First of all: Thank you for downloading my bootscreens for Windows XP from the web or purchasing my "swissboy bootscreen collection CD-ROM".
There are different ways to
install bootscreens. I recommend the method boot.ini. It's a safe and practical
method and you have the choice to switch between the customized bootscreen
and the original Windows XP bootscreen. If you want change the bootscreens
very often or randomizing, you maybe better use a software tool like LogonUI
Boot Randomizer or BootXP. The methods are described in this tutorial.
Table of contents
swissboy
bootscreen collection CD-ROM
Warnings
Service
Pack 1 compatibility
Technical
bootscreen limits
Method
software tools
Method
boot.ini
Method
Save Mode
swissboy bootscreen collection CD-ROM
The swissboy bootscreen collection
contains all original swissboy bootscreens for Windows XP on one CD-ROM.
By the most bootscreen packages is also one or more matching wallpapers
include.
The CD-ROM can be used over
a graphical menu user interface. This make's it easy to view and find the
needed files. You can viewing all bootscreens over a thumbnail preview,
or in a Explorer window. It is also a slideshow available: Just lean back,
relax and watch the swissboy bootscreen collection.
If you ever have installed
a from the web downloaded swissboy bootscreen, then it will be a child's
play for you, to find and install bootscreen from this CD-ROM.
At least, on the CD-ROM is
also a small collection of bootscreen related tools, to manage and create
bootscreens.
Use this link if you interested on the "swissboy bootscreen collection CD-ROM".
Here you can have a look at
all my bootscreens on ThemeXP.org (will take a while to load).
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 the bootscreens 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 manipulating. 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 bootscreen packages, if your system not use the standard ntoskrnl.exe (for example if your have a dual CPU system). By the way: BootEditor in the actual version can now handle the ntoskrnl.exe for dual CDU systems.
If your Windows XP have another native language than english, it should be no problem to use also the in my bootscreen 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 bootscreens without any problems,
just follow the instructions carefully step for step.
The ntoskrnl.exe from Windows
XP with installed Service Pack 1 and without installed Service Pack are
not compatible and reverse. This means if you using a wrong, not to your
system correspond ntoskrnl.exe, the Windows XP will hang or crash while
booting!
If a package contains two versions,
then one is the ntoskrnlSP1.exe in the english version 5.1.2600.1106 (Service
Pack 1) and the second is the ntoskrnl.exe in the english version 5.1.2600.31
(without Service Pack).
If you don't no if your Windows
XP have Service Pack 1 installed or not, you can find it out by going to
the Start button / System Control / System / folder General.
It's very important to install
the correct, to the installation level of your Windows XP correspond
ntoskrnl.exe to not damaging your system!
The most asked question is:
"Why have bootscreen 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
bootscreen have to be displayed in VESA mode, and this mode aloud 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 bootscreens.
This is also the reason why i make only bootscreens and never logins.
You can use one of the following software tools to chance the bootscreens (and more). This can be recommended if you want change the bootscreens very often or randomizing.
LogonUI Boot Randomizer
(Freeware) developed by UserXP. This is a login and bootscreen manager
for Windows XP.
More information and download
at: http://members.rogers.com/userxp/
BootEditor (Freeware)
developed by UserXP. This is a editor for creating Windows XP bootscreens.
BootEditor is recommended if you want create own bootscreens. All my bootscreens
are created with this great tool!
More information and download
at: http://members.rogers.com/userxp/
BootXP (Shareware US$
7.95) developed by FreelancE VIP. This is a tool to create and managing
Windows XP and Windows 2000 bootscreens.
More information, download
and registering at: http://www.bootxp.net
or http://www.fvip.net/bootxp/
I hope you understand, that I can not give any support to this tools! If you have any questions or problems, please read the included documentation's or contact the developers.
By the way: For create bootscreens
I can recommend Jasc Paint Shop Pro (Shareware US$ 82.00) by Jasc
Software, Inc.
This is a powerful graphics
and photo editor. All graphical work by creating my bootscreens are made
with Paint Shop Pro. This software is very suitable for decreasing bitmaps
to 16 colors (4 bit), like bootscreens need and also edit and change them
on many ways.
More information, download
and registering at: http://www.jasc.com
You can add a new line to your boot.ini file, this giving you the choice to switch between the customized bootscreen and the original Windows XP bootscreen.
1) Download the ZIP package file to your computer (not necessary if you have my "swissboy bootscreen collection CD-ROM")
2) Extract the ntoskrnl.exe
or ntoskrnlSP1.exe to a directory other than %windir%\system32 (most likely
C:\windows\system32 ), for
example C:\Temp.
3) Rename the ntoskrnl.exe or ntoskrnlSP1.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
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:\) )
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.
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))
7) Change the OS name, for example:
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
Here is an example of the modified
boot.ini, with the last (in this example bold typed) line added:
[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
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 bootscreen, 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 bootscreen in future, you just have to repeat step 1 to 4.
Tip: If your are using Windows
XP with installed Service Pack 1, it more easy to use the name ntoskrnlSP1.exe
instead in the example above ntosboot.exe. So you not have to rename it
all the time, because the kernel for Windows XP with installed Service
Pack 1 is in all bootscreen packages stored under the name ntoskrnlSP1.exe.
Boot into Safe Mode (hit the [F8] key after the boot menu and before the bootscreen) 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 ZIP package to your computer (not necessary if you have my "swissboy bootscreen collection CD-ROM")
3) Extract the ntoskrnl.exe or ntoskrnlSP1.exe to a directory other than %windir%\system32 (most likely C:\windows\system32), for example to C:\Temp (if you use the ntoskrnlSP1.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 bootscreen) 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
That's all Folks!
I hope you enjoy my bootscreens!
swissboy
Roland
ReadMe.htm
© 2002 by swissboy
2002-12-21