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 you can set the screensaver that you want to see instead of 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\Desktop.

3. Let's change the amount of time the system waits after the last activity was detected before starting the screensaver. To do this, right-click the ScreenSaveTimeOut entry and select Modify. The amount of time to wait is stored in seconds. By default, the system waits 600 seconds (10 minutes) before starting the screensaver. If you want to change this value to something shorter, such as 1 minute, just enter a new value, which for 1 minute would be 60. Then click OK to save your changes.

4. By default, the boring flat Windows Vista logo screensaver displays. Try something a little more exciting such as the Mystify screensaver. To do this, right-click and select Modify on the SCRNSAVE.EXE string value. Set the value to the full path of the screensaver you want to use. For example, I use C:\windows\system32\Mystify.scr for the Mystify screensaver. Refer to Table for a list of Windows screensavers and the paths you can use. When you have finished making your change, click OK to save.

5. Table : Windows Vista Screensavers
   Open table as spreadsheet

   Screensaver Name	Full path
   Aurora	C:\Windows\System32\Aurora.scr
   Bubbles	C:\Windows\System32\Bubbles.scr
   Logon (Windows default)	C:\Windows\System32\logon.scr
   Mystify	C:\Windows\System32\Mystify.scr
   Photos	C:\Windows\System32\PhotoScreensaver.scr
   Ribbons	C:\Windows\System32\Ribbons.scr
   Blank Screen	C:\Windows\System32\scrnsave.scr
   Vista	C:\Windows\System32\ssBranded.scr
   3D Text	C:\Windows\System32\ssText3d.scr

6. Close the Registry Editor. You are now finished. After a reboot, you will see your new screensaver.