How can you disable "set desktop picture" from the finder contextual menu

Question

How can you disable "set desktop picture" from the finder contextual menu

I teach high school. And MUST find a way to keep my students from changing their desktops.

First I basically got rid of Firefox when it had that feature in the Tiger days.

Then for Leopard I had to create dummy "locked" Safari Desktop Picture files for all my user accounts so the kids couldn't use Safari to set their desktop pictures.

NOW I discover (maybe this was here before) Snow Leopard lets you change the desktop right from the Finder itself! Just right click on any image file and the contextual menu will give them the option to "set desktop picture".

Come on Apple, every educator I know has complained about what a distraction and constant battle images are for students who use computers. While not all students are inappropriate, quite a few are...meaning no one can be allowed the privilege. Why is this such a huge battle to try and lock down? Please allow Parental Controls or Server managed preferences to keep our students from being able to change their desktop pictures, ever, at all, from anywhere or any program.

Does anyone know if this is even possible?

Posted on May 25, 2011 4:05 PM

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Answer 1

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,306 points

May 25, 2011 4:17 PM in response to Kent Silveira

You can uncheck the Services item to set the desktop picture. However, that prefpane is not lockable.

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Answer 2

May 25, 2011 4:45 PM in response to Barney-15E

Mahalo for the quick reply.

I just found that setting under the Keyboard preference in System Preferences. Fortunately you can disallow access to the System Preferences application at all.

Now, does anyone know how to set up Group preferences so that this Service is turned off for all users of the group? I can find the com.apple.desktop preference in the preference editor. Will setting this and using the "Always" setting do the trick?

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Answer 3

Oct 12, 2012 1:36 PM in response to Barney-15E

Where is the "Services" item? Is the the Services Manager? I downloaded it, but it did not solve the problem.

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Answer 4

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,306 points

Oct 12, 2012 4:33 PM in response to Qwertyqazq

They are in the Keyboard Shortcuts section of the Keyboard System Preference pane.

There is a section for "Services." Services are the things that do stuff for you from the contextual menus.

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Answer 5

Oct 12, 2012 5:49 PM in response to Barney-15E

I tried turning it off in Keyboard Shortcuts > Services, but it does not change the right-click menu in Safari. Nor does it disable the "Use Image as Desktop Picture" in that menu. But that definitely does hand the Finder issue. Thanks for your help.

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Answer 6

Oct 12, 2012 6:01 PM in response to Qwertyqazq

The only way (I have found) to shut down using Safari's "Use Image as a Desktop Picture" feature is to create a bunch of blank documents that the users have no permission to change (i.e. set permission to only allow, say YOU to read it and no access to write to it for anyone)

Create a number of these blank documents and rename them

Safari Desktop Picture.jpg

Safari Desktop Picture.tiff

Safari Desktop Picture.gif

Safari Desktop Picture.jpeg

Safari Desktop Picture.png

(you get the point....come up with as many .3 extensions of photo files that you can think of)

Put these locked and unchangeable files into the following directory of each of your student accounts

Macintosh HD/Users/~User Name/Library/Safari/

What this does is create a bunch of dummy files that will "block" Safari (or the system or user) from trying to replace them. Even though the right click comman will still be there, Safari will not be able to put the picture in the correct part of the system for it to be used as a Desktop Picture.

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Answer 7

Oct 12, 2012 6:18 PM in response to Kent Silveira

Thanks for this idea, Kent. Unfortunately, there is no Library/Safari folder in my MacintoshHD/Users/~User Name. I also can't find a Safari folder in the MacintoshHD/Library or System/Library folder. I've been pretty confused and frustrated by this, since I see it referenced in many of the discussions and support ideas. Do you know if there are hidden folders in 10.7.x and, if so, how to unhide them?

Also can't find the com.apple.desktop.plist file in 10.7.x - I think that would be helpful, too.

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Answer 8

Oct 12, 2012 6:23 PM in response to Qwertyqazq

Ah yes, since this is a Snow Leopard forum I didn't make that clarification.

The Library folders are still there, just turned invisible by default in Lion. You can get to them by using to the Go To Folder command (from the "Go" menu in the Finder also accesible by keycommand SHIFT+CMD+G)

They type in

/Users/<username>/Library

for the system library just type

/Library

There is also the very cool "Lion Tweaks" (and now "Mountain Tweaks") donate ware apps that can show the libraries (along with undo much much more stuff that Apple fiddled with in the latest OS's) and you can get it here

http://tweaksapp.com

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Answer 9

Oct 12, 2012 7:06 PM in response to Kent Silveira

Found out in addition to the files you suggested, I also had to create the same names with a space at the end. (shrugs)

Safari Desktop Picture .jpg

Safari Desktop Picture .tiff

Safari Desktop Picture .gif

Safari Desktop Picture .jpeg

Safari Desktop Picture .png

Great help! Thanks!

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