Copyright: Copyright (C)1996,1997 by Arjan van de Logt


Yer Winlogo Version 2.16
Yer Winlogo 98 Version 2.16

Yer Winlogo is a freeware utility to help you change the Startup, Wait and Sutdown screens of Windows 95. Yer Winlogo enables you to view the current installed logo's and load and preview new images. Beside installing new logo's, you can also let Yer Winlogo automaticly install a new set of logo's every time you start, every day, week or month.

Yer Winlogo is able to find your logo's automaticly, also when you use multi boot or compressed drives.

•	What's new in version 2.16?

•	Drag and drop support

•	Changing an image

•	Creating a set.

•	Installing Yer Winlogo to change automaticly

•	Restoring old logos

•	Location of LOGO.SYS

•	Editing an image

•	Frequently Asked Questions

•	Reporting Problems

If there are any questions unanswered in this help-file feel free to E-mail me at  Arjan.van.de.Logt@wxs.nl

Please provide me with the version number of Yer Winlogo. This helps a lot answering questions. Some problems belong to one version. Look at Reporting Problems for details on this subject.

Look at http://www.tomb.demon.nl for updates, information and other software made by ALTernative Productions.


What's new in version 2.16?

Yer Winlogo has changed a lot since the first release. The upgrade from version 2.00 to version 2.11 brings also a lot of new stuff.

First of all there are some problems solved:

•	No error but a warning when the Startup screen isn't available as a file.

•	Ability to uninstall Startup screen when there was no original Startup screen.

•	Range check error when installing images.

•	Unability to find Startup screen on a few systems.

Beside these fixes there are a lot of updates:

•	All current and new logo's visible at the same time.

•	A preview in the same proportions as Windows shows the logo.

•	Some properies of the images are displayed at Preview. Properties that are not correct are displayed red.

•	Full screen preview.

•	Preview of BMP files when opening the file.

•	New options to change the images dayly, weekly or monthly.

•	Option to set a default directory.

•	drag and drop support.

•	possability to copy images from the Install Screens page to Sets page with one click.

•	Search disks for images.

•	IE 4 look for menu's and icons on the Tabsheets

Version 2.15 has some new updates compared with version 2.11:

•	Crash when clicking on an empty editbox fixed.

•	Logo change problems in automatic change mode solved.

•	Invalid date error fixed.

•	A few minor problems fixed.

•	Search option has improved.

•	Option to point to the location of logo.sys added (in case of problems).

•	Added some more Windows 95 / Office 97 / IE 4 looks.

•	Forced change option in automatic change added.

•	Call Help with F1 added.

Version 2.16 has a few bug fixes and changes:

•	problems with loading 'wait' and 'shutdown' images solved.

•	Some autochange features modified, to improve performance.

•	Not enough sets error solved.

•	Added option to set waiting time for forced set change.


Drag and drop support

Frequently Asked Questions

Drag and drop support

Yer Winlog also supports a few drag and drop functions.

This means that you can drag the filenames from one editbox to another. Just click and hold the mouse button while your mouse is over the filename of the image you want to copy. Then move the mouse location where you want to copy this filename to and release the mousebutton. Only filenames are accepted, text like 'Current Start Screen' is not accepted.

It is also possible to drag files from the Windows Explorer to the Editboxes. In this case only BMP-files and Logo-files (logo*.sys) are accepted by the editboxes. If you drop another file on the editboxes or when you drop beside the editboxes, nothing will happen.


Searching Images

Changing an image Drag and drop support

On the page Search you can order Yer Winlogo to find images on one of your drives.

To do so, select the drive to want to search for images, then select wether you want to search for all images, or only for images that can serve as logo's.

If you search for Logo images only, you will only see the images that have the right properties for Logo images. When you search for all images, you will find all BMP files and logo files on your harddisk.

Here is a legenda of the symbols used:

 This image is one of the Logo's Windows is currently using.

 This image can be used as Logo.

 This image cannot be used as logo.

You can select one of the images, so you will see a preview of the image. This helps you to find the image you are looking for.

To install an image, just drag it to the editbox where you need it.


