Change desktop color in Windows XP

First right click on the desktop and then left click on Properties from the menu that appears.

The Display properties dialogue box will appear, click on the Desktop.

Next, click on the small arrow next to the current background colour to view available colours.

A small selection of colours will appear, these are basic colours, if you want a more varied selection then click on other and you will be presented with a wider choice.

When you have chosen a colour you can preview it by clicking on the apply button and than click the OK button.

note: the background colour will only change if don't have a background image on your desktop.