Change Your Wallpaper on Windows 7 Starter

[HYBR|D]

(This thread is apart of the " Nihil's One Interesting Post a Day for 28 Days Challenge )

Few people would argue that Windows 7 is a great step forward for the platform -- but those folks probably don't use the Starter edition. Anyone who is stuck with it will know that this entry-level variant of Microsoft's operating system is swathed in red tape, and is a real bummer to use beyond browsing the Web or checking your email. Aimed at netbooks and other proprietary systems, it's the most diluted version of Windows 7 with many basic features missing. Among them are the Aero Glass interface, fast user switching, DVD playback, multi-display support, as well as personalization options, such as the ability to change desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes.


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Most of the excluded features won't really hinder the use of a netbook. After all, few ship with DVD drives or have multiple users anyway, but staring at a bright blue Windows logo for the lifespan of your system is torture. Hell, even Windows 3.1 lets you set a desktop background, and thanks to a number of free utilities, so will Windows 7 Starter.
There are many workarounds online, but we recommend the one provided by Oceanis, which you can download here. Extract and run the program, and reboot upon completion. You should see a new image and message on your desktop, giving credence to Oceanis.

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Run the utility and click Browse to select a directory of images. Not only will you be able to define one wallpaper, but you can also select several of them for a slideshow, which can be configured to rotate in various intervals, ranging from a minute to a day.
It's worth noting that a new process called "WallPaperAgent.exe" will run at all times, but it only consumes about 900K of system memory (visiting AO via IE consumes over 30,000k for comparison).

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If it's an issue, you can end the process and the custom wallpaper seems to remain intact for that session, but the process is launched again after a reboot and if you cripple the executable (C:\Program Files\Oceanis\SystemSetting\WallPaperAgent.exe) the program won't function properly.
Likewise, uninstalling Oceanis' background changer utility will revert your desktop background to the default Windows 7 wallpaper. It's truly a minor "annoyance" all things considered, and most people would happily sacrifice a smidgen of RAM in exchange for a custom wallpaper.