Customizations for desktop devices

You have the following options to customize your image. Depending on which options you’d like to use, you’ll employ the associated method or choice of methods to apply the customization.

Feature	Unattend	Modification file
Taskbar	subset	TaskbarLayoutModification.xml
Start layout	subset	LayoutModification.xml
Out of Box Experience (OOBE)	subset	OOBE.xml
Darkmode	yes	Unattend.xml
Get Help app	yes	Unattend.xml
Colors	yes	Unattend.xml

All desktop customization options listed above are supported in Windows 10 in S mode. To learn more, see Windows 10 in S mode manufacturing overview.

In this section

These are some common ways to customize your desktop device. You will also find the technical reference for Unattend and WSIM.

OS Customizations for OEM

OEM can customize various aspects of the OS using the below specified methods.

OOBE App

IoTCore has an inbox OOBE App that runs when the device boots up for the first time. This is shown until all the provisioning packages are processed in the background and an OEM App is available to be launched as a startup app.

This OOBE app can be customised with a settings.json with the following attributes:

• backgroundColor : Screen background color
• background : Background image (jpg file)
• progressRingVisible : Spinning dots can be shown or hidden
• welcomeText : Text displayed in large font at the center of the screen
• pleaseWaitText : Text displayed below the spinning dots
• animation : Animation gif can be specified here
• animationMargin : Positioning of the animation gif
• left , top , right, bottom

All files referenced in the settings.json should be in the same folder as the settings.json file. A sample snippet is given below

The settings.json file needs to be encoded in Unicode (UCS-2) encoding. UTF-8 will not work.

Validate settings manually

1. Author the settings.json file with your required settings
2. Connect to the IoT device (using SSH or using Powershell) and place the settings.json file along with all graphical assets in a directory, say C:\Data\oobe
3. Configure the device to allow access to this directory from all appx files, using

1. Launch the OOBE application using

1. Verify the user interface

Add settings to IoT Core image

Use Custom.OOBEApp package and modify the package xml file to add your graphical assets

Copy your settings.json and graphical assets to that package folder.

In the oemcustomizations.cmd file, add folderpermissions C:\Data\oobe -e , to ensure that this is called at the system boot.

In the OEMInput.xml, include the feature id CUSTOM_OOBEAPP, note that this is defined in the OEMCOMMONFM.xml.

Crash Settings

For IoT Core products, it is recommended that you configure your devices to reboot on crash and also hide the crash dump screen (BSOD). This is achieved with setting the following registry keys:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl AutoReboot set to 1 DisplayDisabled set to 1

Validate settings manually

1. Connect to your IoT device (using SSH or using Powershell) and set the following registry keys

reg add «HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl» /v AutoReboot /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f reg add «HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl» /v DisplayDisabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

1. See Forcing a System Crash from the keyboard and configure a key to force the system crash.
2. Force a system crash using the configured key and verify that the device reboots automatically and does not show the crashdump screen.

Add settings to IoT Core image

1. Use Custom.Settings package
2. In the OEMInput.xml, include the feature id CUSTOM_SETTINGS, note that this is defined in the OEMCOMMONFM.xml.

In Windows 10, version 1809, IOT_CRASHCONTROL_SETTINGS feature is added to address this customization.

Location Settings

From the Windows 10 IoTCore RS5 November 2019 “11 B” release (OS version 17763.865) onwards, location services for IoT Core will be configured to be set to “off” by default. If you are an OEM and would like to turn the location services to on, please follow the below steps. This only applies to IoT Core.

Under the registry key:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\Capabilities\location\edition InitSystemGlobalConsentDenied set to 0 InitUserGlobalConsentDenied set to 0

Kit builders should refer to https://docs.microsoft.com/windows-hardware/manufacture/iot/add-a-registry-setting-to-an-image for instructions on building a custom image with these registry settings

BCD Settings

Boot Configuration Database settings can be used to configure various features. See BCDEdit Command-LineOptions for the various settings and options available.

