How to Change Logon Wallpaper

The background image displayed when you first log on to Windows 7 can get very dull very quickly. It is designed to be a no-nonsense image that looks pretty but does not distract your attention to what is essentially your only concern when you see it: logging on to your computer. If you get bored with this image, knowing how to change the logon wallpaper is the answer to your woes.

• 1

  Click the "Start" button and type "regedit" in the search bar at the bottom of the menu.

• 2

  Find the line that says "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" in the left-hand frame of the Registry editor. Right-click on this line and select "Find" from the pop-up menu.

• 3

  Enter "OEMBackground" into the search window and click "Find Next". Keep clicking "Find Next" until you see the entry under "Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background." If this does not exist, browse to the \LogonUI\Background\" entry in the directory tree by expanding the relevant branches off "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" and Right-click in the right-hand panel when you get there. Select "New" then "DWORD Value" from the pop-up menu and call the new entry "OEMBackground".

• 4

  Set the value of "OEMBackground" to "1". Close the Registry editor.

• 5

  Open Windows Explorer and browse to the "Windows" folder. Enter "System32," then enter the "oobe" folder. Right-click inside the folder and select "Add" then "New Folder." Name the new folder "Info" and enter it. Create another new folder called "Backgrounds" and enter it.

• 6

  Copy the image file you want to use as your Windows logon wallpaper into the new "Backgrounds" folder. Right-click on this file and select "Rename." Call the file "backgroundDefault.jpg". If the file is not already in JPEG format, open it in your default image-editing program or Microsoft Paint, then save the file as "backgroundDefault.jpg", being sure to opt to save it in JPEG format.

• 7

  Close Windows Explorer. Restart your computer.