What is a boot screen and how do I change it?

Answer: The boot screen or boot skin is the image that is displayed while a computer is booting up. It is shown during the initial stages of the computer's boot sequence, while the operating system is loading.

Most Windows PCs have a standard boot screen that includes the Microsoft Windows logo with a progress bar underneath it. However, some OEM computer manufacturers may configure their systems with a custom boot screen that displays the company logo, such as "Dell" or "HP."

You can disable the boot screen in Windows using the System Configuration Utility. This program can be opened by selecting "Run..." from the Start Menu and typing "MSCONFIG." If you click the BOOT.INI tab, you can check the "/NOGUIBOOT" box, which will prevent the boot screen from being displayed while the computer starts up. You can also use a program like Stardock's BootSkin Pro to customize your Windows boot screen.

Published: February 2, 2009 — by Per Christensson