Windows 8 wallpaper not reading Monitor Profile color setting

I understand that Windows, going back forever, doesn't do color management for the desktop background/wallpaper..​. i.e., if I make my sRGB tagged images my wallpaper, my wide gamut display oversaturates the heck out of them on the desktop background. Now, if I'm remembering correctly, I got around this in the past on Windows 7 by converting the image's profile to the monitor profile instead of sRGB. Then they looked appropriate on the desktop. But, Windows 8 isn't behaving this way... regardless of what profile I assign the image, it's always oversaturated on the desktop. Am I misremembering how Windows 7 did things? I swear that converting to the monitor profile was the way to get around this, and I'm getting frustrated in Windows 8 now.

Which is it? Are you converting or assigning? They are not the same; converting changes the image numbers and the name of the color space, assigning changes the name but doesn't change the numbers. You want to change the numbers. Suppose you have a green that is pretty bright in sRGB, 0/245/0. Color management, using your monitor profile, would convert that to, say, 0/200/0 in order to get the same green. When there is no color management and the image numbers are sent to the monitor without change, the monitor receives 0/245/0, which is for it a much more saturated green. Since there is no CM for the wallpaper, you have to do what CM would do - remap the numbers by converting to Adobe RGB or the monitor space, not merely assigning a new name.

tzalman wrote in post #17443887
Which is it? Are you converting or assigning? They are not the same; converting changes the image numbers and the name of the color space, assigning changes the name but doesn't change the numbers. You want to change the numbers. Suppose you have a green that is pretty bright in sRGB, 0/245/0. Color management, using your monitor profile, would convert that to, say, 0/200/0 in order to get the same green. When there is no color management and the image numbers are sent to the monitor without change, the monitor receives 0/245/0, which is for it a much more saturated green. Since there is no CM for the wallpaper, you have to do what CM would do - remap the numbers by converting to Adobe RGB or the monitor space, not merely assigning a new name.

I'm converting. The images are sRGB by default and I'm converting them to my monitor's profile, but it isn't making a difference.

Do you spend a lot of time staring at your desktop background? If you do consider keeping something like Irfanview open to show your images properly. If not then move along and spend your energy on something more worthwhile.