Changing an image

Creating a set Drag and drop support Frequently Asked Questions

When you have all your favorite images gathered in one directory you can select that directory as default directory. Select from the menu Options the option Default directory. A windows will appear. There you can select your default directory and click OK. The windows will close. Use Cancel to undo your changes.

On the left side of the window you can find a notebook wih three pages: Install Screens, Sets and Auto Change. To install new logo's permanently, choose the first page Install Screens.

On this page you will find three editboxes with each two buttons underneath them. These editboxes are to install the three logo's.

Loading and canceling images

Use those two buttons to load or undo an image. The folder is to load a logo and the warning sign is to undo a logo. When you click the folder-button, a dialogbox will apprear. There you can select a file. When you select a BMP-image the dialogbox will show a preview of your image. When you have selected the right image, click OK. The editbox above the buttons will show the location of this image. The image itself will be shown on the page Screens in the right column New Selected Screens. If something is wrong with your image, Yer Winlogo will warn you. Use the Preview page to find out what exactly is wrong with your image.

Another way to install images is by selecting one of the sets you have made. All images will be loaded and the only thing you have to do is accept them.

If you have selected the wrong image click on the warning-button to unload it.

Previewing Images

You can preview your new images on the Preview page. At the bottom of this page wil will see the three buttons that are displayed above. Each one of them will display one of the three screens. Under the preview, you can see some properties of the loaded image that are important, like height, width, number of colors etc. If one or more of these are not correct to use the image as a logo, the these properties will show up red.

If you like to see a full preview of your image, double click on the preview image. Click again to make the image disappear.

Installing the images

 Use this button to install the images as logo's for Windows.

 Use this button to undo all images at once.

Before you accept the images as logo's make sure that your images are fit to serve as Windows logo. If anything is wrong with your image, Windows will simply not display it or you screen will look dirsorted at the time the image should appear.

Sending images to the Sets-page

By clicking this button on the Install Screens-page you send the filenames of all images on this page will be send to the Sets-page. This way you only have to enter a new setname for the images to be able to save then as a set. You can also send only one filename by dragging the filename over this button and drop it there. Only from the editboxes filenames are accepted, You cannot drop a file from the Windows Explorer on the button.

Making a backup

The backup checkbox is checked by default. You can choose for an Original Windows logo backup and for and for an Ordinary  backup. This feature is to enabled you to make a backup of your last installed screens and also keep a backup of the original screens that are delivered with Windows itself. The Original Windows backup is the one you should use to backup the screens delivered with Windows.

If you don't mind loosing the original Windows logo you can use it to keep two different backups at a time.

The backup files are placed in the same directory as Yer Winlogo.

To use them with a graphical editor just copy them to <mylogo>.BMP.


Creating a set.

Changing an image Installing Yer Winlogo to change automaticly

On the second page Sets you can select images and save three logo's as a set.

You have to load three images the same way when you install an image. When you have selected three images you can enter a set name and save the set.

Saving and deleting sets

Before you can save a set, you have to enter a unique name for this set. Then click the save-button.

To delete a set from your list select the set you want to delete from the list and click on the dump-button.


Installing Yer Winlogo to change automaticly

Creating a set.

To install Yer Winlogo to change your screens every time you start Windows you need at least two sets of images. You can choose wheather the sets are schanged in fixed order or random. In a random selection it can happen that some sets are shown more often than others, but the next set will allways be another one than the current set that is displayed.

You can also choose to change the logo's every time you start Windows, once per day, once per week or once per month. If the computer isn't started on the day that is sceduled to change the logo sets, then the sets will be changed the next time you start your computer.

You have also the possability to set a default set. You should take a complete set of three images for this.

The Default set is used when from one of the sets an image is missing. Yer Winlogo will take the image of the default set instead of the missing image when it changes screens in automatic change mode.

When windows is starting Yer Winlogo will be active for a few seconds to change the screens. You will see a small Window telling you that the screens are being changed. It doesn't tell you which set will be the next one. This windows will allways pop-up because Yer Winlogo needs to check weather the logo's are to be changed or not.

If you are really curious what the next set of images will be you can start Yer Winlogo to take a look. The start up screen that you see will be the next one to be shown. The wait and shut down screens are still of the current set.

