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There are times when I want the settings I setup as an Admin for both my Win10 and Win7 machines to apply to the login screen. The only problem is that I'm not entirely sure which user's settings apply.

At first I thought it was "Administrator", but when I change color "calibration" settings, specifically gamma, it has no effect on the login screen.

There are other settings that matter to me as well.

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  • @Biswapriyo, I'm not currently logging in anyone. I'm talking about the login screen itself----no is one "logging in" yet.
    – tgm1024--Monica was mistreated
    Commented Jan 3, 2019 at 14:07
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    It depends on the settings. Some are pulled from the default user profile (used for new users), others (like the localization settings) are handled independently of any users, and still others (which I think includes color calibration) are just ignored on the login screen (though that kind of makes sense, do you really need a color calibrated login screen?).
    – Austin Hemmelgarn
    Commented Jan 3, 2019 at 20:46
  • @AustinHemmelgarn, is there a way to tell which settings are which?
    – tgm1024--Monica was mistreated
    Commented Jan 3, 2019 at 23:45
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    I think the above comments ignore that many "settings" are associated with the system, not a user account. These usually correspond to the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Prior to login, most settings will reflect the system, not one of the user accounts. Some system settings, however, are accessible to a logged-in user, and can be changed by the user for the system (thus affecting all users or when nobody is logged in) rather than applying just to the current user.
    – Debra
    Commented Jan 8, 2019 at 19:40
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    Any information under HKLM applies to the system and generally contains the actual settings. Essentially, system-wide settings are under HKLM in the registry, and user-specific settings are in HKEY_CURRENT_USER [HKCU] and HKEY_USERS. Generally HKLM takes precedence over HKCU. So for example, the background on the logon screen is under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background (Value "OEMBackground") for Windows 7. For Win10, set it through the UI - howtogeek.com/223875/…
    – Debra
    Commented Jan 9, 2019 at 14:14

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Many "settings" are associated with the system, not a user account. These usually reside in the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE ["HKLM"]. Prior to login, most settings will reflect the system, not one of the user accounts. In this respect, the built-in Administrator account really has no more effect than any other account.

System-level settings are accessible to a logged-in user and, with adequate rights, can be changed by the user for the system (thus affecting all users or when nobody is logged in) rather than applying just to the current user.

Entries under HKLM apply system-wide and contain the actual settings. Each key or value has associated permissions, and many are restricted so that only a local administrator or the system account can make a change. Some corporate environments lock down many settings so that users can't easily change configurations that may affect other users of the system, or brand the backgrounds with company images.

Simplified: system-wide settings are under HKLM in the registry, and user-specific settings are in HKEY_CURRENT_USER [HKCU]. Generally HKLM takes precedence over HKCU.

For example, in Windows 7 the background on the logon screen is managed by creating the DWORD value "OEMBackground" under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background, and setting it to 1. Then copy the preferred image to C:\Windows\System32\oobe\info\backgrounds and name it “backgroundDefault.jpg.” More detailed instructions and screenshots are at Set custom login screen background in Win7 , which also shows alternate methods using Group Policy or a 3rd-party tool.

For Win10, set the lock/logon screen background through the UI with Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and enable the “Show lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen” option. This should correspond to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Personalization. Detailed procedure with screenshots at How to change the login screen background on Win10

I've attempted to keep a complicated subject somewhat simplified, and not included screen images because those on the linked pages are very thorough. And I recommend using a 3rd-party tool like Winaero Tweaker instead of trying to make these changes through the registry or local group policy.

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