diff -Nur eel2-2.19.90/eel/eel-background.c eel2-2.19.90.new/eel/eel-background.c
--- eel2-2.19.90/eel/eel-background.c	2007-08-13 15:32:29.000000000 -0500
+++ eel2-2.19.90.new/eel/eel-background.c	2007-08-26 19:36:04.000000000 -0500
@@ -1030,11 +1030,18 @@
 	int window_height;
 	gboolean changes_with_size;
 	GdkPixmap *pixmap;
+	cairo_t *context;
 	GdkGC *gc;
 	GdkGCValues gc_values;
 	GdkGCValuesMask value_mask;
 
 	EelBackground *background;
+
+	gboolean is_composited;
+
+	is_composited = gdk_screen_is_composited (
+				gdk_drawable_get_screen (
+					GDK_DRAWABLE(widget->window)));
 	
 	if (event->window != widget->window) {
 		return;
@@ -1043,6 +1050,17 @@
 	background = eel_get_widget_background (widget);
 
 	gdk_drawable_get_size (widget->window, &window_width, &window_height);
+
+	if (eel_background_is_desktop (background) && is_composited) {
+		context = gdk_cairo_create (widget->window);
+
+		cairo_set_source_rgba (context, 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f);
+		cairo_set_operator (context, CAIRO_OPERATOR_OVER);
+		cairo_paint (context);
+
+		cairo_destroy(context);
+		return;
+	}
 	
 	pixmap = eel_background_get_pixmap_and_color (background,
 						      widget->window,