How to Change the Logon Screen on Windows 7
Be it screensavers, desktop
wallpapers or font type and sizes, visual customization at the OS level is
usually important to all kinds of users. Recognizing this, Microsoft has made
it easier than ever to apply and adjust individual themes with Windows 7. We
looked at this last week showing you how to find hidden themes buried in your hard drive as well as
sponsored ones available through Microsoft's online
Personalization Gallery.
This time around, we are going to
show you how to customize the Windows 7 login screen. There are various methods
to accomplish this, with and without third-party software. I understand many
people might not want to rely on a third-party application, while others would
appreciate a quicker, safer route. First up is the more hands-on approach, and
then the utility.
Hands-on approach
This method will require you to
modify the registry, and if that puts a knot in your stomach, you should move
on to the next section.
Step 1: Open the Windows Start menu
and enter regedit into the search bar.
Step 2: Right click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
and select Find.
Step 3: Search for OEMBackground,
which should be in
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background.
If the key does not exist, add a new DWORD value with the name OEMBackground.
Step 4: Double click on the entry OEMBackground,
and change the value from 0 to 1.
Step 5: Open Windows Explorer and go
to the following path: %windir%\system32\oobe.
Step 6: Create a new folder named info,
and open it.
Step 7: Create a new folder within info
named backgrounds.
Step 8: Rename your desired
wallpaper as backgroundDefault.jpg and place it inside the folder
backgrounds (images must be less than 245KB in size).
That should do the trick, now just
lock your PC, log off or reboot and enjoy.
Third-party software
If you are uncomfortable with
manually tinkering with the registry -- or simply have better things to be
doing with your time -- we understand. Various third-party applications can
change Windows 7's default logon wallpaper, but our personal favorite is Tweak.com's Logon Changer.
The software is ridiculously easy to
use, doesn't require installation, and it even has built-in tools to
automatically resize and recompress your images while leaving the original file
untouched. The Logon Changer also lets you quickly change your logon wallpaper
back to the Windows 7 default.
Start by downloading the app here, and then unzip the executable. Run the program and it
should present you with a preview of your logon screen along with a few
self-explanatory options: "Change Logon Screen" lets you browse to a
new image, "Test" will bring up your logon screen, "Revert to
Default Logon Screen" reapplies Windows 7's original wallpaper.
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