Skip to main content

Change your Welcome (login) Screen

Posted September 2002 by Steve Sinchak

This tweak will only work if you have the "Use welcome screen" option activated in Control Panel>Users Accounts>Logon and Logoff Options.

1. Make a backup copy of C:\windows\system32\logonui.exe

  1. Overwrite the file with your new login screen. (be sure to use the same file name as the old logonui.exe)

  2. If you ever want to revert back to the old login screen, just overwrite C:\windows\system32\logonui.exe with your backup.

Enjoy!

Some edits and supplements

Windows System File Protection will not allow to override the file unless you follow these steps:

  1. Rename the logonui.exe file in either C:\Windows\system32\dllcache or in C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386 (depends on if and how you installed the servicepack).
  2. Copy your custom logonui.exe to this folder.
  3. Boot into safe mode and do exactly the same (rename the original file and copy in your new one) in C:\Windows\system32. System File Protection will pop up two windows. Answer them with "cancel" and "yes".

Note: It is always better to rename the original file and not override it.

Alternatively you can use this method to change the Welcome screen :

  1. Copy your custom logon file under another name, let's say logonuiA.exe, to C:\Windows\system32.
  2. Open regedit (Always backup before changing anything in the registry) to
        HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
        and change the value for UIHost to logonuiA.exe.

Related Posts


If you own a Google Chromecast streaming device, you can easily share a browser tab in Chrome browser or even your entire desktop.  This can be very useful when presenting from your laptop or if you just want to watch something on a big screen that is only on your PC.  The only requirement is you must be on the same network as your Chromecast...

Read More

If you are a fan of minimalist desktop experiences, hiding the desktop icons are an easy way to clean up the Windows interface.  Instead of saving everything to your desktop, use the default profile folders such as downloads and documents.  Actually hiding all the icons on your desktop is a very simple customization hidden in the right-click context menu.  Just right-click on the desktop, select View...

Read More

Google security researchers have published details about a major security flaw found in the SSL protocol that is used to encrypt data transferred between your browser and a web server. SSL is typically used in situations where logon credentials are validated...

Read More

Enabling two-factor authentication is a great way to add an additional level of protection to your Microsoft account.  Even if your password is stolen, your account is still protected because two-factor authetication requires an additional level of verification to log in. Microsoft calls their version of two-factor authentication "two-step verification" and it works by providing you with a random code...

Read More