Windows 7 Change User Account Picture on Logon Screen?

[lcoleman]

Hello,

Does anyone know how to change the account image my oem "dell" placed on the logon screen. I changed it in account settings but it only changed my account picture under start menu, not the logon screen. I think its connected to OEM_Resources.dll. Does anyone know how to remove that connection in 7057? I dont want to have to keep converting pictures just to switch my account picture.

Thanks

P.S. It was after installing Wave Embassy software for my fingerprint reader.

 

[Gungistoker]

This is news to me. See if this link helps. You'll get a kick out of the second post after the article.

Link Removed

Gungistoker

 

[lcoleman]

Thx, but its not the background that I need to change. Its the smaller account picture that is displayed above the username. That is what dell changed.

 

[davehc]

I have no knowledge of DEll's specialising but, try this:
Type gpedit.msc in the run box
Open Computer Configuration - Administrative Accounts - Control Panel - User Accounts.
Double click the entry there "Apply the default--etc."
Enable it.
Now, if you reboot, hopefully you will be in the default Windows 7 gui., in here, you should be able to change the user account logon picture, in the way you have tried.

 

[jimbo45]

It's easy (at least in 7057)

Standard personalisation===>change account picture


just choose the one you want from your own picture file
use the size of the standard one's to create the correct size (paint / photoshop etc etc).

Added -- works in build 7048 as well. Go via right mouse click anywhere on the desktop screen and choose personalisation.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[davehc]

If I read the OP correctly, Jimbo, he has done that. His problem is that, for some reason, it is not changing the user picture on the login screen.

 

[Gungistoker]

Have you looked in the oobe folder at C:\Windows\System32\oobe? There should be various PNG images at that location associated with Dell. Maybe you can change the image while keeping the same file name. Be careful though because PNG images may have several layers in them.

Gungistoker

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
If you did a CLEAN install of 7057 I'm not sure how any of the OEM crap would still be in the system - especially in core pieces.

BIOS boot screens are another issue but a CLEAN install should flush all the OEM CRUD out of the WINDOWS system - Of course be careful again when loading drivers / chipset etc but you should probably find your system will behave like "Vanilla Windows".

An Update won't flush out any OEM stuff usually.

There's also some registry hack to FORCE windows to use the standard stuff -- just google for it or it may even be on this forum somewhere.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[lcoleman]

It was installed when I installed the Wave Embassy Suite for my fingerprint scanner and TPM chip.

Thx I've tried all but the last method by Jimbo "There's also some registry hack to FORCE windows to use the standard stuff -- just google for it or it may even be on this forum somewhere." and the dell logo is still there.

I'm going to search for the registry hack and see if that works.

 

[Paulie]

If you want to change your logon screen this handy little app is the way to do it. Its small and easy to use.


Link Removed

 

[davehc]

You MUST read the op. The user wants to change his account picture on the logon screen, not the logon screen! It seems to have something to do with the third party program he is using.

 

[Paulie]

well tahts even easier, click on user pic and choose a file. Well at least thats how it works for me.

 

[davehc]

Paulie! Please read the posts. That is the first thing he tried, yet it was suggested AGAIN, by another poster. That is why he has posted the problem!

 

[Paulie]

Ooops I did it again! Well obviously he has created his own problem because that is how ms intended. And I know I should of read the post but I had about 10 things happening all at the same time.

 

[davehc]

No prob M8. Yes, I agree, it is a self inflicted disease!

 

[Gungistoker]

lcoleman, I found this link from a person who appeared to have the same problem using a Vista machine, but he referred to the user image and logon screen so I'm not sure which he means. He fixed it by using a Resource Editor. The Resource Editor mentioned wouldn't save the edited file when I tried to test it on another DLL file. You may have better luck. I wanted to find another free Resource Editor before posting but I figured someone might know of one so I posted first.

This link is a cached page of a Dell forum because the original link wouldn't work for some reason.

Link Removed - Invalid URL



Update: I tested out an editor called Resource Tuner. Full use for 30 days. Very easy to locate and replace an image file. Make two copies of the original DLL. One to edit and one to put back if something goes awry.

Resource Tuner

Gungistoker

 

[lcoleman]

Thx, but thats what I meant by "I dont want to have to keep converting pictures just to switch my account picture." It takes too long everytime I want to do it. I should have explained that part better though.

But thx for all of your help.

I just wanted to see if someone had a way of preventing that OEM DLL file from taking priority over my account picture.

For now I just left the software off. I really wanted to be able to use my fingerprint reader though, but I really can't stand that dell logo. That Wave suite is buggy anyway, but my reader is behind a Broadcom USH CV so using UPEKs preWindows 7 (fingerprint reader) suite is out of the question.

Guess I'll just have to wait and see if UPEK decides to support their readers when their behind a broadcom USH to fix this issue.

 

[DarthSLR]

Hello,

Does anyone know how to change the account image my oem "dell" placed on the logon screen. I changed it in account settings but it only changed my account picture under start menu, not the logon screen. I think its connected to OEM_Resources.dll. Does anyone know how to remove that connection in 7057? I dont want to have to keep converting pictures just to switch my account picture.

Thanks

P.S. It was after installing Wave Embassy software for my fingerprint reader.

Here is the how to
Link Removed due to 404 Error
Essentially, you need to modify a bitmap in oem_resources.dll
HTH

 

[17ND]

Thanks...

This worked for me (in Win 7 RTM)!

Appreciate the help!

 

[DJV]

So, I am not sure specifically how to change the logon screen user account image as you have requested in this specific circumstance. I ran into a similar issue, but mine was fixed by just picking a custom image from the Change Account Image selection, then Browse. After reading some of the posts, here are my thoughts:

For one, a good resource editor can be found for free called ResHack (Resource Hacker) and the link to the homepage for it is on the Wiki page for it, or can be found here: http://angusj.com/resourcehacker/

Secondly, since the fingerprint scanner is typically used for primary or supplemental login to the machine, it would have to load a driver hook for the logon mechanism. As for Windows Vista/7 specifics on this, I cannot say for sure. On Windows 2000/XP there was a file called MSGINA.DLL which could be hooked to create this sort of effect. It was commonly used for Netware logins.

The reason I bring it up is that when you modify the login mechanism in this manner, it must load 3rd party code into the login code space to provide the extended or overwritten functionality. In such a case, anything that the DLL wants to load along with that code, is up to the writers of the 3rd party DLL. It sounds like, in this case, Dell decided to have it put their logo as the logon account picture by means of the hook DLL for the logon mechanism.

While I do understand that you would really prefer a method of just click/select to change the image, it likely will not be quite that easy. So, a couple solutions were suggested which would permit you to change the image yourself, by force. Changing the image in the DLL file should do the trick. You will have to locate which specific DLL it is for that (which I believe someone already did for you), but sadly, I doubt there is a more simple way to do it.

There is also another resource file editor that is free with Visual Studio (which is not in the free version of VS if I recall), called ResEdit (Resource Editor). It is a bit trickier to use, and I would suggest a hex editor or 3rd party resource editor like ResHack. ResHack is pretty much just a drag/drop operation, then save the file and reboot. I do not believe it gets any easier than that.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Messing with the login mechanism for Windows can be a bit tricky. Any other methods I can think of off the top of my head are much more complex and likely unwarranted.