Windows 7 Starter Edition or Windows 7 Restricted Edition?

Confusing? Actually we are talking about "Windows 7 Starter Edition" here which should be better called "Windows 7 Restricted Edition".

Why? As we all know previous Windows Starter Editions didn't allow users to open more than 3 programs simultaneously and the same restrictions is found in recently leaked Windows 7 Starter Edition Build 7068.

But the most irritating and surprising thing in Windows 7 Starter Edition is the restriction over changing Desktop Wallpaper.

Windows 7 Starter Edition contains a grayed-out version of default Windows 7 beta wallpaper showing the fish on Desktop.

And the worst thing is, users are not allowed to change the wallpaper. There is no "Personalize" option in Desktop context menu:

Also no other ways to change wallpaper works like changing wallpaper using Windows Photo Gallery, web browser, etc. That's really strange and hard to understand why Microsoft restricted such a basic feature even free Linux distros allow to change wallpapers.

Also there are no extra wallpapers in Starter Edition.

Thanks to "Paul Thurrott" who installed the recently leaked Windows 7 Build 7068 and tested all different editions like Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate and found this interesting restriction in Starter Edition.

Also "Rafael" @ WithinWindows describes how this restriction works in Windows 7 Starter Edition. He posts:

In Windows 7, a new licensing bit was introduced – ChangeDesktopBackground-Enabled. On Starter Edition SKUs, this bit is set to 0, disabling background setting capabilities in Windows Photo Viewer and the Display/Theme Control Panel applets. The infection goes deeper into system files shell32.dll and themeui.dll too, hard-coding the wallpaper to %windir%\web\wallpaper\windows\img0.jpg.

He also posts a workaround for it:

1. As an Administrator, reset the permissions on img0.jpg, and overwrite file with any other picture
2. Use third-party software (note: changes will likely not persist, untested)

So what would you like to call it: Windows 7 Starter Edition or Windows 7 Restricted Edition?

PS: I can find only one reason behind it. Since Starter Edition is form OEMs, they might put their own customized wallpaper and lock it so that users can't change it and OEMs can have their branded wallpaper on all machines.

Other similar articles that may interest you:

• How to Restrict Users from Changing Desktop Wallpaper in Windows?
• List of All Kinds of Restrictions for Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, Server 2003 and 2008
• John’s Background Switcher: Download Free Desktop Background SlideShow Software for Windows
• Add “Show / Hide Checkbox” to Select Items Option in Desktop and Explorer Context Menu under Windows Vista and 7
• Get Windows 7′s “Desktop Background SlideShow” Feature in XP and Vista Using Microsoft’s Official “Winter Fun Wallpaper Changer” Powertoy
• Download “Windows Server 2008 Workstation Converter” to Make Server 2008 Look and Work Like Windows Vista

This article was posted by VG in following section: Windows 7.

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