change login screen ?? 11.2 Gnome

how/where do I change my login screen? thanks!!

oospill wrote:
> how/where do I change my login screen? thanks!!

Edit /etc/sysconfig/displaymanager .

With kind regards,
Andreas Stieger

Which one is that?

(With KDE) there are at least 4:

First the GRUB screen (where you can choose the OS).
Then the screen you see whilst the OS loads (and where hitting ESC will bring you the text mode).
Then the login screen proper, where you can choose the user.
FInaly (at least with KDE, not sure about Gnome) the screen shown whilst the user data is loaded, before the desktop appears.

You can change all 4…

Lenwolf

Ok thanks for the explaination about those 4 types of screens, but HOW I can change one of the first three screens?
Thanks in advance,
kLeZ.

The first one belongs to GRUB and the screen pic is incorporated in /boot/message. This is a binary file created with cpio. When you want to change there, either use Google or come back here.

The second one belongs to the boot process and you can fiind things in /etc/bootsplash/themes/.

The third belongs to kdm (or gdm). A solution to change this for kdm seems to be at Not allowed to change image. - openSUSE Forums

The fourth is something that belongs to a user. This means that every user in principle can have its own pic. I am not sure where to configure (I am not a KDE 4 user atm), but I guess that searching in the KDE configuration might give you a clue.

Hi, as mentioned there are 4 (!) different bootspash screen you go through when booting openSUSE:

1 - The “Grub” screen
2 - The “Bootsplash” screen
3 - The “User choice” screen
4 - The “KDE” splash screen

Here’s how to change the first one:
1 - The “Grub” screen
Thus is the very first graphical screen you get to see, where you can choose the operating system to boot.
Notably, when you dual boot with windows, you will get a choice to choose “Linux xxx”,Linux failsafe and windows.
Here is how to change this screen. this is done with some software called gfxboot. This is already installed
in your computer (if not, install it with yast->software management-> type gfxboot into the search box → install it).
You use this software from the command line (as a superuser!!!) -see below how to use it.
I’ll presulme that the image you want will be of size 1280 x 1024. If it isn’t, change the sizes in the example
below. So, basically, what you have to to do is:

  • make an image to that dimension. Make it a .jpg image. Call it “back.jpg” and save it to the /tmp directory.
  • insert that image where it belongs and change the boot config info so that it takes this into account

a) Make an image to that dimension.
Make or copy or whatever a new .jpg image. Call it “back.jpg” and save it to the /tmp directory.
You should now have an image called back.jpg in the /tmp directory.

b) Insert that image where it belongs & change boot config.
You now need to become a superuser and use the commabd line.
To open a command line:
Hit ALT+F2. Type “terminal” in the small window that opens, followed by enter.
A new window opens,this is the terminal (or commande line) window.

Now type “su”. The prompt will seem to disappear, actually it is waiting for you to
input the password for root,the superuser. Type the password (IT IS NOT ECHOED TO THE SCREEN) and hit enter.
As of now, you are in superuser mode. DO NOT TYPE ANYTHING into this terminal window other than the instructions
given below, else you might harm your OS in an irreparable way!

In the terminal type :
cd /tmp
su
(enter your root password)

now type exactly the following :(if you want you can copy & paste it, beware that to paste anything into the terminal, ctrl+C mostly won’t wwork, used SHIFT+INSERT instead.
gfxboot --change-config 1280x1024::screen.size=1280,1024 1280x1024::mainmenu.pos=200,200 1280x1024::bootopt.pos=200,550
gfxboot --change-config layout=1280x1024,boot
gfxboot --add-files back.jpg
gfxboot --show-config > t.txt

exit (this leaves the superuser mode inthe terminal.

Now reboot.
You should see the new Grub screen.

Note: Not all grapgics card will be able to use a 1280 x 1024 boot image.
To find out what video modes your computer supports, type into a terminal, as superuser:
hwinfo --framebuffer.
This will list the modes you can use.
Check for anything with 16 bits.

OR, at the grub screen, use the up/down arrows to go to the options it should say there something like vieo=vga.=31a,
Change this to something like 309 and hit enter:
This will cause an error (!!!) and a propmpt asks you to hit ENTER to see the available video modes.
These are presented as widthxheightxresolution (such as 1280x1024x16). Choose the one you want but it MUST be a 16 bit mode!
NB use 1280x1024 as 1680x1050 doesn’t work.
Also note that even though some modes may be stated as being available, they won’t work.
Just experiment.
HTH
Lenwolf

Sorry a small typo,

the line at the Grub screen will say something like:
vga=0x375.

lenwolf

Please use

su -

instead of

su

Much more secure. Search for an explanation in the Forums or read

man su

2 - Changing the bootsplash screen.
This is the screen you see after having chosen your OS.
This uses a “bootsplash theme”. Normally, you will be using the Suse theme.
You could actually make and change the whole bootsplash theme to something you want…
I generally find this to be overkill, I just change the image used by the Suse theme…
So,rather than redo a whole theme, just change an image from the Suse ones.
The images used can be found in
/etc/bootsplash/themes/openSUSE/images

You will notice that there are a lot of picture, called silent-yyyyxzzzz.jpg, and bootsplash–yyyyxzzzz.jpg
where y and z are resolutions.
You will want to change the one corresponding to your screen resolution.