To install Yer Winlogo to change the screens automaticly press the [image] -button.

Use the [image] -button to uninstall the automatic change of the screens. The last screens you use before installing the automatic change will be placed back again.

Forced change

While the little window of Yer Winlogo is visible you have 2 seconds to press the Control-button. You can change this waiting time at the same page where you set the autochange options. When you do so a Windows will pop-up showing a list of your sets. You can select a set to change a set of images immediately.


Restoring old logos

Changing an image Frequently Asked Questions

Recovery of old screens is only possible when you made a backup of the old screens when you changed the screens.

When you want to recover a screen press the  [image] -button.

Now you will see a Window with preview screens, a few radiobuttons and checkboxes under the previews. Choose with the radiobuttons wether you want to recover the Original Windows screens or a backup of a screen you've installed before.

For backward compatibility you will find another set of radiobuttons. When you want to restore a backup made with an older version of Yer Winlogo, then select 1.x otherwise leave it as it is.

When you change the radiobuttons, Yer Winlogo will display the backup logo's to help you identify them.

Only the checkboxes for the screens that have a backup image will be enabled. Check the boxes for the screens that you want to recover and click OK.

When the backup is restored the backup files will be removed from your harddisk to save disk space.


Frequently Asked Questions

1 Yer Winlogo tells me that it cannot find a startup screen

There are some files used to show the screens. When the file isn't there Windows will show an internal version of it. When Yer Winlogo can't find this file it will report that to you everytime you try to view the screen. It doesn't harm anything. Just keep using Yer Winlogo and install your own screen. Yer Winlogo will place it for you and from then on Windows will show your new screen.

DO NOT change the location of the file manually!

2 I have a Compaq computer with Windows 95 preinstalled and Yer Winlogo is unable to change my startup screen

This problem has been reported by a few people. It seems like the screen used by the version of Windows 95 released by Compaq has some kind of security or that it works slightly different. This causes errors when you try to change this screen. Sorry, I've got no solution for this problem. Please write me if you do have a solution for it. It might help other people.

3 I have never seen a Startup screen and I also don't get a Startup screen now I have installed one with Yer Winlogo.

Windows is configured not to show a start up screen. You can configure Windows to show the screen with the applet Tweak UI in your configuration screen. If you don't have it you can download it from Microsoft, Windows95.com or other FTP sites. You can also use ALTernative MSDOS Editor to correct this problem.

4 I changed a screen but I don't see anything.

If the settings mentioned in the answer above are good, or iwhen you've allways had a logo until you changed it then this is the case: You used an image that is too large to display. First make sure that you don't use more than 256 colors in 8 bit format and use the default pallette. Beside that make sure that the filesize (on disk) of your image is not larger that 128 kB. The picture must also be 320 pixels Wide and 400 pixels Heigh. If one of the above is anything else, your image won't show up at all or will be shown distorted. Yer Winlogo warns you when you load an image that doesn't meet the requirements. Look at the preview of it to see what is wrong.

5 I changed a screen but I keep seeing the old Startup logo.

It is likely that Yer Winlogo is not able to find the right location of the file LOGO.SYS. Chage this maually.

Look here for instructions

6 The screen I installed is shown misplaced by Windows.

Windows only allows 8 bit format and 256 colors from the default pallette. If you use optimized pallettes it will do strange things with your screens. Convert your image to the right pallette. See the answer above for more details.

7 I just can't get a good image.

If you keep having problems with your screen then here is a little trick.

Load a screen that shows up fine into your favorite graphical editor. Also load the image you want to use.

Use the clipboard to import your image into the screen that works fine. Place it so that it covers the other screen completely. Then save it to a new filename, otherwise you will loose the screen that is fine.

Now you are sure that your image uses the pallette that is required by Windows. It might be that your image doesn't show up in exaclty the same colors you used. This is because some colors you used are not in the default pallette. It is replaced with a color that is as close as possible to it.

8 I want to recover my old screens but Yer Winlogo won't allow me to.

If you have checked both the Ordinady Backup and the backup of the Original Windos Screens then there are two options:

•	You have forgotten to check the Make Backup when you replaced the screens

•	The backup files are removed from your disk.

