Styling Windows 7 (Part 2): How to Change the Logon Screen

You log into Windows 7 and always get the same bluish screen to select or type in your user name and password. Tired of it? So are we! Let’s bring a bit of color to the start and end of your typical, Windows 7 session. Continue reading to find out how you can get rid of the default logon and give it a bit more style in Part 2 of our “Styling Windows 7″ series.

Be sure to check out Part 1 to learn how to change the visual style of your computer.

Changing the logon screen

Going from the Windows 7 logon screen to a new image is very easy.

1. Like the previous optical change discussed on the TuneUp Blog, all you need is TuneUp Styler (part of TuneUp Utilities, which you can try for 15 days). Download and install the program. See the “Customize Windows” category? Click on “Logon screen”.
   
2. As soon as TuneUp Styler has started, click on “Logon screen”, and select “Add”. You can now go online and download a couple of nice-looking logon screens from TuneUp Online. Or select one of our personal favorites below.Tip: You could even go ahead and select a wallpaper such as the nice desktop backgrounds from Interfacelift or DeviantArt , and create your very own logon screen for Windows 7. Just click on “Create new”, go to “Search local drives” and select the wallpaper of your choice!
3. TuneUp Styler automatically shows a preview of the logon screen. If you like it, hit “Apply”; if you’re not really into the new look, you can always go back by clicking on “Restore defaults” and then on “Apply” again. That’s it!

Our favorites: the top five logon screens

Here are five interesting designs from our very own TuneUp Logon gallery that we think you will love:

Zebra Herd

Diagramm

Gold-colored sequins

Redwood

Grassy Hillside

We have now taken you through the most important visual changes for Windows 7. By now, you’ve learned how to replace the visual style and the logon screen. But, we’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to styling your operating system. Coming up, we’ll show you how to enhance optical effects in Windows 7 and where to get simply the best wallpapers on the Internet.