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Home -> Help -> How Do I Make My Own System Screens?
If you have some experience editing images, and/or creating wallpaper, them making your own system screens should be a snap.
Step 1: Get yourself a good image editor, such as Paint Shop Pro. Make sure the image program can save files in Bitmap (BMP) file format. It should also let you re-size images.
Step 2: Create a new file. Most image editors will pop up a screen letting you choose how big you want the image to be every time you start a new file. Make sure you select, or type in 320x400 and use 256 colors to keep things simple.
Step 3: Select your background colors, draw, paint, and add the images you'd like to use. If you want to place some text on the graphic, this is a good time to do it as well.
Step 4: After you've got everything just the way you like it, you must convert your image to 256 colors, if you didn't start out with that size off the bat. After you've reduced the colors, you must now change the size of the actual file a little bit, if you didn't start out with the right size to begin with. Find your image editor's "re-size" or "re-sample" feature, and change the image size to 320x400. Now before you hit that OK button to re-size the image, make sure that "Maintain Aspect Ratio" option is NOT checked If it is, un-check it. Re-sizing your image with this option on will make your screens look a little funny.
Step 5: Now that your screen is finished, you have to save it in the right file format. If you're making a Startup screen, then save the bitmap file as logo.sys. If you're creating a shut down screen, save your file as logos.sys. If you're creating a "please wait while your system shuts down" type screen, save your file as logow.sys. Some graphic programs don't save files with the .sys extension, so you'll either have to place double quotation marks when you save it "logo.sys", or save it as a bitmap (.bmp) file, and rename it with the proper extension later. Be sure to backup your original system screens before overwriting them with your creations! The originals are usually in your Windows folder, and the Root C:\ drive (assuming you're booting on a C drive).
If that is too complicated, you can just use a desktop management program like Desktop Architect (pictured below) to load and convert your finished graphics into system screens.
That's all there is to it. When you have the originals backed them up, put the new screens in the appropriate directories and reboot your computer to see them in action.
Note: if you can't find your logo.sys files, then the files are hidden. Windows hides system files from general view by default. To see them, open up your Windows Explorer. Select View from the menu, then Folder Options. Finally, select "Show All Files" from the Hidden Files section. You should then be able to see everything.
See Also: What Are System Screens?
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