Change Windows 7's start, log-on, and desktop backgrounds

by Dennis O'Reilly
There's no reason why Windows 7 users have to settle for whatever interface Microsoft sets as the operating system's default. Customizing Windows 7's start, log-on, and desktop backgrounds isn't as easy as it might be, but it's eminently doable.

Deactivate the "Close Encounters" start-up animation
The animation that plays as Windows starts is irritating primarily because it never changes. If you're like me and would prefer to see nothing than to sit through that micro-advertisement for the umpteenth time, turn it off.

Press the Windows key, type system configuration, and press Enter to open the System Configuration utility. Click the Boot tab, choose your operating system (if necessary), check "No GUI boot" under Boot options, and select Apply and OK.

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.

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. That was sufficient warning to keep me from trying them. Besides, no animation at all works just fine for me.

Replace the log-on screen background via a Registry tweak
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. Here's the manual approach in a nutshell. (Remember to back up the Registry by setting a restore point beforehand.)

Press the Windows key, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. Navigate to this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background

In the right pane, select OEMBackground and change the Value data to 1. If there is no OEMBackground in the right pane, right-click in the pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, name the new entry OEMBackground, double-click the new entry, and set the Value data to 1.

Close the Registry Editor and open an Explorer window. Navigate to this folder:

C:\Windows\System32\oobe\info\backgrounds

(The path to your Windows\System32 folder may vary. Also, you will likely have to create the "info" folder inside the "oobe" folder and then the "backgrounds" folder inside the "info" folder.)

Paste into the "backgrounds" folder a JPEG image smaller than 256KB to use as your log-on screen background. Name the image "backgroundDefault.jpg." When you restart Windows, not only will the floating-spheres animation be missing, the image of your choice will greet you at the log-on screen.

If you would prefer the third-party approach to a new log-on background, check out Julien Manici's free, open-source Windows 7 Logon Background Changer. The How-To Geek explains how to use the program.

Turn your desktop background into a custom slideshow
Whenever I see a Windows desktop cluttered with icons, I cringe. I much prefer putting my desktop shortcuts on a menu that pops out of the taskbar. That way I enjoy an unobstructed view of the family-photo slideshow running on my desktop.

To clear the icons from the desktop, right-click anywhere on it, choose View, and deselect "Show desktop icons." Now right-click the taskbar, uncheck "Lock the taskbar," and choose Toolbars > Desktop. Drag the Desktop toolbar to the right--toward the notification area--until only the word "Desktop" and the double chevron are showing. To reach one of your desktop items, click the double chevron and select it from the menu that pops up.

Get your desktop slideshow going by right-clicking the desktop and choosing Personalize. Click Desktop Background at the bottom of the Personalization window. Choose My Pictures on the "Picture location" drop-down menu and click Browse. Navigate to the folder holding the images for your slideshow and click OK.

Select the images you want to appear in the slideshow, or click Select All to do just that. Choose one of the options on the "Picture position" drop-down menu; I prefer Fill, which extends the image across the desktop. Set the duration of each image on the "Change picture every" menu; options are from 10 seconds to 1 day. Check the Shuffle option, if you wish.

Once you're happy with the slideshow settings, click Save Changes to return to the Personalization window. To give your new theme a name, right-click it under My Themes, choose "Save theme," type in a name, and press Enter. When you're done, close the Personalization window.

To view your slideshow, click the "Show desktop" button at the end of the taskbar. Adjust the image lineup and slideshow frequency by returning to the Desktop Background dialog box and tweaking the settings to taste. To see the next image right away, simply right-click the desktop and choose "Next desktop background."

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Video will dominate mobile data traffic by 2015, forecast says

(CNN) -- According to a new Cisco forecast, in just four years two-thirds of the world's mobile data traffic will be video.

How will wireless carriers keep up with this demand? The major providers are pinning their hopes on 4G wireless networks, which they say will be able to handle greater data loads.

Will consumers end up paying much more for mobile video? Probably.

Smartphones, laptops, and tablets are expected to drive nearly 90% of mobile traffic by 2015. In particular, "mobile-connected tablets will generate more traffic in 2015 than the entire global mobile network in 2010."

Another factor that will contribute to this growth, which Cisco overlooked: More and more feature phones (non-smartphones) will be operating on faster wireless networks. The new LTE network from MetroPCS is already handling traffic from some feature phones, such as the Samsung Craft.

As I wrote earlier, feature phones are getting more sophisticated -- streaming video will be available on many models before long. This is important since feature phones are generally far more affordable (up front and in monthly bills) than smartphones or tablets.

What's driving this growth? Faster mobile access. According to Cisco, the average mobile network connection speed doubled from 2009 to 2010 -- and a tenfold increase is expected by 2015.

Cisco also predicts that within four years there will be a mobile device connected to a wireless network -- not counting Wi-Fi connections -- for nearly every person on the planet.

"Today, the average mobile connection generates 65 megabytes of traffic per month -- which is equivalent to about 15 MP3 music files," the forecast says. "By 2015, the average mobile connection is anticipated to generate more than 17 times that amount, to a total 1,118 megabytes of traffic per month -- equal to about 260 MP3 music files."

Doug Webster, Cisco's senior director of worldwide service-provider marketing, told Fierce Wireless, "The lines between fixed and mobile will converge, and the trends we're seeing on the fixed will be seen on mobile."

In the U.S., however, there will probably be one key difference between fixed and mobile internet access: consumer protections and costs.

The FCC's new "net neutrality" rules, passed in December, exempt wireless carriers from most requirements. This leaves the door open for U.S. wireless carriers to charge customers extra for access to certain kinds of content and services, such as YouTube, which are available for free over fixed connections.

Furthermore, as VentureBeat explains, the new rules mean that "wireless companies are free to stop some smartphone users from taking advantage of their data plans by throttling download and upload speeds."

This could be a key concern for consumers as wireless network congestion mounts in the coming years.

Already, two U.S. carriers (Metro PCS and Verizon) are suing the FCC over the requirements the new rules impose on them.

Digital Trends observes, "Humorously, it was Verizon and Google's net neutrality proposal that appears to have formed the basis for the recently passed FCC regulation."

According to Cisco, in 2010, total mobile data traffic, including video, grew by 159% -- more than three times faster than internet traffic traveling over wired ("fixed") communications. Earlier, Cisco predicted that growth would be 149%, so this trend is moving faster than expected.

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