Customize Windows 8 User Account Picture / Lock Screen When Unactivated
Aug 22, 2012
I installed Windows 8 early to setup everything up so when it comes out in October I can just buy it and activate it. Then I got tired of not being able to customize anything so I found where Windows stores various images and here they are.
Note: After each one you may have to restart explorer.exe (cmd> tskill explorer)
Tools:Take Ownership registry edit- [URL] ....
User Account Picture:
-Go to C: Drive
-In the ribbon go to "View" Tab and choose "Options"> In the new windows go to "View"> choose to Show Hidden files
-Back in the explorer go to "ProgramData" since it is not hidden anymore
-Then Microsoft> then User Account Pictures
-The images you want to change are user.bmp, user.png, user-40.png, user-200.png (You may not see the .png or .bmp)
Now in Photoshop (or any other image editing software) make 4 images of the image you want using these settings:
This took me a while as it was harder then I thought, but here is a simplified version of what I did.
1. Download and install the takeown script to registry (This will save you a lot of time and trouble)
2. Go to "C:WindowsWebScreen" and replace img100.jpg with the image you want (make sure you have the same name)
3)Go to "C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindows" and right click the "SystemData" folder and choose "Take Ownership" now you can enter the folder by pressing continue
4) Now go to S-1-5-18>ReadOnly>LockScreen_Z and replace the image with the same image you replaced in step 2, but remember to change your images file name to the one of the image your replacing. For example in step 2 it was called "img100" and this one the same image is now called "LockScreen___1920_1080" for me.
5) Now for the last one is in "C:WindowsWinSxS"
6) You will see tons of folders just use the search and search for 'img100" and when you find the correct image open the folder (right click>open file location) and replace img100 with your lockscreen image (once again make sure you keep the same file name so make sure your new lock screen says img100)
It seems like a lot to change the lock screen, but I had to change all of them to change that one setting
Start Screen: [URL] ......
Look at the bottom of this post under, "Programs to do these process for you", if you want a easier way.
3) Wait a second for it to popup and select your color
4) Alt+tab out or just press ctrl+shift+esc to bring up task manager
5) Kill msoobe.exe (it may be under Background Processes)
6) Restart explorer (cmd (or win+r)> tskill explorer)
Programs to do these process for you:I personally prefer to do manual edits, but I know some people do not or have a harder time so here are two programs I found that will change account picture and start screen. Then as a bonus it will also remove the activate water marks.
[URL]
Note: It did change the color (a simple registry edit), but it failed to change the start screen for me.
I got this error message "Setting the account picture failed, please try again". I need to know how to fix this, i got this error after i browsed the pic i wanted to use.
Here's the screenshot, I'm not using a pirated copy of this OS.
this is a known issue and may users have been facing exactly the same problem with Windows 8 (source: Google)
Problem: I can't change my User Account picture. Whenever I click on the "Browse" button, nothing happens. Same goes for whenever I try to change the Lock Screen.
I read somewhere CCleaner removes some essential shortcuts which can prevent that, but I don't see that being the case coz I restored all the icons and even ran "sfc /scannow" just to be sure of that.
Every time I Restart my Laptop, the Lock Screen does not show the Welcome Screen and skips directly to the User Account login screen. Actually, it shows a darkish blue screen for a couple of seconds and then jumps to the user account login.
When I use the logout function or the shutdown (and I power it back on) everything works normally.
I have ran SFC / Scannow in windows (8.1 by the way).
I've just bought a new laptop with Windows 8.1 and have been playing around with the settings etc. and have a question regarding the Lock screen.
I have personalised the lock screen with my own picture but have decided that I don't like it and would just prefer to use one of the default pictures, but there doesn't seem to be anyway of deleting the picture I have added.
I've tried searching for the picture on the laptop but have had no success finding it. How delete this picture?
I have a user with a machine that was setup with Win 8.1 Home. The machine has been upgraded to 8.1 Pro and joined to a domain (WinSrv 2003). I need to get the content/configuration from their old local machine user profile to their new domain user profile.
I tried to copy the contents of their ../users/<name>/.. folder from the local user profile to the new domain user profile (after they had logged in once, and then logged off). This did not work. When I did the copy, I grabbed all files, including hidden...was that my mistake, or is the issue broader?
