There are several ways and things that could be hindering you from being able to use the transparent background text on your desktop. I for one think it’s rather annoying to see a little square behind the text in a different color.

In any case, you can try:

1. Right click on your desktop
2. Go to Properties
3. Click on the Desktop tab
4. Click on Customize Desktop…
5. Click on the Web tab
6. Unless you need or want those things in there, I suggest deleting them and leaving “My Current Home Page.”
7. Hit Ok
8. Hit Apply
9. Then hit Ok

Done, you should now see the transparent text.