To find out at what resolution you boot, look at the Grub screen at the beginning where it says vga=something.
the something is a code for the graphics mode used.
This is the resolution used to boot into your OS.
Now you need to find out to what this corresponds:
As already explained above, you can type in, as a sup eruser,
hwinfo --framebuffer.
This will list the modes you can use. There you can find the one corresponding to your screen resolution.

OR, at the grub screen, use the up/down arrows to go to the options it should say there something like vga=0x31a.
Change this to something like 309 and hit enter:
This will cause an error (!!!) and a propmpt asks you to hit ENTER to see the available video modes.
These are presented as widthxheightxresolution (such as 1280x1024x16).

OK, once you know what mode is used during the boot process it’s simply a matter of changing the picture to the one you want.

Change the silent-yyyyxzzzz.jpg one (not the bootsplash… one)!!!
Attention, to make any changes in the etc/bootsplash… directories, you must be a superuser.
If you don’t know how to change the picture for the one that’s yours, here is how :
( I’ll presume that the one you want to change is the one for the resolution 1280x1024, and that your new picture is called “back.jpg” and is located in the /tmp directory).

Enter a terminal again and become superuser again.

type :
cd /etc/bootsplash/themes/openSUSE/images
cp silent-1280x1024.jpg oldsilent-1280x1024.jpg
cp /tmp/back.jpg silent-1280x1024.jpg
exit

Having typed this, you’ve renamed the old picture and copied your new one over.

As a final step, you need to become a superuser again in a terminal and type:

mkinitrd -s 1280x1024

Now reboot.

HTH

Lenwolf

[QUOTE=hcvv;2127218]Please use

su -

instead of

su

Yes indeed, so noted!

Lenwolf

3 - Changing the login screen.
Here again, it’s a matter of substituting your own picture for that of the normal Suse theme.
The picture is found in :
/usr/share/kde4/apps/kdm/themes/SUSE/suse.xml
and is called Background.jpg.
Proceed in an analogous way to step 2 above to copy your new oicture…
Again, you need to be a superuser to make any changes in that directory.

If you feel adventurous, you can also edit the “suse.xml” file in that drectory.

4 -Finally, the KDE splashscreen
Here again, it’s a matter of substituting your own picture for that of the normal Suse theme.
The picture is found in :

/usr/share/kde4/apps/ksplash/Themes/ksplashx-suse/YYYYxZZZZ (where YYYY and ZZZZ will be your screen resolution)
and is called background.png.
(Note this time it’s a png image, not a jpg image).

HTH
lenwolf

@lenwolf,
This is very helpfull information and I hope the OP is satisfied with it.

I have one question about the last one (4).
It is at

 /usr/share/kde4/apps/ksplash/Themes/ksplashx-suse/YYYYxZZZZ

.
Am I correct in thinking that this is the default one for all users and that every user can have its own (overruling) one at

~/.kde4/apps/ksplash/Themes/ksplashx-suse/YYYYxZZZZ

?

@ hcw

I’m sorry, but I don’t know.

I stopped my search when I found the above solution which satisfied me.

I’ll check that the next time I have to change the bootsplash.

Thanks for the tip!

Lenwolf

@hcw
Curiosity got the better of me and I tried:

~/.kde4/apps/ksplash/Themes/ksplashx-suse/YYYYxZZZZ
and
~/.kde4/share/apps/ksplash/Themes/ksplashx-suse/YYYYxZZZZ
and
~/.kde/apps/ksplash/Themes/ksplashx-suse/YYYYxZZZZ
and
~/.kde/share/apps/ksplash/Themes/ksplashx-suse/YYYYxZZZZ

Unfortunately none of them worked for me, only the solution described above.

Lenwolf

@lenwokf
Never mind, don’t bother to go for more testing. I think you explained the four screens clear enough and I hope that others who want to change find this thread. Thanks

I have a related problem with login screens but I’m using KDM (KDE version 4.3.1 and also 4.3.5). I have chose to enable background picture and chose a slide presentation as background (slides to change every 2 min.).

I don’t have any problems choosing or altering the settings in the session manager → background, etc. My problem is that… it just doesn’t work:O:(

After log out (or even after rebooting), the login screen does not change from the default login screen (remember that I had set the slides to change every 2 min.).

Any ideas??

Thanks very much in advance.

Hi,

are you talking here about a login screen, or about your background picture?

Lenwolf

Well, the background picture of the login screen!

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> Am I correct in thinking that this is the default one for all users and
> that every user can have its own (overruling) one at
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> ~/.kde4/apps/ksplash/Themes/ksplashx-suse/YYYYxZZZZ
> --------------------
> ?
Yes, thats correct


VampirD

Microsoft Windows is like air conditioning
Stops working when you open a window.
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Comment: Using GnuPG with SUSE - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/

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@VampirD

No, (at least it doesn’t work here!).

@

Well, the background picture of the login screen!

OK, that wasn’t clear to me.

I don’t know whether it is possible at all to have a login screen with variable background.

The only way to change the background pic I’ve found is the one described above, and that only works with a single picture.

I can’t use the login manager here since it doesn’t work when there is a theme, as that used by Suse.

lenwolf