How to Change Login Screen in Windows

I have discovered a way of putting your own image on your Windows 7 log-in screen. It’s a hidden feature that involves making just a small change to the Registry, so make sure you create a System Restore point before proceeding, just in case you make a mistake.

Type regedit into the Start menu and press Enter or get to the Registry Editor by pressing the Windows Key + R. Go to:

[code scroll="false"]HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background[/code]



Double-click OEMBackground and change its value to 1. This enables the OEM Background functionality. Open Windows Explorer and go to your C drive. Now go to:

[code scroll="false"]C:\Windows\System 32\oobe\info\backgrounds[/code]
or
[code scroll="false"]C:\Windows\System32\oobe\background.bmp[/code]

Choose a JPEG image that’s smaller than 256KB and copy it to this folder. This picture will be stretched to fit the full width of your monitor, so make sure you also choose an image that matches the resolution of your screen, so it doesn’t look stretched or low-quality.

To return it to normal, disable the OEM Background function by replacing the 1 with a 0 (zero).

If you had rather not fiddle with the Registry, there is a program called Logon Changer for Windows 7 that lets you choose a file and set it as your login background. Logon Changer will automatically make any necessary changes to the picture’s size and quality.