Changing the Logos in Windows 95

Note: Just because this page is here, it doesn't mean I like Windows 95. This information is for instructional purposes only. :)

New Stuff

Logo Pack 2 is out! Enjoy. It includes a small install program (but you'll need the Visual Basic 4.0 32-bit run time crap). Hey, it's only a logo changer.

What?

If you haven't already, get ahold of Logo Pack 1, a package created by Dave Whiting and myself. What follows is an expanded version of the documentation that comes in that archive.

Introduction

Sick of the stupid blue-sky, everything's perfect in Microsoftland Windows 95 boot screen yet? Well, we were, and we decided that we weren't going to take it anymore!

This is a collection of replacement logos for the Windows 95 boot and shutdown screens. We've made them all ourselves.

Creating Your Own Logo (Optional)

If you hate our logos, or just want to make your own, here's how. Just create a 320x200 pixel, 256-colour image of whatever you want. When you're ready to use it as a logo, stretch it to 320x400 (i.e. don't preserve the aspect ratio) and save it as an uncompressed Windows BMP bitmap file. Then, just treat it as if it was one of the files distributed in the Logo Pack, and follow the instructions below.

It might be that Windows actually uses all the lines in the image (i.e. the screen is in a tweaked 320x400 mode), but I wouldn't think that Microsoft would do this. (It might not work on all systems.) Anyway, a few images we used looked as though the pixels were squashed, but I don't know for sure.

As far as I know, there is no easy way to have Windows do the blue-white-blue colour-cycle thing unless you can find and replace the real original startup-logo.

Installation

Ok, first you'll want to know what the logos look like, so I left the .BMP extension on them for easier previewing. Just use MSPaint, QPV or whatever to look at them. Remember they look stretched to twice their normal hight.

You'll note these instructions are intended for a DOS window. Hmm... I wonder why. :)

For boot logos, just copy the file of your choice to the root directory of your boot drive (see below) as LOGO.SYS. Windows will automatically find and use it there. For example,

The exit logos are stored in your Windows directory as:

Installing these is just as easy:

Of course, you have to put your Windows drive and directory where the D:\WIN95\ part is . . .

That's all.

The exit ones work, but the boot logo doesn't.

If you run Stacker or some such thing, your real boot drive probably isn't C:, so you have to put LOGO.SYS on the real boot drive.

Other crap

We're not responsible for anything that happens to your computer as a result of doing anything we suggest with these files (or with any files or ideas or suggestions), no matter how stupid you are.

And no, I'm not going to type in capital letters, so screw off.

Who did this, and who can I yell at?

We are:

Yelling at us won't help... see part 3 :)

Let us know if you like them!

Thanks to yardbird and WinXpert on #Windows95 for a bit of technical help...

Release History

WARNLOGO.ZIP was uploaded to ftp.cica.indiana.edu before we realized that we could make a lot more cool logos. :) All it contained were the two warning logos. This is better.

Back to the homepage
Content last updated September 9, 1995