How to get the “ X Edition” branding/bars back in Windows XP

[DVINTHEHOUSEMAN]

I preferred the “Home Edition” branding along with the green bars. Any way to get it back?

[Windows OS]

You mean the boot screen? It might be possible to use Resource Hacker to replace its bitmap with the RTM/SP1 one, but I haven't personally tried that, so your results may vary.

[Lucas Brooks]

ntoskrnl.exe

Grab it from old versions of XP and replace the boot screen.

[Chromium909]

Does anybody know why Microsoft changed it in the first place? It seems like something that wouldn't need to be changed but it was anyway.

[DVINTHEHOUSEMAN]

Tbh I prefer to look at the boot screen rather than wait for Windows XP to hurry it’s a** up to look it up in the system properties

[DVINTHEHOUSEMAN]

I tried that and it didn’t work. Any other idea?

[AlejHerrBar2k3]

Does anybody know why Microsoft changed it in the first place? It seems like something that wouldn't need to be changed but it was anyway.

According to Microsoft themselves (in a Help article I've read years ago), this might have been done to maintain a consistent boot screen within other editions of Windows XP besides Home Edition and Professional (e.g., Media Center and Tablet PC editions). Maybe that would've been a reason, as Microsoft might've not wanted those editions' users to end up having the boot screen for Professional instead of the ones for those specific editions to avoid confusion. This might have also helped Microsoft not create boot screens for the european N and Starter editions.

A similar thing happened with Windows Server 2003: it has only one boot screen for every single edition (just like Windows 2000 with its "Server Family" logo), without any indication of its SKU below the logo. But hey, at least the progress indicator color is changed!

[superlions16]

I tried that and it didn’t work. Any other idea?

Windows XP RTM/SP1 use a separate bitmap for the SKU name. XP SP2 does not use that and I'm not even sure if there's a way to restore it.
Try modifying the bootscreen to have the SKU name where it was in SP1 on the same bitmap where the Windows XP logo and copyright text is. (Bitmap 1 in reshacker, which appears all black due to color palettes)