First of all: Thank you for using my boot screens for Windows XP.
There are different ways to
install boot screens. I recommend the method boot.ini. It's a safe and practical
method and you have the choice to switch between the customized boot screen
and the original Windows XP boot screen. If you want change the boot screens
very often or randomizing or you have a system with a Pentium HT (Hyper-Threading) processor
or a dual CPU system you should use a software tool like LogonUI Boot Randomizer.
The methods are described in this tutorial.
Table of contents
Warnings
Service
Pack compatibility
Method
software tools
Method
boot.ini (recommended)
Method
Save Mode
Some
tips how to create own boot screens
Wrong manipulating on the boot.ini or a wrong or damaged ntoskrnl.exe can damage your system and can make it unbootable! I'm not responsible for any damage and resulting problems or costs of your manipulations. You install my boot screens at your own risk!
It's strongly recommended to read the instructions below carefully and make a backup copy of your original boot.ini and ntoskrnl.exe before you start to install a boot screen. So you can recover in the "worst case" your original boot.ini and ntoskrnl.exe through the "recovery console" of Windows XP over a second, parallel Windows installation on a other disk partition and repair your system.
You can not use the ntoskrnl.exe of my boot screen packages if your system not use the standard ntoskrnl.exe, for example if you have a system with a Pentium HT (Hyper-Threading) processor or a dual CPU system. In this case I recommend to use the software tool LogonUI Boot Randomizer. This tool convert the boot screen to the exactly on your system used version of ntoskrnl.exe.
If your Windows XP have another native language than english, it should be no problem to use also the in my boot screen packages included english ntoskrnl.exe. I'm working also with a Windows XP in german language and using the english ntoskrnl.exe without any problems.
Don't worry to much about this
warnings. Thousands of people using my boot screens without any problems,
just follow the instructions carefully step for step.
The ntoskrnl.exe from Windows XP with installed Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 1 and without installed Service Pack are not compatible and reverse. This means if you using a wrong, not to your system corresponding ntoskrnl.exe, the Windows XP will hang or crash while booting!
If a boot screen package is released after
8/01/2003, then it contains a ntoskrnlSP.exe in the english version 5.1.2600.1224 (for
Windows XP with installed Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 1) and a ntoskrnl.exe in the
english version 5.1.2600.115 (for Windows XP without installed Service Pack).
If a boot screen package is released before 7/31/2003,
then it contains a ntoskrnlSP.exe in the english version 5.1.2600.1159 or 5.1.2600.1106
(for Windows XP with installed Service Pack 1) and a ntoskrnl.exe in the english version
5.1.2600.108 or 5.1.2600.31 (for Windows XP without installed Service Pack).
If you don't no if your Windows
XP have installed a Service Pack or not, you can find it out by going to
the Start button / System Control / System Properties / folder General.
It's very important to install
the correct, to the installation level of your Windows XP corresponding
ntoskrnl.exe to not damaging your system!
You can use one of the following
software tools to chance the boot screens (and more). This can be recommended
if you want change the boot screens very often or randomizing or needed if you have a system with a
Pentium HT (Hyper-Threading) processor or a dual CPU system.
LogonUI Boot Randomizer
(Freeware) developed by UserXP. This is a login and boot screen manager
for Windows XP.
BootEditor (Freeware)
developed by UserXP. This is a editor for creating Windows XP boot screens.
BootEditor is recommended if you want create own boot screens. All my boot screens
are created with this great tool!
BootXP (Shareware US$
7.95) developed by FreelancE VIP. This is a tool to create and managing
Windows XP and Windows 2000 boot screens.
I hope you understand, that
I can not give any support to this tools! If you have any questions or problems, please
read the documentation to this tools or contact the developers of this tools.
By the way: For create boot screens
I can recommend Jasc Paint Shop Pro (Shareware US$ 99.00) by Jasc
Software, Inc.
You can add a new line to your
boot.ini file, this giving you the choice to switch between the customized
boot screen and the original Windows XP boot screen.
1) Download the boot screen ZIP package
file to your computer
2) Extract the ntoskrnlSP.exe, ntoskrnlSP1.exe
or ntoskrnl.exe to a directory other than %windir%\system32 (most likely
3) Rename the ntoskrnlSP.exe, ntoskrnlSP1.exe
or ntoskrnl.exe in your C:\Temp directory to another name, in this example
to ntosboot.exe
4) Move or copy your ntosboot.exe
from your C:\Temp directory to the %windir%\system32 directory (most likely
C:\windows\system32)
5) Modify your boot.ini file:
Edit your boot.ini file by going to the Start button / System Control /
System / folder Extended / Starting and Restore / Adjustments / Systemstart
button / Edit
6) In the boot.ini file you
have to copy the line you use normally use for boot (this is usually the
last line, e.g.: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\Windows="Windows
XP" /fastdetect
and paste this copy underneath.
