Customizing the Windows welcome screen?

Coolname007

Distinguished Member
Hi all.
I was wondering if there was a way to customize the Welcome screen seen in Windows, where there is the login feature if you happen to have a password on your account. I'm looking for a way to change the text, maybe add a few words to the word "Welcome", and maybe change a few other things, like the color...:wink:
So does anyone know if there is a way to do that?

Thanks in advance. :smile:

-Coolname007
 
Yeah, this was easily done in XP by specifying a path to a .bmp file in the registry, but MS wants you to always stare at Vista's login wallpaper now :tongueout:

I believe the legal text and legal caption might still work for specifying a message you want displayed though. Navigate to the following registry key:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

There are two values there, LegalNoticeCaption and LegalNoticeText

Let me know if they worked. Never tried 'em in Vista.
 
Thanks Justin. :smile: I will try that. But...sorry for the slightly noobish question, I don't know how to get to the registry! :shame: I think I may have gone there once (in Vista), but unfortunately, I guess I forgot the proceedure...:lol: Is it located somewhere in the Control Panel?

-Coolname007

EDIT: Never mind...I will look, and hopefully find it.
 
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Thanks. I think I found the location in the registry you were referring to, though the path was actually "HKEY_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Winlogon" but unfortunately though there is nothing in there called either LegalNoticeCaption or LegalNoticeText. I see only keys in there with the names of "(Default)", "BuildNumber", "ExcludeProfileDirs", and "ParseAutoexec"...or am I in the completely wrong location?

-Coolname007

EDIT: Never mind...realized you meant "Hkey_Local_Machine" when you said "HKLM". I navigated to that location instead, and found several folders containing various keys whose names I wont even go into, but I still can't find LegalNoticeCaption or LegalNoticeText...
I'm in XP right now, btw, not Vista.
 
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Go to the exact location. While values by the same name may be found elsewhere, there are certain places in the registry that get priority for certain settings. HKCU isn't the right hive because that's only working on the current user's profile. You need to make this change at the system level in order to see results. See attachment.

If they don't exist in that location, you can create them. You'll need to create two new Reg_SZ values by the names LegalNoticeCaption and LegalNoticeText and give thier values the message you want displayed.
 

Attachments

  • LegalNoticeRegistryKeys.JPG
    LegalNoticeRegistryKeys.JPG
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But where do I create them? In my winlogon, at HKLM>Software>Microsoft>Windows NT>Current Version>winlogon, there are subdirectories named "Credentials", GPExtensions, "Notify", and "Special Accounts". Do I just create it in "Winlogon" or in one of the subdirectories? I have attached a screenshot to show what I mean. :wink:

-Coolname007

EDIT: Ok, so I just created them, but they showed up as subdirectories, inside of which is the values, instead of in the main "Winlogon". How do I create them in the "Winlogon"? I had "Winlogon" selected both times, when I created them, but they still showed up as subdirectories.
 

Attachments

  • registry entries.JPG
    registry entries.JPG
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Right-side of the tree are the "values" the key contains. When you've selected Winlogon from the "tree" on the left of the screen, its values well show up on the right of the screen. You create a new value by right-clicking and selecting create, than the type of value you want to add.
 
Right-side of the tree are the "values" the key contains. When you've selected Winlogon from the "tree" on the left of the screen, its values well show up on the right of the screen. You create a new value by right-clicking and selecting create, than the type of value you want to add.

Oh...:tongueout:oint: I went to Edit>New>Key to create the new keys, which must obtain a different result. :S I will try that.

-Coolname007

EDIT: Nope. Still the same result when I tried your method...
Any other ideas?
 
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Yes, that would create new "keys" or subdirectories as you were referring to them as. You need to work with the values inside the key Winlogon, not create a sub-key.
 
Yes, that would create new "keys" or subdirectories as you were referring to them as. You need to work with the values inside the key Winlogon, not create a sub-key.

I'm aware of that, but so far I haven't discovered how to create new values inside the key "Winlogon". :wink: Your method obtained the same result, when I right-clicked on "Winlogon", selected "New", and then "Key". It still showed up as a sub-key.

-Coolname007
 
Right-click in the values pane (right-side of the screen).

Just did that. Same result...:lup:

-Coolname007

Addendum:

What I mean is they show up inside the tree, leftside, within the "Winlogon" key (by being beneath "Winlogon" in the tree), but when I click on them, it is as if they are keys by themselves, instead of *values* within the "Winlogon" key on the rightside. I have no idea why that is...:huh:

-Coolname007

EDIT: Oh, and when I click on them in the left-side panel, they show single values within them...
 
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Don't right click on the key. Right click in the values area:

attachment.php
 
Don't right click on the key. Right click in the values area:

attachment.php

Yeah...sorry. :shame: That was a typo! :lol: I actually meant I leftclick on the key, and it shows single values inside it. Fixed now...
But I already rightclicked in the values area, and went to New>Key, and it still did the same thing. :wink: Not a clue why its creating sub-keys instead of values within the key...

Or am I supposed to select "String value" or one of the other ones in the drop-down menu that shows when I rightclick on the values area?

-Coolname007

EDIT: Never mind...I figured it out. It was indeed "String value", and not "Key". That created the right thing. Thanks.
 
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string value, not key.

Yeah...I realized that before your post, and now feel very stupid for not realizing that before! :ldown: Duh!

Anyhow, I will try the two values named "LegalNoticeCaption" and "LegalNoticeText" and see if I can get the Welcome screen to display the text of my choosing. I'm assuming the text one is for that? What does the caption one do?

-Coolname007

EDIT: You know what! Turns out they already existed after all...I guess I missed them before! Now I feel really dumb! :lol:
 
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It'll probably pop up a messsagebox, where the caption is the title and the text is the string you want displayed.
 
Ok...so by Modifying those values I can obtain the result I want? Just specify a path to a .bmp file in one of the values? and if so, which value?

-Coolname007

Addendum:

It'll probably pop up a messsagebox, where the caption is the title and the text is the string you want displayed.

Alright...got that far. But shouldn't there be already something in those fields in both values? I would think there would be, but both "Value data" fields don't contain anything. :wtf: I'm referring now to the dialog box I get to when choosing "Modify" in the drop-down menu after right-clicking on the values.

-Coolname007
 
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Those values are for a custom message you want displayed during the login proccess, not to specify a background. If you look at post 2 in this thread, you will see I said it can't be done for Vista.

If you want to do that for XP though, you'll need to enable classic login. This won't give you the nice click a username and login, but it allows the custom background you want. In control panel, select user accounts, and than change the way users login and off. Disable the welcome screen.

After that, navigate to the following registry key:

HU\.Default\Control Panel\Desktop

There should be a value by the name of "Wallpaper". Its value contains the path to a .bmp file to use. It only accepts .bmp files. Invalid parameters well just leave you with the normal blank background.
 
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