Windows Login & Shutdown Screens

forgot to mention that it is IF you're still using the OEM windows thats preinstalled, otherwise u'll need to add a string to your regedit.

Hot_Key_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background

create a string called OEMBackground, set value to 1

C:\Windows\System32\oobe\INFO\BACKGROUNDS, replace the file called "defaultbacground" with a JPEG of your choice. the size of the replaced PICTURE MUST BE BE SMALLER OR EQUAL TO 256KB

That changes both screens, is it possible to have a login screen using a different image to the shutdown screen, e.g. login.jpg and shutdown.jpg? I suspect that they have to be the same but maybe someone knows better.

Anything can be done. But it will definitely be more Complicated than writing a few strings in regedit.

I have separate login and shutdown screens on my Win 7 Ultimate x64. I changed them by replacing them using ResHack to open imageres.dll which is found in your System32 folder. It's actually quite easy but you should copy the original imageres.dll to a different folder, preferably on another partition or external HDD and hack the copy. You will have to rename the original to imageres_old.dll before copying your hacked version back to the System32 folder however, you won't be able to do that without first taking ownership of the file. You can do that with this little utility which will add such an option to your right click menu.

Incidentally, I also changed the Windows Startup sound while I was hacking imageres.dll and now have something much more appropriate for an Alienware machine. :)

Which image do you have to replace in imageres.dll? I have copied the original to another drive and when opened with the newest version of ResHack, there are a large number of image folders labelled 5031 to 5056, none of which related to my login screen image. The bitmap folders appear to relate to the cursor, wave has the Windows Startup  wave file.

Hi , i got a great freeware utility off the net called windows 7 logon background changer, does it all for u, no fussing around in the registry. this was used after a reinstall of windows. hope this helps.

Hi, I used Windows 7 Background Changer to change the logon screen and it does do that easily, but both logon and shutdown screens are the same. What I want to do is have one image for logon and another for shutdown. This does seem to need mods to make it possible, I  just need to know what needs altering to make it happen.

Julian, I don't know where I stored the imageres.dll copy I hacked so I'm having trouble finding the answer you are looking for. I will try making a copy of the replaced file to an external HDD and see if I can locate the number of the shutdown image. Failing that, I found out how to do this from www.sevenforums.com/ so you can always do a search there.