I 'm not sure about changing the background color but you can access the picture and fax viewer as quoted here from Help and Support Center within xp
Using Windows Picture and Fax ViewerUsing Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, you can view, rotate, and perform basic tasks with image documents, including fax documents, without opening an image editing program. You can transfer pictures to your computer from a digital camera or scanner, and you can view images as thumbnails. You can also view your pictures in a slideshow and annotate your fax documents.
If you store your pictures in the My Pictures folder, the images are automatically displayed, either as thumbnails or as images on a filmstrip. You can try out different views of your images in My Pictures by clicking the various commands on the View menu. Experiment to get the look you want.
Open My Pictures, then double-click an image to open it in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.
Notes
To open My Pictures, click Start, and then click My Pictures.
For information about using Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, click Help in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.
For more information, click Related Topics.