Changing the Logon Screen Background
How would you like to customize the background image used on the logon screen just as easily as you change the background image on your desktop? I wrote a free utility called the Tweaks.com Logon Changer for Windows 7 that allows you to change your logon background with just a few clicks.
Microsoft included functionality to allow OEMs to customize the logon screen for the first time in Windows 7. Although there are restrictions on the file size (about 245KB), the wallpaper can be set with a registry key and file copy.
To set the screen manually, use an image editing program to compress your image and save it as backgroundDefault.jpg in C:\Windows\system32\oobe\ info\backgrounds\. You will need to create that path if it does not already exist on your computer. Then open up Registry Editor and navigate through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, SOFTWARE, Microsoft, Windows, CurrentVersion, Authentication, LogonUI, and Background. If Background does not exist rightclick LogonUI, select New and then Key, and then name it Background. Now locate OEMBackground listed below (Default). If it does not exist right-click Background and select New and then DWORD and name it OEMBackground. Set the value of OEMBackground to 1. Test your changes by logging off.
To make changing the logon background simpler and much quicker, I created the Tweaks.com Logon Changer. My utility uses the same OEM functionality but completely automates the file copy, registry changes, and the image resize and compression so it fits within the max file size imposed by Microsoft. On top of these features, it also shows a live preview of what your new logon screen would look like.
Head over to tweaks.com/software/tweakslogon/ and download a copy of the free utility. After you have it downloaded, simply extract it to any folder on your computer and run TweaksLogon.exe. When started, you will see the main preview screen displaying your current logon background.
Click Change Logon Screen and select a new background image. If the image you selected is larger than the size limit, the application will prompt you for action.
Click Yes to have the utility automatically resize and recompress the image to fit under the limit. Alternatively, you can click No and resize and recompress the image on your own and then select the new file.
To see the new logon background in action, click the Test button. At any time you can click the Revert to Default Logon Screen button to undo any changes.