9 I wanted to restore the original Windows screens but I got an older screen I placed.

You restored the Ordinary Backup. If restoring the Original Windows Screens is not possible then there is no backup available of these files.

10 I dragged a file to one of the editboxes, but it does not appear in it.

When you use drag and drop, the editboxes only accept BMP-files and logo files (logo*.sys) if you try to drag another file to the editboxes, nothing will happen.

If you did drag a correct file to an editbox, you probably dropped it just beside the editbox. Try again.

11 I'm still having problems after trying all of this.

You can E-mail me, but please follow the instructions it will help me to answer your questions sooner.

12 MS Paintbrush reports that it is unable to locate the image.

MS Paintbrush is unable t ohandle directories that have spaces, like Program Files. In this case it will say

something like 'Program.bmp Unable to locate this file.'

You can use a directory without spaces as default location for your images or you have to start MS Paintbrush manually and open the image file from there.


Editing an image

Editing images

Yer Winlogo itself is not capable to edit images. It is not intended to, there are plenty good image editors.

In the menu Options you can select your favorite image editor. When you click on the launch button, this editor will be started to edit the selected image.

When Yer Winlogo warns you that an image you loaded, does not meet the requirements you can drag it's filename to the editbox at the bottom of the window and then press on the launch button to it's right. Now Yer Winlogo will start the image editor you installed and tells it to open the selected file immediately.

Corel PhotoPaint, for example, can be configured to start with an opendialogbox. Configurations like this can keep files from being accepted. You can solve this by reconfiguring the editor to start normal, or choose another editor to run with Yer Winlogo.


Location of LOGO.SYS

Normally Yer Winlogo is capable to find the Startup Logo by itself. Previous version sometimes had problems with finding this file on some systems. This is only a problem when the file is not there at all or when the file is found at several locations. Allthough the search option for the location where this file should be places has been improved, I'm not sure it will work in all cases.

That is the reason why the option to select the location of this file has been added. Use this option only when Windows still displays the old Startup logo after installing a new logo. NOT when Yer Winlogo cannot display the current Startup logo. When you set a location manually this will overrule the search option. The search option is preferred, because changes in your system will not affect the working of Yer Winlogo when it looks up the file itself. Yer Winlogo looks up some information about the location of LOGO.SYS in the system files of Windows.

When you decide to select the location manually, notice that this file doesn't have to be at your system. When you see the Original Windows 95 logo at startup, the file LOGO.SYS often isn't available on your harddisk. LOGO.SYS is allways located in a root i.e. C:\. C:\ is the location of this file on most systems. But in some cases, like computers with compressed harddisks this can be different. Here are the three most likely places to place LOGO.SYS:

•	C:\

•	the root of the compressed diskdrive

•	the root of the drive where your Windows directory is located

Try these when Yer Winlogo is not capable to find the file on it's own. Please do let me know when Yer Winlogo cannot find LOGO.SYS. The automatic lookup of the files is working in most cases now, but I want it to work allways. When you write, please let me know the following:

•	Do you use a compressed harddisk

•	The location of Windows

•	The version of Yer Winlogo

After that I might ask you for additional information and possably if you are willing to test an improved version. Answering these requests will help me to improve Yer Winlogo to work allways.

By checking the Remove manual location box, the manual selection will be deleted and Yer Winlogo will search for the logo again.


Reporting Problems

Here are some hints that help to solve problems a little sooner.

Before you start mailing me take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions it saves both of us time and troubles. Some problems are also described at my homepage at http://www.tomb.demon.nl.

I get often E-mails from people who have some problems. Often I have to write them back with questions to get things clearer for me, before I can answer. When you provide me with the following information I will be able to help you a little faster in most cases.

Write an E-mail to Arjan.van.de.Logt@wxs.nl with the following information:

•	Application name and version.

•	As much details about the problem as you can give.

•	When did the problem occur (what did you do, wich button did you click on etc).

•	The error message you got.

•	Do you use a compressed harddisk or not.

•	Some details about your computer if possible.

This information is often needed to answer the question. Providing me (and other programmers) with information like this, saves a lot of time and waiting.

Please be patient when I don't answer right away. I allways try to answer within two days, but sometimes it is just not possible to answer sooner.