# Startup/Shutdown Screens

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/startup-shutdown-screens/134960>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 2, 2002, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/startup-shutdown-screens/134960 "2002-11-02T03:33:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Lord\_Ssarl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@Ice\_Lord\_Ssarl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Lord_Ssarl)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/startup-shutdown-screens/134960/1 "2002-11-02T03:33:55Z")

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A pretty obvious question, I’m sure. I used to know the answer to the former but have forgotten.  
How do I change the startup/shutdown screens on Windows 98?  
Also, it is at all possible to do the same with Windows XP Home Edition?

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**Author:** ![pmh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@pmh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmh)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/startup-shutdown-screens/134960/2 "2002-11-02T07:42:43Z")

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For W98:  
startup = C:\Logo.sys  
wait = C:\Windows\Logow.sys  
shutdown = C:\Windows\Logos.sys

All are 320x400 bitmaps @ 256 colours.

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**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/startup-shutdown-screens/134960/3 "2002-11-02T07:49:03Z")

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Can’t help with XP, never having used it m’self, but…

With Win98, you want to look for a file (in the root directory) called logo.sys (or strtlogo.oem)

This is a 256 color .bmp file of a specific size, either static or multi-framed, like an animated .gif

In your Windows directory (or possibly in Windows\System) the two files are logow.sys (w as in wait) and logos.sys (s for shutdown) which match the static image above, as far as image and file size goes.

Backup the originals if you feel the need to do so, and replace them with appropriately named image files. Long ago I had a page bookmarked with a metric buttload of .sys files for this purpose, including a couple of nifty Star Wars themed sets, and a seriously nifty C-64 set of files.

[sub]Alas, I long ago lost the bookmark for that page. Google might prove useful here, if ye’re so inclined.[/sub]

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/startup-shutdown-screens/134960/4 "2002-11-02T07:51:28Z")

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Uh, what **pmh** said, too.

[sub]Teach me not to preview.[/sub]

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**Author:** ![SC\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@SC\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SC_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2002, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/startup-shutdown-screens/134960/5 "2002-11-02T08:11:40Z")

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For XP, check out: [http://www.themexp.org/howto.php](http://www.themexp.org/howto.php)