HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background
Press the Windows key, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. (Remember to back up the Registry by setting a restore point beforehand.) Here's the manual approach in a nutshell. You can replace the built-in background image on the Windows log-on screen by tweaking the Registry or by downloading and installing a free third-party utility. Replace the log-on screen background via a Registry tweak Besides, no animation at all works just fine for me. That was sufficient warning to keep me from trying them. Note that some programmers offer free replacement animations for the Windows 7 start screen, such as those available at Jeff Bush's Coder for Life, but the author warns that they are experimental and should be used at your own risk. The next time Windows 7 starts, you'll see nothing until the log-on screen appears, which brings us to our next Win7 interface tweak. Give the Windows 7 start animation a rest by selecting the No GUI boot option in the System Configuration utility.
