In Windows, what is Active Desktop?

First available in Windows 98, Active Desktop allows a variety of file types to be displayed as the desktop Wallpaper. Previous versions of Windows could display only bitmap pictures (.bmp) files as Wallpaper, but Active Desktop supports web content, movies, and a range of graphical formats. These dynamic applications use more processor power than most users want to assign to their desktop background, however, and as a practical matter Active Desktop is mostly used only to display static images.

For more information about using Active Desktop, search the Microsoft knowledge base for Active Desktop .

You can search Microsoft's knowledge base at:

Also see:

• In Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, or XP, how do I disable or enable the Active Desktop?