Safely change your boot screens with BootSkin 1.0
Monday, January 26, 2004 by Stardock Central | Discussion: WinCustomize News
BootSkin 1.0 is now available for download. BootSkin is a freeware program that allows Windows 2000 and Windows XP users to safely change their Windows boot screens. While other Windows boot changing programs exist, they have relied on patching the actual Windows XP kernel to change the screen. This can create all kinds of potential problems. BootSkin, by contrast, installs a driver whose only job is to display the boot screen. This allows users to change their boot screens without messing with any system files and keeps the size of boot screen download small (less than 20K typically) since only the actual graphic has to be downloaded.
There are hundreds of replacement boot screens available for BootSkin on websites such as WinCustomize.com. BootSkin's home page is www.bootskin.com
CerebroJD
Reply #2 Monday, January 26, 2004 11:57 PM
Reply #2 Monday, January 26, 2004 11:57 PM
So's your attitude, Ender. 
Sounds good! I like using the BootSkins. Good work, people!
Sounds good! I like using the BootSkins. Good work, people!
Big_Red_Machine
Reply #3 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 12:23 AM
Reply #3 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 12:23 AM
Is this newer than the ver 1.0rc2? Maybe that's what Ender was referring to? 
I dl'ed the rc2 on Jan. 8th.
I dl'ed the rc2 on Jan. 8th.
Wauslee
Reply #5 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 1:09 AM
Reply #5 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 1:09 AM
Question - Why does the bootscreens with Bootskin not look as good as the boot screens that patch the kernel?
I have used other programs to change my bootscreen before and have liked how nice and clean the images look. Every bootskin I have tried using looks really bad in comparison. Can somebody elaborate?
I have used other programs to change my bootscreen before and have liked how nice and clean the images look. Every bootskin I have tried using looks really bad in comparison. Can somebody elaborate?
Road_Kill
Reply #7 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 10:38 AM
Reply #7 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 10:38 AM
Yes, it does have a long way to go before it can reach the stages that the kernel patching apps have. However, you need to remmember one very important thing as far as image quality. It's nearly imppossible to easily and smoothly convert a 16 million colour image to a 16 colour image. Before you ask "why are the pictures so bad looking as a boot?" you need to ask "what quality is the image coming from?"
and as far as wether it is an update or not, according to http://www.bootskin.com it's a new version that has been made available for download on the 26th of January.
and as far as wether it is an update or not, according to http://www.bootskin.com it's a new version that has been made available for download on the 26th of January.
lalfonsob
Reply #8 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 1:13 PM
Reply #8 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 1:13 PM
What's the difference? I just see a 16 colour image. What else can be better in one program to another
Frogboy
Reply #9 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 1:55 PM
Reply #9 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 1:55 PM
Anyone saying there's an image quality difference between the two is imagining things. There can't be an image qulaity difference. Both are 16 color bitmaps.
I've used both for a long while and I've ported some as well. They look pixel for pixel identical.
Having a 16 color 640x480 bitmap embedded in the Windows kernel will look the same as the same 16 color 640x480 bitmap put somewhere else.
karb0n
Reply #10 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 4:18 PM
Reply #10 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 4:18 PM
Is there a Changelog anywhere? It would be helpfull to see if it's worth upgrading.
Needmorezelda
Reply #12 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 5:41 PM
Reply #12 Tuesday, January 27, 2004 5:41 PM
I agree with karb0n. Changelogs are very useful in knowing whether or not it's worth upgrading and knowing whether or not you want the changes and features that the upgrade includes. I know this probably isn't the best place to say this, but I'll say it here anyway.
Other than that, I still love bootskin
Other than that, I still love bootskin
Wauslee
Reply #13 Wednesday, January 28, 2004 2:44 PM
Reply #13 Wednesday, January 28, 2004 2:44 PM
@ Frogboy- I do agree with you on the a 16 color image SHOULD look the same whetehr in the kernel or an external bitmap, but I do disagree with you on the image quality looking as good in bootskin as it does with patching. Some of the bootscreens that have been made by an author named "swissboy" are famous within the kernel patching programs, maybe he should be asked to develop a bootskin to see if he can get the same quality as the patching technique.
_DrDrrae_
Reply #14 Wednesday, January 28, 2004 5:10 PM
Reply #14 Wednesday, January 28, 2004 5:10 PM
Wauslee. If you look around in the Bootskin section you will notice that he ported some of his skins to the Bootskin format.
Frogboy
Reply #15 Wednesday, January 28, 2004 5:59 PM
Reply #15 Wednesday, January 28, 2004 5:59 PM
Swissboy Bootskins look identical to Swissboy boot screens that patch the kernel.
And there are a LOT of them here. I.e. dozens.
Big_Red_Machine
Reply #16 Wednesday, January 28, 2004 8:26 PM
Reply #16 Wednesday, January 28, 2004 8:26 PM
well if you update an app then you should reflect that in the file name ... the file name is the same that I dl'ed Jan. 8th.
Jafo
Reply #17 Thursday, January 29, 2004 6:13 AM
Reply #17 Thursday, January 29, 2004 6:13 AM
Wauslee....the images are identical.
Exactly identical [though 'exactly' is redundant]...
choopper
Reply #18 Thursday, January 29, 2004 7:51 AM
Reply #18 Thursday, January 29, 2004 7:51 AM
how do i make a boot skin pls can anyone help i have seen it on the site some where but cannot find it 
subdude
Reply #19 Thursday, January 29, 2004 7:40 PM
Reply #19 Thursday, January 29, 2004 7:40 PM
hmm, I don't know about safe - It hosed my Win2k machine.
Had to go into VGA mode just to be able to boot far enough to delete it. As soon as I rebooted, everything was fine. Think I'll save this for my XP Laptops ....
Had to go into VGA mode just to be able to boot far enough to delete it. As soon as I rebooted, everything was fine. Think I'll save this for my XP Laptops ....
PixelCargo
Reply #20 Thursday, January 29, 2004 10:32 PM
Reply #20 Thursday, January 29, 2004 10:32 PM
Well I will just wait entil the day that you can use 24bit images and use Flash animations for boot screens, now thats what I would call a boot screen
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Reply #1 Monday, January 26, 2004 10:06 PM