HOW TO: Restore the Alienware 'Look and Feel' after a clean install of Windows

Feel free to snag any of these you want. Use the "gear" icon in the upper right corner to view or download full resolution... Most are 1920x1080, but there are a few that are larger resolutions.

<iframe class='imgur-album' width='100%' height="750" frameborder='0' src="http://imgur.com/a/9IGJl/embed"></iframe>

 

Thanks a ton, found some good stuff to use!

 

Very nice collection, Mr. Fox! - thanks for sharing!

 

Thanx for sharing, i snagged a few they look neat

 

I added 6 images to the above album that Juliant shared in another thread. I really like them a lot. I resized them to 1920x1440 and fixed a stray black pixel in the left alienhead eye socket. Very nice images, Julian. Thanks for sharing them.

 

Is it possible to apply all of this to windows 8 ?? I really hate the startup screen.

 

Yeah, I really hate that screen, too. It looks pretty crappy by default. It is possible, but it's a real pain in the bottom. It involves taking ownership of some system folders and replacing the current image with another using the same name. You have to do it yourself. All of the utilities I have found available only change the logon screen where your user name and password are entered and not actual the generic welcome screen that shows the date/time, WiFi connection, etc. I Googled and found out where the files were and how to change the image.

 

Added to album above... in 2560x1440 and 1920x1080.

 

Hey again...

I did all as mentioned. I did not have that OEMbackground in Regedit so i read in http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/509868-alienware-login-screen-those-who-lost.html and dowloaded this entry.

I got all as you guys told and still my login screen is grey .What could be wrong there ?

2 images from what i have done :

 

In Windows 8 none of that works correctly. Those instructions are for Windows 7.

Windows 8 has different user "Lock" and system "Pre-Login/Lock" screens and you have to do some funky stuff to take ownership of files and replace them with your own renamed image files to change the system default from the Space Needle image. They are not the same and have to be changed independently. I have them set so they match and I don't have to look at the ugly cartoonish Seattle Space Needle screen any more, LOL. It's a real pain in the hind end, but worth it once you're done. It's a shame 8 is such a crappy and ugly OS by default, but you can beat it into submission if you want to take the time.

Let me dig up the instructions for what I did and I will be back with more information. Micro$oft is so stupid with limitations to UI customization they introduced with Windows 8.

If you haven't already, buy Stardock Start8 and Decor8 ($4.99 each and worth every penny) and those with give you back some of this control.

Edit: these links should help...

Windows 8 - Changing Your Lock and Login Screens

How to change the Windows 8 System Start Screen Image from the Space Needle to your own

How to Change Background Color of Default Sign-in Screen in Windows 8 and 8.1

How to change the logon screen color in Windows 8.1

How to bypass the Windows 8 log-in screen

Automate login and bypass the lock and Start screens in Windows 8.1

You may also be interested in these links...

[Quick Tips] Installing Windows 8 "The Fox Way"

[Quick Tips] Making Windows 8 a Good Product also see [Quick Tips] More Details About Making Windows 8 a Good Product

[Quick Tips] Turn Off Driver Signature Enforcement in Windows 8

 

So fromt what i read with windows 8.1 i dont really have the option to change log-in screen background , only color options i see there are.Those 2 programs you gave have some other customization too but not login background image .

This is really ridicolous that i cant change it . I turned the option to open in desktop more quickly in 8.1 but still once my laptop turn on i still have that Lock screen first (with background i wanted) wich i would turn off anyway too and then simple login screen with grey colour default bacgkround untill i go into desktop.

What would it hurt to just bypass this locking screen and then have a login screen only with the cool background i can set . That would be perfect and i cant understand why its not possible.

 

Yes, you can change it. I posted information how to do that, so have another look at the links. I have changed mine. It is asinine that Micro$oft makes it so difficult to make Windows 8/8.1 a good operating system, but you can definitely do this. The icky log-on screen in Windows 8.1 is even more ugly than it was in Windows 8. It made we want to puke the moment I saw it, so that was the first tweak I went after.

I use this image for the pre-logon screen and the lock screen in Windows 8.1 and never have to look at the butt-ugly default images.



The only thing not mastered yet with Windows 8.1 is restoring full Aero transparency to all windows elements. That problem was totally solved with Windows 8, so it's only a matter of the current hack for Windows 8.1 being refined before we get that aesthetic back. (The current hack still has issues, but it's getting closer.)

 

Hey Mr Fox

I read everything very carefully , i tried to google it , see if there is any tutorial on youtube. Nothing for the login screen on 8 or 8.1 windows.

I could change lock screen easily as i have one account on my laptop so i could change it in personalize option and always have my own image when windows boot .

But after that i click any button and have login screen wich have my avatar wich i chosen same way that lock screen wallpaper but there is only one side colour in the background. I couldnt find anything to change that background as you said mate .Only solutions for changing colours. That your image background wich i saw somehwere must look awesome.

On the first link you provided you can only change colour of the logon background
Start8 and Decor8 dont have an option to change login background wallpaper too
Rest even with your subject name dont have anything with changing background for logon
I also read those 2 posts with making windows look your way but i couldnt find any solution for that logon background.

If i am blind sorry but i really read everything and did not find that information i am looking for and i would appreciate help and maybe moving it on top for separate topic info as seriously i tried really hard to google it too in other places and couldnt find that one so must be a really good stuff.

 

The first two links in what you quoted should provide the instructions you need.