A few key features are listed below

Disable Boot UX animation

1. Manual setting can be done with the below command

1. Specify this setting in a Custom.BCD.xml file

1. Include this setting in the image using Custom.BCD package and add feature id CUSTOM_BCD to OEMInput.xml file

Replacing the Boot Logo

There are multiple ways to replace the boot logo that is displayed by the BIOS or UEFI. One way is to license the UEFI, or pay a board manufacturer vendor to do so, and make changes directly to the UEFI source code. Alternatively, on devices whose UEFI implementation supports signed loadable UEFI drivers there is a sample here: https://github.com/Microsoft/MS_UEFI/tree/share/MsIoTSamples that shows how to build a driver that replaces the boot logo and supply a BGRT table to bootmgr so that the Windows boot process leaves your logo in place during boot instead of replacing it with the Windows logo.

Enable Flight Signing

1. Manual setting can be done with the below commands:

1. To include this setting in the image, you can add the below fragment to the Custom.BCD.xml

Runtime customizations

In addition to the static customizations discussed above, you can also customize during the runtime.

Customize

Purpose

Customizations of the Windows OS are ways in which partners can modify the Windows device UI, connectivity settings, and user experience to better reflect the partners’ brand, and to fit the network and market in which the device ships. Customization options include adding applications, modifying icons and Start layouts, configuring network settings by using device management, changing defaults in Settings, and adding brand-specific art and sounds to the OS.

WindowsВ 10 supports both pre-existing desktop Unattend settings, and mobile Managed Centralized Settings Framework (MCSF), for configuring customization options for WindowsВ 10 devices.

See the following sections for more information about what you can do to customize your WindowsВ 10 devices.

Topic	Description
Customizations for desktop	This section includes topics describing key desktop customization opportunities, as well the Unattended Windows Setup Reference, and Windows System Image Manager Technical Reference.
Customizations for enterprise desktop	Learn about the customizations available to you if you are providing a controlled and specialized experience on a Windows device running WindowsВ 10 Enterprise.
Configure power settings	Learn about the power settings you can configure using the Windows provisioning framework. Each power setting topic includes the identification GUID, allowed values, meaning, and common usage scenarios for the setting.
Preinstalled and exclusive apps	If you’re a Windows OEM or mobile operator partner, find out how you can create partner apps that you can package and configure to install during the initial device setup process. While the user is going through the initial setup process, the preinstalled apps are installed in the background. OEMs can also work with software developers to target OEM devices for apps to appear exclusively on, based on registry keys.
Change history for Customize	Review the timeline of Windows 10 Customization topics that have been created, updated, or deleted.

Audience

This section of the partner documentation is intended for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs), Independent Hardware Vendors (IHVs), system builders, mobile operators, and IT administrators.

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The 8 Best Tools to Tweak and Customize Windows 10

Want to give your PC a unique look? Learn how to customize Windows 10 with these powerful tweak tools that cover your every need.

What’s that? You don’t like the way Windows 10 looks and acts? We can’t imagine why—the operating system goes through extensive testing and is widely regarded as the most stable and enjoyable platform on the market.

Okay, we’re joking. If you want to change the way Windows looks and acts, keep reading. These are some of the best tools to customize Windows 10.

1. Customizer God

Customizer God—which is compatible with Windows 7, 8, and 10—should be your go-to tool for changing anything about the way the icons in Windows 10 look.

There are new icons for the Start menu, the taskbar, your drives, the battery, the login screen, the time and date, and a whole lot more.

The app is also easy to use. You don’t need any specialized knowledge, just install it on your system and start tweaking.

Download: Customizer God (Free)

2. TweakNow PowerPack

TweakNow PowerPack is more geared towards customizing the way Windows 10 behaves rather than the way it looks.

For example, you can set up an automatic shutdown which will turn off your computer at a specific time, optimize your system’s RAM usage, and create a special shortcut for CPU-intensive apps that can automatically assign the highest CPU priority level and free up sufficient RAM.

And then there’s The Virtual Desktop module helps you set up four custom-designed desktop configurations that you can match with your mood and your work requirements.

There’s also a menu with more than 100 hidden Windows settings, a registry cleaner (which you should use with caution), and a revamped start-up manager.

Download: TweakNow PowerPack (Free)

3. Winaero Tweaker

Winaero Tweaker is a Windows 10 tweak tool. It has rolled together several of the old standalone Winaero customization apps into a single interface.

