Windows 7 / Getting Started

Changing the Logon Screen Screensaver

If you turn on your computer and let it sit at the logon screen long enough, eventually the screensaver will appear. This setting can be tweaked so that the screensaver that you want to see instead is set and not the boring Windows default. Unlike changing your screensaver for your account when you are logged on, it is possible to change the logon screen screensaver setting only by using the registry. With the help of a few quick registry hacks, you can fine-tune the screensaver that is displayed and other settings, such as the screensaver Timeout value that determines how long before the screensaver is activated.

Follow these simple steps to customize your logon screensaver:

  1. Start the Registry Editor. Click the Start button, type regedit in the box, and press Enter.
  2. When the Registry Editor starts up, navigate through HKEY_USERS, .DEFAULT, Control Panel, and Desktop.
  3. First, you need to tell Windows the logon screensaver is active. Right-click the Desktop key and select New and then String Value. Name the value ScreenSaveActive. Next, set the value to 1 by right-clicking it and selecting Modify. Enter 1 and click OK.
  4. Set the amount of time the system waits after the last activity was detected before starting the screensaver. To do this, right-click the Desktop key and select New and then String Value. Name the new entry ScreenSaveTimeOut. Then, set the value to the number of seconds you want to wait before the screensaver starts by right-clicking the new value and selecting Modify. I like to set mine to 300 seconds for 5 minutes.
  5. Now you need to set the screensaver you want to display. To do this, rightclick the Desktop key again and select New and then String Value. Name this value SCRNSAVE.EXE and set its value to the full path to the .scr file. For example, I use C:\windows\system32\Mystify.scr for the Mystify screensaver. Refer to Table below for a list of Windows screensavers and the paths you can use.
  6. Close Registry Editor. You are now finished. After a reboot, you will see your new screensaver.
Screensaver NameFull Path
BubblesC:\Windows\System32\Bubbles.scr
MystifyC:\Windows\System32\Mystify.scr
PhotosC:\Windows\System32\PhotoScreensaver.scr
RibbonsC:\Windows\System32\Ribbons.scr
Blank ScreenC:\Windows\System32\scrnsave.scr
3D TextC:\Windows\System32\ssText3d.scr
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In this tutorial:

  1. Customizing the Startup
  2. Customizing the Logon Screen
  3. Changing User Pictures
  4. Hiding Users on the Logon Screen
  5. Clearing the Last User Logon
  6. Changing the Logon Screen Screensaver
  7. Displaying a Security Message
  8. Enabling Num Lock by Default
  9. Changing the Logon Screen Background