How To Change Logon Screen Of Windows Vista and XP
ADVERTISEMENTSStardock LogonStudio is a freeware that allows Windows XP users to apply new logon screens and also comes built with a visual editor to make it easy to create your own logon screens. You can download logon screens for Windows XP from here.
Download LogonStudio for Windows XP
LogonStudio for Windows Vista
Stardock LogonStudio for Windows Vista also lets you create new logon screens from jpg, png and bmp images. You can download logon screens for Windows Vista from the LogonStudio Vista Gallery.
Note: LogonStudio for Windows Vista is currently in beta and available for Object Desktop customers only. However you can download an older beta version from here.
When you install and run this version, it will let you know that this beta version of LogonStudio Vista has expired and will not let you apply any new logon screens.
But you can run this version by changing your date to February 25th, 2007 
The latest build is LogonStudio Vista BETA 0.70 b.006. Let me know if you manage to download it.
Search JohnTP.com or view a random post
Related Articles
Find out what I am doing currently by .
Posted on April 28th, 2007 | Category: Softwares |
Ashish Mohta
April 28, 2007 at 3:32 pm
This is the best among the vista posts you made. Really cool. I have more conrol over what i can choose. Nice find John
Philip Seyfi
April 28, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Is it possible ot use StyleXP to change Vista’s logon screen?
Ashish Mohta
April 28, 2007 at 4:51 pm
: Its not check here Tgtsoft Support
subhash
April 28, 2007 at 5:17 pm
i think tuneup utilities has got this feature in it…
JohnTP
April 28, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Yes, TuneUp Utilities also lets you change your Logon screen, but it is not a freeware, that is why I suggested Stardock’s LogonStudio.
Madhur Kapoor
April 28, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Wow John , this is a cool utility . Let me see if i can find the latest beta version .
Mr.Byte
April 28, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Finally something which is a freeware and which is also good…:)
Garry Conn
May 1, 2007 at 11:27 am
Excellent Post John… I now have Vista and it works like a charm.
Web 2.0
May 2, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Good one. I like the fact is a freebie as opossed to other tools.
DotNetNuke
May 2, 2007 at 7:35 pm
I like skinning Vista and XP but sometimes these addon programs eat much system resources.
Nirmal
May 3, 2007 at 3:00 pm
I have been using the Logon studio for the Win XP for long time now. Before that I was using the Style XP.
Lovedeep Wadhwa
May 4, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Thanks. Its cool.
The Thinking Blog
May 5, 2007 at 1:31 am
I don’t have a logon screen.. is that bad?
Flint
June 30, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Personally, I have been using StyleXP & ResHacker for a LONG time, and love their flexability.
I have used LogonStudio before, but found that one is limited in how they can really make their logon screen appear. Mostly, you have to do a TON of extra stuff in LogonStudio as compared to using ResHacker.
I like ResHacker because it gives me the ability to change EVERYTHING in the logonui file that I want to change.
If anyone knows the actual file name for the logonui file name in Vista, could you please tell me the path so that I may just change it instead of using LogonStudio — thanks in advance.
hype23
November 5, 2007 at 11:12 am
john, i’ve already downloaded logon studio but when i try to load logon screens other than the default 3 that comes with logon studio itself, it won’t load!! please help!! tnx
neal
November 26, 2007 at 3:00 pm
how i load new logon screen .can u mail me the method ,i want to change logon screen without any software help ,i know i hve to o some change in my regetry what i not know the right file dear can u help me
M.Usman
November 27, 2007 at 10:29 am
Hi John
Please Tell Me
I want change my win xp logon & Logoff screen with my wallpapers
can i change with them?
Mike
November 28, 2007 at 10:07 am
I have been designing WindowsXP logon screens for years now, and although the program “LogonStudio” is good for beginners, I found that ResHacker is a great little program that allows you to be more creative. It allows you to actually change every aspect of the WindowsXP logon screen.
But to answer “neal”’s question…”i know i hve to o some change in my regetry” — NO, you do NOT have to do any registry edits at all. If you make an edit to any registry key incorrectly, you will end up crashing your computer.
If you want to change your logon screen in Windows XP, but not use any software to do it — I’m afraid you are out of luck. You will need at the very least “ResHacker” to, at the very least, change the background image. But before you do that, pick the wallpaper you want to use, open it up in a graphics editing program like Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro — and save the image as a *.BMP file. ResHacker will only recognize .BMP graphics files.