7) Change the OS name, for example:
Here is an example of the modified
boot.ini, with the last (in this example bold typed) line added:
7) Exit and save the boot.ini
file
6) Reboot your PC. You should
get an option as to which OS you wish to boot into - to test your new boot screen,
select "Windows XP Bootlogo".' Your system should now show the boot picture
of your choice while booting!
This is a safe method, because
if something goes wrong, you can just reboot and select the original operating
system from the boot list. It's also practical, because if you wish to
change/test your boot screen in future, you just have to repeat step 1 to
4.
Boot into Safe Mode (hit the
[F8] key after the boot menu and before the boot screen) or DOS (this not
work if the disk partition where is Windows XP installed is with NTFS formatted)
or if exist, over a second, parallel Windows installation on a other disk
partition. This are the only possibilities you can actually overwrite/replace
ntoskrnl.exe, due to the fact that Windows XP protect this system file
and replace it immediately by his original.
1) Backup (copy) the file %windir%\system32\ntoskrnl.exe
(most likely C:\windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe - the boot screen)
2) Download the boot screen ZIP package
to your computer
3) Extract the ntoskrnl.exe
or ntoskrnlSP.exe to a directory other than %windir%\system32 (most likely
C:\windows\system32), for example to C:\Temp (if you use the ntoskrnlSP.exe
you have also to rename it to ntoskrnl.exe)
4) Reboot your computer into
Safe Mode (hit the [F8] key after the boot menu and before the boot screen)
or
into true DOS (from a boot disk) or if exist, over a second, parallel Windows
installation on a other disk partition.
5) In Safe Mode, overwrite the
file %windir%\system32\ntoskrnl.exe (which should have been backed up)
with the extracted exe you have stored in step 3 (in this example in C:\Temp)
6) Reboot your computer as you
normally would
Some
tips how to create own boot screens
Technical boot screen limits
Base knowledge
Used Software (see also chapter "Method software tools") Break down bitmaps to 16 colors with Paint
Shop Pro
Special characteristics of the first two
colors
How to resort the color palette with Paint
Shop Pro
JASC-PAL
How to build the bitmap for the animated
progress bar
Tips for publishing boot screens
If you using wallpapers or images
from other artists to make boot screens and publish this boot screens, you
should give at minimum credit to this artists in the comment or better
you ask for permission first. It is also nice, if you declare where
the original wallpaper or image can be found, because also many people
like to have the matching wallpaper to the boot screen . Please respect
the work from other authors!
Modify uploads on ThemeXP
Still questions ?
That's all Folks!
I hope you enjoy my boot screens!
swissboy
This packages are ready for Windows XP with installed Service Pack 2, but can be used also
for Windows XP with installed Service Pack 1 or for Windows XP without installed Service Pack.
More information and download at:
http://www.belchfire.net/~userxp or
http://userxp.tripod.com
More information and download at:
http://www.belchfire.net/~userxp or
http://userxp.tripod.com
Or alternate
download only here.
More information, download
and registering at: http://www.bootxp.net
This is a powerful graphics
and photo editor. All graphical work by creating my boot screens are made
with Paint Shop Pro. This software is very suitable for decreasing bitmaps
to 16 colors (4 bit), like boot screens need and also edit and change them
on many ways.
More information, download
and registering at: http://www.jasc.com
C:\windows\system32 ), for
example C:\Temp.
Note: This name must according to
the DOS naming convention 8.3 !
or alternative
edit boot.ini using notepad:
you can find it in the system root (normally C:\)
(note: the boot.ini file normally
has hidden and system attributes, open TOOLS>FOLDER OPTIONS menu in Windows
Explorer, select VIEW tab, and:
tick 'Display contents of system
folders'
tick 'Show hidden files and
folders'
unpick 'Hide protected operating
system files'
You should now be able to see/open
boot.ini using notepad from the system root (C:\) )
At the end of this new line,
add this text: /KERNEL=ntosboot.exe
(The name "ntosboot.exe" should be whatever you renamed the ntoskrnl.exe
to when you extracted it to C:\Temp (in step 3) and the name must according also to the DOS naming convention 8.3)
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\Windows="Windows
XP" /fastdetect /KERNEL=ntosboot.exe
becomes
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\Windows="Windows
XP Bootlogo" /fastdetect /KERNEL=ntosboot.exe
[boot
loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\Windows
[operating
systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\Windows="Windows
XP" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\Windows="Windows
XP Bootlogo" /fastdetect /KERNEL=ntosboot.exe
This is not a complete tutorial how to create boot screens,
but it is a collection of useful tips and links and give answer on the most often asked questions.
The most asked question is:
"Why have boot screens only 16 colors and a resolution of 640x480 pixels?"
The answer is: It's a technical
limit, because during boot process is no graphics drivers loaded. So the
boot screen have to be displayed in VGA mode, and this mode allow only
a resolution of 640x480 pixels and 16 colors (4 bit). This very poor conditions
are the biggest problem but also the challenge by creating boot screens.
This is also the reason why i make only boot screens and never logins.
