Taming Windoze Shutdown messages

[k3wrv]

Hi All-

Does anybody know how to hack the Windoze sign on and sign off pages to customize them?

In particular, I'd like to change the shut down messages from "saving your settings" etc, to "saving your viruses", "corrupting your files" and "Killing your software".

I only use Windox in the shack, and would like it to do something interesting while it takes it's sweet tiome doing whatever it's doing when I shut down the box.

What I'd really like is a Linux type shut down where the machine tel;ls me what it's actually doing. And NO, I haven't got wine working yet. Thzt's why I still us Ex Pee.

de Bob

[kl7aj]

Hi All-

Does anybody know how to hack the Windoze sign on and sign off pages to customize them?

In particular, I'd like to change the shut down messages from "saving your settings" etc, to "saving your viruses", "corrupting your files" and "Killing your software".

I only use Windox in the shack, and would like it to do something interesting while it takes it's sweet tiome doing whatever it's doing when I shut down the box.

What I'd really like is a Linux type shut down where the machine tel;ls me what it's actually doing. And NO, I haven't got wine working yet. Thzt's why I still us Ex Pee.

de Bob


The power cord is your friend!

[W4HDM]

The power cord is your friend!

I have seen this reply in a few places ... I have always been told it is not a good thing to shut down using this method. Myth?

When I have used this method I get a fast shut down (instant) but a slow startup, because the computer informs me windows was not shut down properly and wants to run a scan or start in safe mode ect. I think I would rather deal with a slow shut down.

Can you tell us why it is OK to shut down pulling the power cord?

Sorry can not help you on changing the messages for shut down.

Good luck,

[ad5mb]

Windows writes a bazillion things in the registry as it shuts down. A detailed history of the last 15 minutes.

If you pull the plug you leave open files in the registry. They don't have the character at the end that signifies End Of File. No EOF, next time the file opens it plows on through the hard drive until it sees an EOF. So it appends who knows what. A 1k file becomes a scrambled 2k file. Which ends up in your registry.

So pulling your plug is like adding random doses of LSD to your coffee. Not advisable if you plan to use your brain later on.

[w8gtf]

To answer the original question posted. In the 95-98 days the startup and shutdown screens were 640x480 bitmaps. You could place your own files in the folder (named properly ofcourse), and Windows would display those instead of the default ones.

I'm not sure if this works with 2k/XP/Vista.

Here are some quick links I dug up in about 2 minutes off of google. I used the search terms "change xp shutdown screen".
http://www.pcanswers.co.uk/tutorials/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=11135&subsectionid=607&subsubsectionid=0
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=14727
http://www.virtualplastic.net/html/logo_scr.html

Google can really be your friend if you give it a chance.

You can be able also to use the "/noguiboot" on your boot.ini file to remove the graphics and show you the processes during startup and possibly shutdown.

[WA9SVD]

Windows writes a bazillion things in the registry as it shuts down. A detailed history of the last 15 minutes.

If you pull the plug you leave open files in the registry. They don't have the character at the end that signifies End Of File. No EOF, next time the file opens it plows on through the hard drive until it sees an EOF. So it appends who knows what. A 1k file becomes a scrambled 2k file. Which ends up in your registry.

So pulling your plug is like adding random doses of LSD to your coffee. Not advisable if you plan to use your brain later on.

I believe that suggestion was somehow lifted from another thread, (mine) in which Windoze 98SE (NOT XP or Vista) would hang on the "Windoze is shutting down" screen, and never display the "IT'S SAFE TO TURN OFF YOUR MACHINE." (Or actually shut down automatically if using an ATX-style supply.)

In that case, the only solution WAS to wait a few extra seconds until all hard drive activity stopped, and then to manually shut off power. Since some ATX supplies do not HAVE an external power switch, the only solution may be to "pull the plug."
This problem in Win98 was common enough that Microsoft acknowledged there was a problem with some combinations of Win98, certain motherboards, and certain other hardware items that prevented the final shutdown screen from being displayed. They DID produce a patch to Win98 to solve the problem; it wasn't needed by every Win98 user.
The problem was that although the support pages at Microshaft explained the shutdown problem and suggested other measures to trey to fix the problem, the software patch was often the only solution. But now, the link to that patch at the Microsoft website is a dead link, and never leads to the patch.
Finally, one of our fellow Amateurs from "up North" e-mailed me the patch and the machine in question now shuts down properly.

But by and large, "pulling the plug" before a computer properly shuts down is a VERY bad idea, as files CAN get corrupted, including important system files, and the damage may NOT be fixable the next time the machine is powered up. Worst case is, of course if power is interrupted while a hard drive is writing or modifying a file.

[kl7aj]

I have seen this reply in a few places ... I have always been told it is not a good thing to shut down using this method. Myth?

When I have used this method I get a fast shut down (instant) but a slow startup, because the computer informs me windows was not shut down properly and wants to run a scan or start in safe mode ect. I think I would rather deal with a slow shut down.

Can you tell us why it is OK to shut down pulling the power cord?

Sorry can not help you on changing the messages for shut down.

Good luck,


The reason it's okay is because Microslop tells you not to.


Case closed