Change Windows 7 Logon Screen

Posted July 28th, 2010 by Michael in category windows 7 Review

Whether or wallpaper font and size on the screen, the visual adaptation in OS is generally important to all types of users. Recognising this, Microsoft has made it easier than ever to apply and adapt the single subjects with Windows 7 We review show last week, how to find hidden issues in your hard drive, as well as the available sponsored by the Microsoft Online Gallery Customization.

This time, we’ll show you how to customize the login screen Windows 7. There are several ways to achieve this goal, with and without third party software. I understand many people do not want to rely on a third party application, while others enjoy a fast track, safer. First, the most practical approach, then the service program.

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 ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionAuthenticationLogonUIBackground. 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%system32oobe.

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 comfortable to tinker with the registry by hand – or simply have better things to do, to do with your time – we understand. Various third-party applications may Wallpaper Windows 7 Logon by default, but our favorite is the Tweak.com Change Logon.

Check out Logon Changer from Tweaks.com, that lets you choose a image file to use as your logon background. That all what you do, just choose an image and Logon Changer will take care of everything else including the file size limit. It also makes it super easy to revert back to the default Logon Screen.

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.

There you have it. Using any of the above method you can easily change Windows 7 logon screen to any wallpaper of your choice or that witty one liner graphic you created yourself or perhaps even one of your photos as long as they meet the requirements. Let us know your experience of using these methods and we would love to see what you have as your logon screen. Mention them in comments!