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How do I change my picture for the Welcome screen?
John Savill
April 3, 2001
1 Min Read
A. If you don't enjoy appearing as a cat, an astronaut, or a fish (the default picture choices for the Welcome screen), you can configure your own picture by performing the following steps:
Start the User Accounts Control Panel applet (Start, Control Panel, User Accounts).
Select the account whose picture you want to change.
Click Change my picture.
The system will display a list of default pictures. Click "Browse for More Pictures."
By default, the system will open your My Pictures folder. Browse to your picture (it should be 48 pixels x 48 pixels—if it's a different size, the system will force it into a 48x48 format—and can be a BMP, JPG, or GIF file). Select the picture you want and click Open.
The system will display all the pictures again, highlighting the one you added. Click Change Picture.
This picture selection is actually stored in the registry under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionHints\[user name]PictureSource key, and you can change it there. By default, the pictures are stored in %systemdrive%:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataMicrosoftUser Account PicturesDefault Pictures.
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