Steve’s Tech Guide

In our quest to fully customize Windows XP we set up a video wallpaper for our background, swapped around a few icons, and even made our own screensaver, what more could we possibly do? Change the boot screen and the login screen? You’ve got it.

To clarify, the bootskin is the image that shows up when you first start your computer, the Windows loading screen. The login screen is where you click on your user name and put in your password to login to the computer.

I must warn you, though, by changing the boot skin and login screens we will be modifying sensitive Windows files. There’s a manual way for doing this and an a more automatic way, along with disabling the Windows XP bootskin altogether. While testing the manual way again to make sure it works, it doesn’t seem like it does work anymore, actually. I do have Windows SP3 installed, so I’m not sure if that’s what caused it to falter.

Disabling Your Windows XP bootskin

1. Go to Start -> Run -> Type msconfig.
2. Click on the ‘BOOT.INI’ tab, and check ‘/NOGUIBOOT’.
3. Click ‘Apply’, then click ‘Close’.

Now your computer will boot up with a blank screen, instead of the Windows XP logo.

Changing Your Windows XP bootscreen

You have a couple options for changing your Windows XP bootskin, use StyleXP, or Stardock’s BootSkin, LogonUI Boot Randomizer is recommended by the Belchfire community, because certain boot screens will only work for SP1 and SP2 and LogonUI Boot Randomizer ensures that it will convert your boot screen over and will randomize the order if you want it to.

StyleXP is a program that can do much more than just change your boot screen, it’s a full-blown Windows XP visual style changer, this means you can import, select, rotate, and manage themes, visual styles, wallpapers, logons, boot screens, icons, and explorer bar. StyleXP is $19.95, a modest price for such a useful application, and it comes with a 30-day free trial so you can try it before you buy it. I have used StyleXP before and never really had any problems, nor hear of many people having problems.

Stardock’s BootSkin is a free program that allows you to change the Windows XP boot screen without modifying any system files. I’ve never used this before, however I have heard that it works, and that it doesn’t work and may cause some serious problems, so use good judgement when downloading this program.

Changing The Windows XP Login Screens

For changing the Windows XP login screens there’s also a manual, longer, more permanent way of doing it, and yes with this method it’s a lot easier to break your computer so instead of doing it manually. Download StyleXP or Logon Loader to do it automatically. There’s also LogonStudio 1 that you can download as well and it basically does the same thing as Logon Loader. Logon Loader is a free program that automatically swaps your loginui.exe with another one you’ve downloaded, and that’s it. It’s all done for you.

Windows XP Boot Screen Resources

Graphic Styles Boot Screens
DeviantArt Bootskin screens
Belchfire Windows XP Boot screens
ThemeXP Boot Screens (May contain spyware)
Customize.org Bootskins
Winmodify.net Boot Screens
WinCustomize BootSkins

Windows XP Login Screen Resources

DeviantArt Logon Screens
TSS2000 Windows XP Logon Screens
WinCustomize Logon Screens
ThemeXP Logon Screens
Belchfire Logon Screens
Graphic Styles Logon Screens
Customize.org Logon Screens