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Custom Log-on Notices

Here is a little known trick with which you can force Windows 95/98 to display your own custom legal notice at log-on. If you have User Profiles enabled, the message box will appear before the password prompt. Below is an example you can cut and paste into your own REG file, which you could then double-click (or right-click and choose Merge) to install.

Note that REG files may fail to Merge unless they are of 8 characters or less (before the REG extension) and stored in a folder with similar length limitation. Actually, the filename can be longer (it gets cut down to the DOS 8.3 name in the process of being Merged), but the path is limited (try running a REG file from C:\Program Files and you will get 3 or 4 error messages saying the path does not exist). Why this old DOS limitation affects REG files and not INF files I have no idea, but it bears noting. A good idea would be to put any REG files you create into C:\Windows\PIF, which is usually pretty empty.

If you choose to edit the Registry yourself, just follow the path to the Winlogon key. When selected, go to the right-hand pane and create 2 new string values under the (Default) value: LegalNoticeText and LegalNoticeCaption. Their values are what you want shown. You can edit the following example for use in your own REG file (include the REGEDIT4 heading):

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"LegalNoticeText"="Microsoft Net Agents Have Detected The Presence Of Pirated Microsoft Software On Your Computer. The Authorities Nearest You Have Been Contacted. To Avoid Prosecution, Format Your Hard Disk Immediately."
"LegalNoticeCaption"="Microsoft Piracy Alert!"

Once you have a Log-on.reg file (for example), your message is ready to install on any computer. This can be a great gag, but remember to clean up after yourself when the fun is over. To do this, create a copy of the file and call it Log-off.reg, but delete the text and caption values, leaving only the quotation marks. The last 2 lines of the file should look like this:

"LegalNoticeText"=""
"LegalNoticeCaption"=""

The 2 new Winlogon string values will still be there, but since they are blank they will go unnoticed.

Here is another one which I sent to a friend. She had her husband (who is quite technically-minded on the PC) quite frustrated and upset till she "saved the day" with her Log-off.reg file (hehehe). Use this one if you feel like being really wicked!

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"LegalNoticeText"="The Presence of a Damaging Heuristic Virus Has Been Detected! System Files Have Been Deleted, and the Master Boot Record Destroyed. You Will Need to Partition then Format Your Hard Drive Before Reinstalling Windows. Click 'OK' to Reboot Your Computer and Wait for the MS-DOS Prompt."
"LegalNoticeCaption"="Windows Heuristic Virus Alert!"

If you are not one for playing gags, that is fine. You can just use the legal notice feature to display "Hi there Bob!", followed by "Merry Xmas from Thelma!". That way you can leave someone a pleasant surprise, rather than a potentially nasty one.