Customizing the Logon Screen of Vista, Changing user pictures

Windows Vista included a slightly improved Logon screen similar to the one that was used in Windows XP. Gone for good this time is the Windows NT-style classic Logon screen with which many domain users are familiar (because it was included in the last several releases of Windows). The new Welcome screen, as I called it in Windows XP, is here to stay, and is now your only choice for logging on. Not much changed except for a few visual enhancements that make the screen look more professional and make it fit in with the theme of the rest of the operating system.

In Windows Vista, Microsoft has done a lot of work on securing the logon system by digitally signing the logon components. This makes it next to impossible for anyone to modify the Logon screen files, so it greatly increases the security of Vista. Unfortunately, it also makes it next to impossible for people like us who want to customize the Logon screen; you can no longer just hack a system file and replace some resources in it. Now, if you hack a system file with a resource hacker and customize the images in it, the digital signature will be broken and the file will no longer be used by Vista.

The days of customizing the Logon screen are over for now until someone writes an application that extends the Logon screen or someone releases a patch that disables the requirement for the Logon screen system files to be digitally signed.

So, is this the end of customizing the Logon screen? Not at all! You can still do a lot of useful tweaks to the Logon screen that will give the Logon screen a personal touch, such a changing user pictures, hiding users, customizing the Logon screen screensaver, and more.

Changing user pictures
Each user who is set up on your computer can associate an image that appears next to his or her name on the Logon screen, as shown in Figure. By default, you have the option to select a picture for your account when you install Windows. However, the screen that allows you to pick an image offers only a small selection of the pictures available to you. In addition, if you do not like the images that Windows has to offer, you can select any image file.



The process of changing a user's image is simple. Just perform the following steps and you will have it changed in no time:
1.Click the Start button, and then click your user picture, as shown in Figure




2.Select Change your picture from the middle of the list.

3.You will now be shown all the Windows user images that you can choose from. If you find one you like, click it, and then click the Change Picture button.

4.If you prefer a different photo, click Browse for more pictures to select and use any image file on your PC.

5.After you have selected your new image, your setting change is instantly applied. You can now close User Accounts and Control Panel.

Now you have changed your user image on the Logon screen; you have also updated the image used on the Start menu.