How to Change or Customize Windows 7 Boot Screen Using Windows 7 Boot Updater
NOTE: This tool is intended for highly experienced users. Please do NOT try it if you are not familiar with such kind of customization stuffs. We’ll not be responsible if you break your system with this tool. So use it at your own risk!
Now the wait is over. Since when Microsoft released Windows 7, no one was able to change the boot screen as it requires lots of files and certificates customization.
But now Jeff Bush @ “Coder for life” website has developed an excellent tool which can customize Windows 7 boot screen.
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“Windows 7 Boot Updater” is a program that makes it easy to update the Windows 7 boot animation and text. It is written in C++/CLI and requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and the Microsoft WIM library.
Features List:
- Modifies the boot animation
- Modifies the boot text “Starting Windows” and “Microsoft Corporation”
- Will compile the animation from 105 BMP, PNG, GIF, or TIFF images
- Does not require any other applications (like ImageX)
- Designed to be idiot-proof by having numerous checks
- Automatically backs up the modified files
- Works for all versions of Windows 7: any language, any edition, 32-bit or 64-bit
- Works even if your setup has the hidden “System Reserved” partition
The software is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
HOW TO USE:
You can change both boot screen and resume screen using this utility.
1. Download and run the program’s exe file.
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2. You can change the text messages, remove them completely, change their color. You can also replace animation and background image.
3. If you want to change the animation you will have to make an animation! The animation is:
- 105 frames (if there are less frames the last frame will be repeated as necessary)
- Each frame is 200x200px (resized if necessary)
- 15 frames / sec
- First 4 seconds play once then the last 3 seconds play in a loop
The program loads a folder containing all the frames as PNGs, GIFs, BMPs, TIFs, or JPEGs images. The files will be played in alphabetical order. If you are numbering them, use the same number of digits for all numbers (e.g. 001, 002, …, 103, 105). For ‘historical’ reasons, the animation can also be a folder containing a single BMP named “activity.bmp” that is 200x21000px.
HOW TO RESTORE:
If you get stuck forever in Windows Recovery Environment then you need to manually restore winload.exe. Here are the directions:
1. Once you enter Windows Recovery Environment press “Cancel” right away (while it is still scanning).
2. Click “Yes” on the warning that pops up.
3. Click “View advanced options for system recovery and support”.
4. Select your keyboard types and click “Next”.
5. Select an account (not “HomeGroupUser$”) and enter password and click “OK”.
6. Click “Command Prompt” (the last option) and enter following commands:
C:
cd \Windows\System32
del winload.exe
ren “winload~1.exe” winload.exe
exit
PS: Here C: in first line represents the system drive where Windows 7 is installed in your system. If you have installed Windows in any other partition like D: drive, then change the command to D:
7. Click “Restart” and you’ll be able to boot into Windows again.
NOTE: Windows Vista users can use following free tool:
Download Windows Vista Boot Logo Generator Beta to Customize Vista Boot Screen
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Some users have reported that the app crashes for them and they receive “Boot Update Exception: there was an uncaught exception while updating the files: System.AccessViolationException” error message while running the tool. Most of the times, this error message occurs when you have a dual boot system with Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 or Windows 10. Its a known issue in this tool.
DONT USE THIS PROGRAM!!!! Your computer will no work AFTER THIS !!! U WILL SEE BLACK SCREEN AND IF U DONT HAVE RESTORE POINT THE COMPUTER WILLL ……DONT WORKKKK
^^ I hv been using this program since years and never had any problem.
i cant run it ? ? ? why always say close program
I created a animation and it said it worked but when I boot all I get is a black screen and then
The login screen
it’s not opening after i had reinsatalled my windows 7 (ultimate)
Hii! I need help, I can’t to open Windows 7 Boot Updater
I always get appcrash.. can you help me
I use Windows 7 ultimate 64 bit
please help me, I have to reinstall windows but the program has get same error
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: windows7bootupdater.exe
Application Version: 0.0.1.1
Application Timestamp: 5444421b
Fault Module Name: windows7bootupdater.exe
Fault Module Version: 0.0.1.1
Fault Module Timestamp: 5444421b
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 00007508
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 0a9e
Additional Information 2: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
Additional Information 3: 0a9e
Additional Information 4: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
^^ As I said earlier in one of my comments, I have seen these error messages when you have a dual boot system with Windows 7 and Windows 8. Are you having a dual boot system?
Is It possible to change the boot screen to one full screen image?