 

But how mate ?

First link : Change the User Login Screen Color for Your Account ; Change the System Login Screen ( Instructions for changing background colour )

2nd link : How to change the Windows 8 System Start Screen Image from the Space Needle to your own . - But its for Start screen not login screen right ? So its for the image i have already made my own ( Red Glyph)

IF thats it then i can try it , this is the only thing i didint do but its because i didint think it could be about login background image changing..

 

So, this did not work for you? It worked fine for me.

How to change the Windows 8 System Start Screen Image from the Space Needle to your own - Spiceworks

You will need to take ownership of the folder and replace the image with your own using the same name in the LockScreen_Z folder. I only have one image (as shown below) in that folder and I deleted everything else. This image is my "System" lock screen image that applies to every profile for all users. It replaced the default Space Needle graphic and whatever Microsoft used for Windows 8.1 (I don't remember what the default image was with Windows 8.1 because I changed it immediately.) I used another copy of the same image for my user logon screen which Windows allows you to set for your profile. Note: when you are at this system lock screen and click to enter a password there is no image after the splash screen disappears... there is only a colored background with your avatar and a place to enter the password or PIN on this transitional screen. You can change the background color of this screen, but it does not support an image. You only see this image-free screen at the prompt for a password.

 

And thats what i tried to do. I had no problem with Lock-Screen as i said, with one user account it can be done by windows, no need to go into system files. But i thought i can put an image in the background when writing password. I changed my Red Glyph into yours one anyway for lock screen as it looks much better.

Thx Can you take a look at alien respawn topic too?

 

Just what I need! thanks man!

 

For those that want more Alienware UI customization that is lost when doing a clean OS install without a factory Alienware Windows 7 DVD, grab this and follow the instructions.



If you have Windows 8, you will still need to follow the instructions above or use a third-party utility for customizing the lock screen image.

 

I apologize if this has been asked/answered already, but it did not come up on my search...

I assume these steps will be similar and should work on an X51? I am planning on installing a SSD and considering doing a clean install instead of cloning and I will have the original Dell/Alienware disks.

 

If you have he original Alienware Windows disk you don't need to do any of this. It will have the look and feel already there. This is only for those that use a generic OEM or retail version of Windows that has no brand-specific UI cosmetic features.

Yes, it would work on an X51 the same.

 

Ah, missed that part. Thanks alot for the clarification!

 

+rep needed this badly haha

 

Can I do this on a non-Alienware machine? Or is there something special about it that would prevent me doing that?

EDIT: did not work, using windows 8.1

 

Can you give us more details on what you're trying to obtain?

 

So, if I have the original Windows 7 installation disc for my Alienware 18, this guide does not apply to me? I just want to return my laptop to how it was the day I received it (necessary drivers installed, all the Alienware stuff, etc) as it has been getting sluggish recently. If all I have to worry about is formatting my hard drive and then reinstalling everything via the Windows 7 disc that would be great.

 

That's really all you need to do for Alienware branding and wallpaper, themes, etc. The factory Windows 7 DVD does not include other applications (OSD, AWCC, Respawn, etc.) or drivers. You still have to download and install those. It is not an OS image DVD, it's actually a, OEM clean install disc with none of the fluff. If you're looking to fix performance, this is the best route to take.

 

Good to know, thanks Mr. Fox. I'm currently backing up files right now so I will be wiping everything tomorrow. Do you know of any guides anywhere of what drivers/what order I will need to install them after the clean install?

 

Some folks are OCD about it, but honestly it is not that critical. I typically install Intel Chipset first, Intel Management Engine and .NET first, and Alienware Command Center last. In between I never follow a prescribed order and never have any issues.

HOW TO: Clean Windows 7 Install (Driver Install Order) Guide for Alienware Systems

 

I'm afraid I may have screwed my system up a bit. I was having a lot of trouble with the Windows 7 installation not detecting my hard drive with the OS on it. The only thing that ended up working was changing my setup from RAID to AHCI, which finally allowed me to detect and format my main HDD. The problem now, though, is that I am unable to switch back to RAID without a blue-screen boot-loop at the startup of Windows.

Is there anyway to fix this that you know of or am I stuck with AHCI permanently now?

 

You needed to use Intel RST F6 drivers during Windows Setup, but you can fix it. Just download Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) so you have it handy, then follow the registry tweak mentioned at the very bottom of post #1 in this thread, under the heading " HELP! I screwed up big time and installed Windows with the BIOS set to AHCI instead of RAID!!! How do I fix this without having to reinstall Windows?"

Then you can reboot, enter the BIOS and set it RAID. Then, back in Windows, install RST and create the RAID membership within Windows. Be sure to set the stripe size to 64K or 128K.

 

I'm not really sure what the problem may be, but I am still encountering a bootloop after doing the regedit fix. I did accidentally change the IDriverT Start DWORD from 3 to 0 and I rebooted after doing so, which obviously did not work. I changed that back to 3 and then edited the correct Start DWORD in iaStorV from 3 to 0, but the bootloop still happened after switching from AHCI to RAID.

The startup sequence makes it a little farther than it did before, but it is still blue-screening for some reason. I may need to do another clean install but I do not really know if that would help at all.

EDIT: After a lot of frustrating trial and error, I managed to get everything back to how it should be by using the F6 installation method on another clean RAID install. Thanks again for your help Mr. Fox!

 

Awesome! I knew you could do it. Lost a little time, but all is well that ends well.