Windows HOW-TO make XBMC for Windows boot as a Shell in Full Screen (the easy way)

The reason XBMC is loading the default skin is that you did not define a working directory for XBMC in the launch/shortcut but specified portable mode. You specified a target, but not the working directory (probably the same as target)

what purpus does this have? what does it do?

it does this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpm3MOl25HU

The video looks very nice. How did you modify the bios logo?

For the windows boot logo I'm using Bootskin. The best directions I've found for replacing the shell is at: http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Hiding_Windows

This is aimed at loading a mame frontend system, but just point it to xbmc instead.

pendragon Wrote:For the windows boot logo I'm using Bootskin. The best directions I've found for replacing the shell is at: http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Hiding_Windows

Well, I'm kinda partial to our wiki method, as I wrote most of it
http://wiki.xbmc.org/?title=HOW-TO_make_...ull_Screen
(also linked at top of this thread)

pendragon Wrote:The video looks very nice. How did you modify the bios logo?

Here is a forum thread on how to alter your BIOS boot logo:

http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=284283&postcount=9

I used cbrom to edit the BIOS file and add my custom logo to it, although a lot of motherboards these days come with tools to change the logo.

And here is a post on how to alter the Windows startup logo. (This is a bit of work...)

http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=379...stcount=16

The cool thing is, for Windows XP, ntoskrnl.exe contains logos for Windows Server 2003 as well, which has a silver progress bar... so I just replaced the XP image with the 2003 image, and voila!

Hope this helps.

-Wes

Since the wiki cannot be edited, another tip for setting the shell --

if you have multiple logons for your computer and only want to replace the shell for a specific user, log on as that user (e.g. xbmc), enter regedit, and go to this key:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]


So I have xbmc runningoff my best pc which is also my gaming machine. I have to logons, therain and xbmc. Since I want to make this as user-friendly for my gf as possible, on power-up I have the machine automatically boot and auto-login to xbmc, with the eventghost shell replacement launching xbmc. If I want to mess around, I log off/switch users to my logon and happily play away (and rip/tinker/etc.)

I hate to bring up an oldish thread, but I recently used the EventGhost method suggested in the wiki. Only problem I am having now, is that I have no sound. I generally use my Logitech G15 volume wheel to turn up the sound, but it is not working, and I can not find another way to adjust the sound.

Irish2685, did you find an answer to your volume question? I have same problem. I'm using instantsheller, silentlauncher. Volume works fine when I load windows 7 normally and launch xbmc, but once I shell and launch straight into xbmc, the volume no longer works.

Can anyone help with this? I assume it's some windows application that is not loading due to the xbmc shell.

I've had a lot of success just skipping the eventghost step and having xbmc.exe set as my shell in the registry (for a specific user).

If you are using Windows 7 and just want XBMC to load up automatically along with your normal start-up just add a shortcut to XBMC into your Startup folder.