C:\Windows\Web\Screen -> Can you see default images?

bleepNpc · Jul 18, 2014

I tried that before but it didn't work, now it kind of worked... The default lock screen image is back but i f i try to change it under PC Settings it doesn't change, also there is still a white square where it would preview the default image. Interestingly, i found traces of my custom lock screen i set using Lock screen customizer even after i "deleted" it... If i open up file explorer and search the whole PC for "lockscreen" i find a folder with a couple photos in it i can't view because i don't have the correct permissions. Somehow i seen them before and they are different sized photos of my custom lock screen i had before i deleted it... I probably have more of those photos somewhere else too... :banghead:

bleepNpc · Jul 21, 2014

I see the default images and I have the default lock screen but it won't change, there is a blank white square under where you would change the lock screen...

bleepNpc · Jul 21, 2014

Now i don't see any lock screen previews to click on after deleting the systemdata folder as suggested to do by Microsoft...

Go The Power · Jul 21, 2014

bleepNpc said:
I see the default images and I have the default lock screen but it won't change, there is a blank white square under where you would change the lock screen...

Can you please post a screen shot?

bleepNpc said:
Now i don't see any lock screen previews to click on after deleting the systemdata folder as suggested to do by Microsoft...

Can you please provide the link to the instructions you followed?

bleepNpc · Jul 21, 2014

I can't find the link and it was somebody else who had the same problem as me. After deleting the systemdata folder, i don't see any lock screen previews...

bleepNpc · Jul 21, 2014

Go The Power · Jul 22, 2014

Hello again,

Can you set the wallpaper using a Group Policy?
Win8: How to Manage the Lock Screen Image on Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

Also what version of Windows 8.1 are running? Standard, Enterprise or Pro?

bleepNpc · Jul 22, 2014

i am running Windows 8.1 and to my knowledge, standard.

I tried running GPEDIT.MSC and it says... "Windows cannot find 'GPEDIT.MSC'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again."

i copied one of the default images (img101) to the desktop and chose it as a custom picture and everything seemed to be working well but i couldn't get rid of the copied image.

bleepNpc · Jul 22, 2014

I meant (img102) but i already edited that post, so i can't correct that. If a Moderator (i think that's who does this) sees this post please correct the post above and delete this.

bleepNpc · Jul 22, 2014

Before i deleted the systemdata folder i was having the same problems as everybody who posted on the link below, read all of them because some posts are different. Basically, i need to know how to restore default settings for the lock screen and how to delete individual images you have set for the lock screen before...

Unable to restore default lock screen images in Windows 8.1 - Microsoft Community

bleepNpc · Jul 22, 2014

bleepNpc · Jul 22, 2014

If you could browse for an image and go to where they are saved, you could pick one and they would all show up. But, you can't, you have to copy and paste to desktop to select it. Then it shows the one from the default directory and the one on the desktop. :banghead:

niemiro · Jul 22, 2014

If I'm honest, I'm having slight difficulties following exactly what's going on here even after reading multiple times. I think the crux of it is in the message in your last screenshot - that you can't navigate to C:\Windows\Web\Screen. Why not? Can you post an image of the select dialog? [I'm currently on a Vista laptop].

Can you get to it from Desktop > This PC > C > Windows > Web > Screen?

bleepNpc · Jul 22, 2014

I can get to where they are saved. I was just hypothetically, if i could navigate to where they are saved by going to the charms bar > Settings > Change PC settings > Lock screen > browse then i could click on one of them and it would show all of them, problem solved. But i can't because when you click browse and go to C: it only shows Intel, NVIDIA, Perflogs, and Users, it doesn't show Windows...

niemiro · Jul 23, 2014

Ah, in that case, let's see if we can't get it to show for a little while.

Start Screen > type (search for) "Folder Options" > View tab > Put a dot in "Show Hidden Files, Folders, and drives" and uncheck "Hide protected operating system files", OK out of the dialog.

Now see if you can get to the Windows folder.

If you manage to resolve your problem in this way (or even if you don't to be honest), reverse the changes you just made so it's harder to accidentally damage critical Windows files.

Richard

Windows 8.1 lock screen problems...

Active member

Senior Administrator, Windows Update Expert, Contributor

Active member

Active member

Senior Administrator, Windows Update Expert, Contributor

Active member

Active member

Active member

Senior Administrator, Windows Update Expert, Contributor

Active member

Active member

Senior Administrator, Windows Update Expert, Contributor

Active member

Active member

Active member

Active member

Active member

Senior Administrator, Windows Update Expert

Active member

Senior Administrator, Windows Update Expert