This tutorial "How
To: Edit the boot logo and boot logo palette in Windows XP" treat the
basics of creating boot screens. I very recommend this to read for people
want create own boot screens, even some parts of this tutorial are obsolete,
but it make you understanding how a boot screen work. It is written by JJoelC.
in December 2001.
Another simplified "Windows XP Boot Logo Tutorial"
you can find here at
www.belchfire.net.
I'm using two tools to create
boot screens:
All graphical work by creating
my boot screens are made with Jasc Paint Shop Pro. I can very recommend
this software for decreasing the bitmaps to 16 colors (4 bit), like boot screens
need and also edit and change them on many ways. If I have made the needed
bitmaps completely finished with Paint Shop Pro, then I'm using BootEditor
to compile finally the ntoskrnl.exe. More information about this tools/software
you will find above.
All graphics work, include
break down the colors, I do with Paint Shop Pro. You can try the following
options:
Colors / Reduce Colors / 16
Colors (4 bit) / Options: Median Cut optimized or Octree optimized + Error
Diffusion + Color Progress reduced.
Many time you get the best
result, if you use a combination of the two methods Median Cut optimized
and Octree optimized:
In a first step I break down
to X colors (for X I'm using normally a number between 24 and 96 colors,
48 is many time a good value) with the options: Median Cut optimized +
Error Diffusion + Color Progress reduced In a second step I break down
to 16 colors with the options: Octree optimized + Error Diffusion + Color
Progress reduced.
It is difficult to give general
tips for break down the colors. The option adjustment strong depends on
the origin image.
Very important is also to understand
the special characteristic of the first two colors in the color palette:
Color No. 0 (first color)
is the also the color for a stupid small rectangle with a size of 23x10
pixels in the left upper corner (I think this area will be used in the
memory to show the running progress bar), a 8 pixels broad border around
the whole boot screen and the background color for the progress bar.
Color No. 1 (second
color) is always black (also if you give another color than black, the
color will be not considered and this areas will displayed black, see also
palette example below).
This special characteristic
of the first two colors make it most time necessary to resort the color
palette. If you create your boot screen with BootEditor, you can use a special
function for this. Under the menu Bitmaps / Swap 2 colors in the palette
... (or [Ctrl+S] key) you can do this easy. The method how to resort the
color palette with Paint Shop Pro is described below.
Because the special characteristics
of the first two colors, it is many time necessary to resort the color
palette. You can resort the color palette with Paint Shop Pro by the following
way:
1) Save
the color palette in .PAL file.
2) Resort
the color numbers by moving the lines with a editor like notepad.
3) Load
the resorted .PAL file (method "similar colors") in your bitmap.
The color palette should be
resorted. Below an example of a .PAL file (it's from the original Windows
XP boot screen):
0100
16
0 0 0 <==
color for top/left rectangle, boot screen border and progress bar background
32 26 21 <==
will be displayed always as black ( 0 0 0 )
70 70 70
45 62 210
83 101 1
178 53 5
126 126 126
137 146 0
94 127 252
247 107 32
141 166 255
142 220 4
243 188 27
188 188 188
252 252 252
255 255 255
The color palette is in the
ntoskrnl.exe "hard coded". This means, it exists only one color palette
for all bitmaps. So all bitmaps must have the same color palette.
Otherwise the colors of your boot screen will look finally in a mess.
The bitmap for the animated
progress must have always a size of 22x9 pixels. A easy way is, to draw
the bitmap for the animated progress bar first in the main bitmap, then
cut them out and save it as separate bitmap. This way the bitmap have for
sure the same color palette as the main bitmap.
Proper, untouched versions of the
original english ntoskrnl.exe version 5.1.2600.1224 (with Service Pack 2 or
Service Pack 1) and 5.1.2600.115 (without Service Pack) you can find at
www.ThemeXP.org.
This is the original Microsoft Windows XP boot screen without any changes
in the english version.
This is a useful source for
people to create own boot screens for publishing, especially for them there
have a Windows XP in another native language than english.
Boot screens should be published
always with the english version of ntoskrnl.exe! It is also very recommended
to declare, if the ntoskrnl.exe is for Windows XP with Service Pack 2, for
Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or for Windows XP without Service Pack. So
you prevent that some users damaged their systems!
You can also modify your themes
on www.ThemeXP.org over
the link "Member
Home" on the upper right corner of each ThemeXP website. If you select
this link you will get a list of your uploads and there you can modify
each of you uploads. Please not upload each update of your theme/boot screen
as new version. This makes the people just confuse which version there
have to download.
If you have a specific question
you can send me a mail,
I will try to help you. Please formulate your question so exact and clear as possible,
this help me to give you a good answer.
I hope you understand, that
I can not answer on general questions like: "You can teach me to make so
nice boot screens like you?" All my general knowledge about creating boot screens
a have written down in this tutorial.
I can also not give any support
to the software tools, I'm also never have made logins and I not have Adobe
Photoshop.
Roland
© 2003 by swissboy
ReadMe.htm
Updated: 11/02/2003