Once you have changed the BG image, you then save the file as “logonui.exe” to your desktop (without the quotation marks of course). BE SURE TO TYPE THE ‘ .exe ‘ after the ‘ . ‘ IF YOU DON’T, IT WILL NOT WORK!! Then, you go into your C:\WINDOWS\System 32 directory, and find the file that matches the EXACT name that you just saved to your desktop, and rename it “logonui_BAK.exe”…
***(((NOTE: This is so that if something goes wrong with your new logon, you can reboot your computer in safe mode, (***sub-note: if you cannot reboot into safe mode, you can reboot into a DOS prompt and navigate to the C:\WINDOWS\System 32 directory***) and go back to the C:\WINDOWS\System 32 directory, delete the file you just put in there, and rename the “logonui_BAK.exe” BACK to “logonui.exe” — reboot again, and all should be good.)))***
….Then copy the file you saved to your desktop, and paste it in the C:\WINDOWS\System 32 directory.
If the above is not clear enough for you, go to ‘http://forums.widescreenxp.net’, register (it’s free) with a valid email, and ask your question in my forums. I am one of the co-owners of the site, and all of my XP logon screens are available for download, for free, and there are many people there (as am I) that can help you with any questions you might have. OR, you can email me at ‘’
Mike
November 28, 2007 at 10:11 am
One more note — although the above instructions are good — if you have never changed out your logon screen before, I highly recommend that you use either “LogonStudio”, “Logon Loader” or “StyleXP” — any one of those programs will change out the logon screen, and not do any harm to your computer. I personally use StyleXP, it’s trialware, which means you have a 30 day trial, then you have to pay $20 US to use it — but there is much more you can do with it other than change out the logon screen — you can change Icons, Themes, Visual Styles, Wallpapers, Bootscreens — the works.
Mike
November 28, 2007 at 10:14 am
Oh, and if you do go over to my site, my username is “Flint”
Joel
January 14, 2008 at 9:45 pm
all the above comments are good but i came to find here that wether there is a way to change boot screen without software application because most of the software stated above donot give any hint that how they performing the manipulation in ntoskrnl.exe (telling from experience).
please try to find how to change without any software help
Mike
January 21, 2008 at 6:15 am
,
Ok, first, the only time you mess with the ntoskrnl.exe file is when you are creating a “boot screen”. And you should only use a boot screen editor to change ANY of the code in a boot screen — one, and I mean one, wrong character misplacement and you will have to reformat your hard drive — the ntoskrnl file is VERY UNFORGIVING of syntax errors — PERIOD!! The boot screen the the black display, with the MS Flag and WindowsXP with a green/blue (depending on which service pack you are running — green for SP1, and blue for SP2) bar that moves across the screen just below the MS banner.
You definitely want to use some sort of boot screen editor — regardless of whether or not they tell you every last minute detail on how it is done or not. Finding out how a boot screen editor works is all up to you and how much research you do — there are a bunch of boot screen editors on the market, most for free, that take you step by step on creating new boot screens.
Since I have only ever created 2 or 3 of my own, and don’t create them anymore — I do not remember which programs are better than the other.
Ankur Pathak
January 29, 2008 at 4:20 pm
tell me that how to change the logon & Shut down sound in windows vista..
Ruud
February 3, 2008 at 5:43 am
I have recently installed Logonstudio v 1.0.64 for Win Xp.
Now I have 3 skins that where installed already. After d/l a few new skins from a website I pressed “load” to apply the new skin.
Only.. this doesn’t work. It are correct files and also say: “LogonStudio Document”.
After loaded I see the skin name in behind the text “current”. But I don’t see a image appear and the skin doesn’t appear in the list..
When I click “apply” the skin also doesn’t apply..
What goes wrong? I hope someone can help me out!
I got SP2 running, but I don’t think this is the problem
Zeeshan
May 23, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Hey John do you know how can i change logon screen and boot screen in windows xp custom disk which is made with nlite
Dawood Pirayesh
July 2, 2008 at 11:04 am
I want to change my windows vista logon without helping any program. What should I do?
Michael
July 10, 2008 at 9:58 pm
I have recently installed Logonstudio v 1.0.64 for Win Xp.
Now I have 3 skins that where installed already. After d/l a few new skins from a website I pressed “load” to apply the new skin.
Only.. this doesn’t work. It are correct files and also say: “LogonStudio Document”.
Amrit *****
August 3, 2008 at 9:38 pm
wow this cool
Nabeel
August 24, 2008 at 3:27 pm
how do you change the date?