Changing your Windows 7 desktop wallpaper image is a cinch. Right-click on your desktop, click on “Personalize”, and select the image you want to use. But how do you change your Windows Welcome Screen image? Unless you know your way around the Registry file, it’s virtually impossible (not to mention risky). No worries though; there are a plethora of third-party software titles that will change the Windows 7 logon image for you. We downloaded a handful to try out ourselves to see how they performed. Here are the results.
Windows 7 Logon Background Changer
Windows 7 Logon Background Changer has an easy-to-use interface and a nice, appealing visual layout. Don’t expect anything fancy from this program, as it will only change the image. But it does default to the example Windows 7 images folder and provides a slideshow preview of the images as you flip through them. It was the slowest to apply the new images. In fact, I had to force-close the program when i attempted to use a really large image. The image did get applied, however, so it still worked out. You have the choice of running the program directly, or you can install it. Installation is only necessary if you want other user accounts to have access to change the image.
Logon Screen for Windows 7
To begin, I had to install Logon Screen for Windows 7. Considering none of the others needed installed, I was a little disappointed in this. But what really got me is the fact that it only provides very basic functions: change image, and customize a “legal message” to display. That’s it. The layout is simple enough, but pretty boring compared to the other programs.
Windows 7 Logon Screen Tweaker
Of the applications we tested, Windows 7 Logon Screen Tweaker has the most features: change your “avatar” image, text editing, or even mimic other versions of Windows 7. It also boasts the largest download at almost 8MB. It had a nice layout and was easy to use. I did have a few issues with the program, though. One time, when viewing the test settings, the program caused my logon password to not work. A standard reboot didn’t fix it; only a boot in safemode bypassed the glitch and allowed me to reset to the default settings in the program. I’m not sure what caused the error. Perhaps since I was using so many different programs to change the image it caused a conflict? Despite this, I still quite enjoyed the wide options of the program.
Tweaks.com Logon Changer for Windows 7
Tweaks.com Logon Changer for Windows 7 is another program that’s sole purpose is to change the image. It has a simple layout and weighs in at less than 1MB. You can test the login screen to see how it’ll look, and it provides a one-click back to default option. As for changing the background image, this gets the job done the easiest and quickest. The lightweight file is an added bonus.
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