^^ I think yes. Try to play with available options in the tool.
about the APPCRASH error. its true it happened to me too. i did a dual boot of 7 and 8 but it was doing okay until 3 days later when i installed the windows 7 monthly updates, then my bootscreen changed to an old bootscreen and winbootupdater gave me the appcrash error.
it can be solved by REPLACING THE BOOTMGR FILE with a backup of it usually found in the same location (normally drive C: or wherever your windows folder is located) but filename would be bootmgr~1 or bootmgr~2 and so on. these backups are made whenever the bootscreen is changed using winbootupdater.
How can I make this animation fullscreen? Is it possible?
^^ Try to play around the given options such as method, animation, etc in the tool.
Help!! I installed the application as said when I ran it I backed it up and loaded a boot screen I clicked apply and restarted. It then showed a black screen and restated again (got in a loop) I managed to fix it though. I don’t have a dual boot and I am using windows 7 home premium 64 bit
‘Aman’ had already posted a comment on an error & you mentioned about dual boot sytem( win7 & win 8), So i just wanna know if the problem is bcoz of the second OS (in my case win 8 enterprise).
PS:
I get the error while updating bootscreen.It worked before installation of win 8. The error says about uncaught exception……………..Attempted to read or write protected memory, often indication that the other memmory is corrupt.
Is anything corrupt??
^^ Yes. I have noticed that these error messages occur in this tool when you have a dual boot system with Windows 7 and Windows 8.
I have also hot same app failure error during updating bootmgr file, but I does not have two operating systems. Please help me..
Please use video tutorial with voice, this will make things so much easier.
I will not tamper with this tool until I’m assured it will not screw my system up and restoring the previous (default) image is allowed. [I’m very low on computer skills, and DO NOT wish to mess my laptop up.] Again please post a video proving this works and how it can be done and a revert method.
We did the update and install the latest version of FX DotNET glad if I can still help APPCRASH have problems 🙁
I know little English / i from turkey sorry 😐
Sorun imzası:
Sorunlu Olay Adı: APPCRASH
Uygulama Adı: Win7BootUpdater2.exe
Uygulama Sürümü: 0.0.1.2
Uygulama Zaman Damgası: 5514d29f
Hata Modülü Adı: Win7BootUpdater2.exe
Hata Modülü Sürümü: 0.0.1.2
Hata Modülü Zaman Damgası: 5514d29f
Özel Durum Kodu: c0000005
Özel Durum Uzaklığı: 00007828
OS Sürümü: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
Yerel Kimlik: 1055
Ek Bilgiler 1: 0a9e
Ek Bilgiler 2: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
Ek Bilgiler 3: 0a9e
Ek Bilgiler 4: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
what is wim library?? how to use or install it?? i cant even open boot updater it says to force close
bro i am using w7 ultimate sp1. i am getting following error message while pressing apply button “There was an uncaught exception while updating files:
System.access violation Exception: attempted to read or write protected
memory.This is often an indication that memory is corrupt.
at bmzip_decompress(Bytes*,Bytes*)………………………………………………………………………………………………..bla bla bla”
and i also don’t have dual os.
Chapman PcRepairs
25/10/2015
12:46
MacBookPro
Using dual boot – Windows 7 Enterprise, created my own animation and it’s working, have use this on other laptops in the past, and never had a problem with the software 🙂
^^ No. But you can check following to customize boot screen in Windows 8 and later:
https://www.askvg.com/how-to-disable-new-metro-boot-loader-and-bring-back-windows-vista-and-7-style-boot-loader-in-windows-8/
Unfortunately doesn’t work anymore after the last update. Need to update program code.
Can someone inform the developers of this program that no longer works after the last big windows 7 update.
Can you add a note that this will not work on computers with screen resolutions less than 1024×768?
this soft is not working in my windows it is a crash software
Hi, I have a problem to install after I make a clean install of Window 7 Ultimate.
See bucket.gompy.net/error.jpg
What can I do…….before the clean install the program works OK.
Regards, Rob
I also had the problem where you cannot boot anymore because the digital signature of winload.exe has changed.
You should be able to disable the digital signature checking:
Open cmd as admin, from either the OS to disable digital signature on, or another OS on the same disk drive as target one.
Now type:
bcdedit
A list of installed OS’es will appear, either type {current} or copy the identifier and then type:
bcdedit {identifier} -set nointegritychecks on
Wim
I can’t change my boot screen
When I try to change the boot shape with this software, it gives an error and does not change