Change the Picture that Appears on the XP Startup Screen

You're not stuck with XP's default splash logo on the startup screen—use any picture or logo of your choosing.
One of the nice things about XP is how malleable it is. Don't like the way it looks? No problem—change it.
Many people, myself included, would prefer to see a more interesting splash screen (also called the startup screen) than the default gives you on start-up. You can change your splash screen to any of hundreds that have been created, or make one of your own—for example, with your picture or company logo on it.
To choose from already created splash screens, go to http://www.themexp.org and click on Boot Screens.
Once you've found the image you want to use as your splash screen, download it. It will be downloaded as a .zip file.There will be one or more files, including ReadMe files. The boot screen itself, however, will be named ntoskrnl.exe. If you have XP Service Pack 1 installed, you may have to use a different file, named ntoskrnlSP1.exe, that may also be in the downloaded .zip file. Check the documentation of the file you download to make sure. If you're not sure if you have Service Pack 1 installed, it's easy to find out. Right-click on My Computer, and choose Properties General. Your version of the operating system will be displayed. If you have Service Pack 1, it will say so on that screen.

The ntoskrnl.exe file is an executable file that contains the XP bootscreen. During the boot process, XP executes this file, found in C:\Windows\System32, which in turn displays the bootscreen graphic. So, to change your bootscreen, replace your existing ntoskrnl.exe file with the one you just downloaded. But wait: there's more.
Reboot your PC and press F8 immediately to get into Safe Mode. Now go to the C:\Windows\System32 folder and find the ntoskrnl.exe file. Copy it to another folder or rename it as a backup so that you can revert to it when you no longer want to use your new bootscreen, or if something goes wrong when you install the new screen. Now copy the new ntoskrnl.exe file into C:\Windows\System32. (If you have to use the ntoskrnlSP1.exe file, rename it to ntoskrnl.exe first, and then copy it over.)
Reboot your computer again but don't go into Safe Mode this time. Your new splash screen will now appear every time you start your PC. To revert to your old splash screen, repeat the steps, copying your original ntoskrnl.exe file over your new one.