The software boasts an enormous number of features which are way too numerous to list in this article. Here’s a small sample to give you an idea of what is possible:

• Automatically prevent «— Shortcut» being added to the end of new shortcuts.
• Add eight custom colors to the Settings > Personalization > Color menu.
• Change the size of the scroll bars.
• Disable the Pin to Start context menu command (how many times have you accidentally clicked on it while emptying your Recycle Bin?).
• Add file encryption to the context menu.
• Edit the size of window borders, title bars, and menus.

In addition to Windows 10, the app is also compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8. The app is still under active development, with a new release rolling out every three or four months.

Download: Winaero Tweaker (Free)

4. Ultimate Windows Tweaker

Ultimate Windows Tweaker is a lightweight (495KB) and portable Windows app that you can use to customize Windows 10 (as well as Windows 7 and 8).

Indeed, it is one of the best Windows 10 customization tools you’ll find; it offers more than 200 Windows tweaks for you to play with. You will find privacy tweaks, security tweaks, performance tweaks, context menu tweaks, search tweaks, and a whole lot more.

In addition to all the above, Ultimate Windows Tweaker also doubles as a Windows 10 taskbar customization software. For example, it lets you change the Battery, Date and Time, and Volume layouts, and show or hide Frequent folders and Recent files.

5. Taskbar Tweaker

Although Ultimate Windows Tweaker lets you make some changes to the taskbar, if you want a more holistic level of control, check out Taskbar Tweaker. It is the best Windows 10 taskbar customization app.

The app has a small amount of cross-over with the native Windows 10 taskbar configuration tools, but the majority of what it offers cannot be achieved by fiddling with the registry or using Windows’ own settings.

Some of the taskbar customizations offered by Taskbar Tweaker include:

• Hide the Start button.
• Group/don’t group pinned items.
• Enable/disable drag to reorder.
• Remove gaps between icons.
• Hide the Show Desktop button.
• Allow the mouse wheel to cycle between taskbar buttons.

Download: Taskbar Tweaker (Free)

6. Folder Marker

Folder Marker is as much about productivity as it is about customization. Quite simply, it lets you color-code folders with a single click of the mouse.

But the options don’t stop there—you can also set folders being as High-Priority, Low-Priority, Completed, Important, and Private. If you’re working on large projects with lots of shared files and folders, it’s a great way to stay on top of your tasks.

The app can also work with several folders at once and can be set up with more sub-categories for an extra level of control.

The paid version adds features such as applying selected icons to all subfolders and adding custom icons.

Download: Folder Marker (Free, premium version available)

7. Rainmeter

Be warned: Rainmeter is something of a rabbit hole. Once you get the hang of the app and learn how to tailor it for your needs, it’s hard to stop fiddling and create your own unique Windows 10 mods. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a way to customize the Windows 10 desktop, there is no better tool.

Rainmeter works on the concept of «skins»—but that’s a bit of a misleading term. In practice, a skin can be as simple as a calendar widget or as complicated as an entirely new desktop showing everything from network usage to the latest news.

There are some default Rainmeter skins that beginner users can run. For the best experience, you need to learn how to create your own custom skins with this ultimate Windows 10 tweaker.

Download: Rainmeter (Free)

8. UltraUXThemePatcher

You may have read our articles about the best light themes for Windows 10 and the best dark themes for Windows 10.

Some of the designs are seriously funky—but they require some external add-ons in order to work. Windows doesn’t play nicely with third-party themes that haven’t come directly from the Microsoft Store.

UltraUXThemePatcher is the most common tool you’ll need when using third-party themes. Given the nature of the app, it will modify your system files. Make sure you make a full backup of your important data and that you create a system restore point before you go any further.

Download: UltraUXThemePatcher (Free)

Learn More About Windows 10 Customization

Customizing Windows 10 is also an exercise in patience. If you couldn’t find what you were looking for in this article, don’t worry. We’ve written about lots of tools for specific parts of Windows elsewhere on the site, like our coverage of using TaskbarX.

Whether you want to bring back desktop gadgets, change the login screen message, or even create your own interactive wallpapers, we’ve got you covered.

When you own a big monitor, you need to make display tweaks to keep everything looking crisp.

Dan joined MakeUseOf in 2014 and has been Partnerships Director since July 2020. Reach out to him for inquires about sponsored content, affiliate agreements, promotions, and any other forms of partnership. You can also find him roaming the show floor at CES in Las Vegas every year, say hi if you’re going. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant.

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