Thanks go to XP-erience for this pointer to this neat program.
Introducting, FreelancE VIP"s BootXP, v1.2
Where are the Windows® logo in Windows XP
The boot screen logo are stored as a resource in the NTOSKRNL.EXE file, this file are in your WINDOWSSYSTEM32 directory and it is called at boot by the Windows Kernel when XP starts.
Solution...
Before the creation of BootXP the only way to change the boot screen was to replace this file with another resource hacked NTOSKRNL.EXE containing another boot screen.
Problems Encountered...
1.- NTOSKRNL.EXE; it"s a protected file of the XP system, you can replace it, but one of the newest features of XP, Windows File Protection (WFP) will replace again with the original NTOSKRNL.EXE file, if you want to change the logo, you need to replace it, booting into "safe mode" and spending a lot of time.
2.- If you download a NTOSKRNL.EXE file to replace the logo, it"s not easy that the file will be in the language of your operating system, nothing matters, but it"s a strange component.
Benefits using FreelancE VIP"s BootXP
1.- You can have lots of screens (BMP"s about 150kb) on your hard drive using a bit of space compared with the amount of space needed to store NTOSKRNL.EXE files (about 1.15mb). Use the 10% of space.
3.- Changing the boot screen takes seconds and you don"t need to reboot in safe mode and tweak Windows File Protection.
4.- You don"t have to be a pro for create your own boot screen and install it.
One advantage to this neat program is that with v1.1, the author has added a handy preview window in 640x480.