Custom splash screen

From openSUSE

Tested on SuSE-9.x and SuSE-10.x. 11.0 works for KDE boot splash and openSUSE boot splash, but still requires testing for KDM login-screen and grub boot splash.

HowTo: Change your boot splash screens

This How-to describes how to put your own custom splash screens on:

• KDE boot
• SuSE boot
• KDM login theme
• Grub boot

Changing KDE boot splash screen

To change the KDE boot splash screen, one goes to KMenu > Control-Center > Appearance and Themes > Splash screen. Select your new splash screen here.

However, the number of boot splash screens provided with SuSE KDE is limited. One can get extra splash screens from [http://www.kde-look.org/]. Look at the left side of the page, where it says "splash screens". Click on that. Look at the various splash screens and download to a directory e.g.:

 /home/yourname/splashscreens

Don't decompress the files, but rather keep the files as number-name.tar.bz.

Then go back to Control-Center > Appearance and Themes > Splash screen, select "ADD" and navigate to your directory where you downloaded the splash screens (for example /home/yourname/splashscreens) and select the KDE splash screens you want to add to your list. ...

For system-wide installation you can extract the theme to:

 /opt/kde3/share/apps/ksplash/Themes/

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Changing SuSE boot splash screen

The SuSE-9.x series, and SuSE-10.0 kernels are built with "bootsplash" application support built in. SuSE also comes with a number of different SuSE bootsplash themes. The new themes are to be installed in various directories under /etc/bootsplash/themes. Each directory represents a different boot splash theme.

For example, the SuSE-10.0 default is "SuSE" (and there is a directory under /etc/bootsplash/themes called that). In the case of 10.0, the SuSE-9.3 theme is also there, in a directory called "SuSE-Home". openSUSE-11.0 default is "SuSE".

(Small note: Display needs to be in 16bpp mode for the bootsplash to work, make sure grub options are set correctly. aka vga=794 for for 1280x1024)

To install extra themes do the following:

• extract theme to /etc/bootsplash/themes/

example:

 /etc/bootsplash/themes/selected_bootsplash_theme

• use Yast: Yast>system>/etc/sysconfig Editor>system>boot>theme>type name of theme -> "FINISH"

• optional step (edit /etc/sysconfig/themes and check the line):

 THEME="selected_bootsplash_theme"

• as superuser (root) type in terminal:

 mkinitrd -s (size)x(size)

eg

 mkinitrd -s 1280x1024

If you use lilo as your boot manager then run as root:

 lilo -v

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KDM (login screen) themes SuSE's way

• extract theme to:

 /opt/kde3/share/apps/kdm/themes/

• use Yast:

Yast -> System -> /etc/sysconfig Editor -> expand: Desktop -> Display Manager ->: click on DISPLAYMANAGER_KDM_THEME in the right panel enter new theme name in the line : Setting of: DISPLAYMANAGER_KDM_THEME

• A last check to see if the changes are written correctly:

open the file

 /opt/kde3/share/config/kdm/kdmrc

and look for the line:

 Theme=/opt/kde3/share/apps/kdm/themes/your_theme

That file requires root priviledges to open. If for some reason your theme was not written, then simply replace old theme with the new one.

• Important note about adding bootsplash and KDM new theme using Yast
• The new theme name has to be entered manually, it is not visible at first in drop down menu. After you enter the name and confirm changes (by pressing Finish ; next time you will see a choice and you will be able to select any theme (installed) you wish.

One can find custom SuSE splash screens on [http://www.kde-look.org/] under "bootsplash screens".

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Adding a custom image to the KDE KDM login

It may not have been implemented in KDE 4 yet; if you have KDE 3, go to Control Centre > System Administration > Login Manager , select the administrator mode, and select your custom picture.

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Changing the Grub boot splash screen

Instructions for changing the GRUB boot manager back ground on SuSE-9.x and 10.x : [http://susewiki.org/index.php?title=Changing_the_GRUB_background]

• Remember that there is maximum size limit for message file: It can't exceed 150-200KB (not sure which one). If you will exceed the size, instead of seeing nice graphical GUI, you will see text (ncurses) based kernel selection.

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Links

• Change Splash Screen Default Settings
• Animated Penguin GRUB Splash Screen