In the end....they want their old stuff and configuration under their new credentials/profile.
My laptop is a Sony Vaio - Model: SVE141R11L Product name: SVE14135CXB Pre-loaded with Windows 8 x64 Intel(R) Core i5-3230M CPU @ 2.60GHz 6GB RAM w/ 900GB HDD space Purchased in Navy Exchange last year (around July 2013)
I have dropped it once or twice from at most a 3ft fall inside a padded case. I mostly use my computer for school work, some gaming, extensive video/photo editing, internet browsing. I've installed some debatable programs but have been installed long ago. Most of my programs included Microsoft Office, Adobe suite, Steam, iTunes, uTorrent, McAfee VirusScan Enterprise, Winrar, VLC, etc. But are now gone due to the refresh I had just done last week for prior problems, but still experience problems.
I recently been having issues with my computer where it just won't respond at all. Like today, I had it working for a few hours, but then went out and left my laptop on the lock screen, and came back to it being completely stuck. Completely stuck as in, no keys or clicks would unlock the screen to the login prompt. However, my cursor was fully able to move around the screen, and my caps/num lock buttons work as they display the lights enabling/disabling them. The time when it was stuck was 8:03pm, but the clock was stuck on 7:55. But on the bottom of the front of the laptop, the HDD orange light is not lit up at all, which I believe suggest that the HDD is not reading/properly reading. Oddly enough, when I unplugged the power cord, the HDD light flickered a little then disappeared, still no response - could be related to the PSU I suppose?
Another problem I faced before was the Windows 8.1 update failure, resulting in reverted changes, etc. I also had problems in the first few months of owning this, but found it was the incompatibility of an old antivirus that I guess didn't work too well with Windows 8 causing me to have to do a full wipe before. That was long ago. Moreover, the problems I have been experiencing have been unresponsiveness, from what I believe, are the fast boot Win 8 provides (but I turned that off), issues with Windows 8 not being able to load drivers from sleep mode upon opening the laptop (turned off automatic sleep), and now with the lock screen being stuck. I know my problems aren't detailed, but maybe these problems are linked to a bigger similar problem that people have been facing? My last bet would be to do a full factory restore/ repair, although I don't have a Windows 8 boot CD.
I upgraded to from 8 to 8.1 last night and now my main account is not showing up on the front screen for me to be able to log into it. All the other accounts are there. I've looked in 'CUsers' and the folder is still in there, how I can reinstate it? I also had a look at the restore point so I could 'roll back' but there's not a point in there from before the update, I thought update always set a restore point automatically?
I've upgraded to Windows 8 RTM this weekend and I'm having this problem: Every time I boot the PC (shutdown or restart), the Num Lock key is off. Since my password uses numbers, and I'm pretty used to type it with Num Lock, I'd like to keep it always on. It was fine on Windows 7. Now, I've searched for it, and there is the "InitialKeyboardIndicators" key on regedit. I have changed values for all of them to "2", and it didn't work. My BIOS say to keep it always on.
When I use the Administrator Account everything runs well. I switch to Standard User Account and only when I click on my folders the screen flash to a blank page and take me back to the main desktop page. I tried again and the same thing happen always, flashes to a blank page and take me back to the desktop page. It only when I click on my folders.
When I right-click on something on the Start Screen, the customize menu doesn't appear. One day it just stopped appearing, and I don't know why. It's the same if I want to pin something to it from the page with All Apps. I've uploaded a screenshot where I right-clicked on the "Food & Drink" app.
I bought a shiny new laptop yesterday with windows 8 pre-installed. After setting a few things up, i restarted the computer for the first time. At this time the computer downloaded many updates. On start up since my user account has been downgraded to a guest account. This is the only account on the computer, as such i do not have administrator rights and i am unable to log in as an administrator.
May I have to restore the computer back to factory settings but how to do this without being the administrator.
It should be as easy as deleting the picture, but it's not... nothing is as easy as it should be in this train wreck. How do you delete an old account picture? I've tried just replacing it, but that turns into a whole puzzle you need to unravel first. If you pick the picture you want to replace, you would think that you would make it the big one of the 3, but you'd be wrong... that would make too much sense. If you hit browse and pick a new picture, the big one moves to the right and the new picture becomes the big one. Eventually you end up with 3 pictures and you get stuck in a sort of Rubic's Cube just trying to get the picture you want. This is some really bad software. Even the most die-hard M$ defenders have to know it, whether they want to admit it or not. So... how do you remove all the old pictures and only have the one you want.
Just performed a clean install of Windows 8 Pro. x64 on a new system. As soon as Windows finished installing, I opened secpol.msc, enabled the built-in administrator account, rebooted and deleted the first account I made during Windows setup and am now using the built-in administrator account as my main account. I don't care if the Metro apps. don't work.
What I want though is a way to change the account picture for this built-in administrator account. When I go into the Metro UI, click on the my username at the top right of the screen and click on "Change account picture", nothing happens.
When I go into the desktop then Control Panel -> User Accounts, there is no option to change the account picture.
How to change the user account picture for the built-in administrator account?
Win 8.1 will now allow me to change my Account or Lock Screen picture. When I attempt to do either, I see the "waiting" animation (little dots circling). Sometimes an error will report that it cannot change the picture.Created another account on my laptop (Inspiron 15 Notebook 3521) to determine if the problem was only associated with my primary (Admin rights) account. Unfortunately the issue exists with this new account, too.
Verified the Registry entry at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerDesktopNameSpaceB4FB3F98-C1EA-428d-A78A-D1F5659CBA93.
Whenever I go to the Start page and i press Change account picture in the right corner nothing happens, and i can't find any other way to access my PC Settings.
I had uninstalled Windows 8 and reverted to W7. After regreting it, I went back to Windows 8 and I have been installing updates and stuff. It's all back to "normal". There is one thing that is bothering me though: When I've tried to add a picture to my administrator user account. By the way, I AM the only user and the option to browse and camera are grayed out.
I've copied my account picture (taken with my laptop camera) to my photo library to use in other applications (facebook) - but they don't recognise *.accountpicture-ms as an image file . How to convert the file?
My Windows 8.1 machine has only one interactive account - the built-in "administrator" account. It is just an internal file- and media-server without a monitor, which is accessed exclusively through Remote Desktop.
I would like to change the "user picture" associated with that built-in admin account. Trying to do it the "usual" way - through Control Panel -> User Accounts - does not work. Apparently, user picture selection is handled by a Metro app. And Metro apps are not launchable from the built-in admin.
Most likely there are workarounds. I can try using that hack that enables Metro apps under the built-in admin. Or I can add another interactive admin account and try changing the picture of the built-in admin from that other admin. I don't know whether any of these will work, I haven't tried yet.
But is there a more straightforward way to set the user picture for an account? Like copy the picture file to some folder or something like that?
When I turn on or restart my computer after the teal windows logo with the spinning wheel the screen will flash off quickly then come back on black and then 10 seconds later show the lock screen.
I upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 8 Pro. Everytime or almost everytime I click on an app or go to the desktop and try to get on IE 10 (desktop version), my screen flashes and goes black for a few seconds then returns me to the screen with the space needle, then I click on it and it signs me back in. When I try to use Google Chrome, the websites freeze up on me. I don't want to have to reinstall/reformat as I paid $40 for this for one, and secondly, I don't want to have to repurchase Office 2010 as my licenses ran out. I ran every update that comes up and restart, but this doesn't change this issue. . why it does this and any way to fix it without reformatting?
So, I wanted to download a game from the windows store and had to create a Live/microsoft account. After doning so win 8 made that account the account that I use to sigh-in to windows. Didn't wanted that so I went to user managment and deleted the account from thare. The problem is that I also accidenly deleted my windows user account as well.
After I restarted, I got to the password screen and my windows user was gone, just "other user". I tryed to enter the windows user name and password but nothing. the screen also showed the microsoft acount name but here also the password dident work (probably because a deleted them both from the system...)
I recently installed Office 2007 onto my Vaio. It said it was successful and needed a reboot, so I rebooted. Upon reboot, it simply won't let me get to the lock screen (where I enter my pass/PIN). I have control of the keyboard (I think) because I can still adjust the brightness. The track-pad won't register my click to get into the lock-screen.
I tried to get into safe mode, which I've read is done by holding Shift and pressing F8 repeatedly at bootup. No go on safe mode.
Is there some alternative way to get into safe mode or somehow get into the lock screen?
