Annoying Splash Screen

[Bob-W]

I dislike splash screens, especially the one in Photo & Graphic Designer 18.
Today I decide to switch it and now I am greeted with "Dax" from Deep Space nine.
How?
Easy (First make a backup copy of the original dll file then create your new 550x387px bitmap image)
Download and open Resourse Hacker.
Open C:\Program Files\Xara\Xara Photo Graphic Designer\18..
Scroll down to XaraXEng.dll and double click.
Double click Bitmaps
Scroll down to 6531:2057 and right click choosing replace bitmap.
Do the same with 6532 and 6554. then save and close.
If all goes well your new splash screen will appear.

[gwpriester]

Good solution and thanks for sharing Bob. Welcome to TalkGraphics

[Acorn]

If all goes well your new splash screen will appear.

I assume you are referring to "Resource Hacker".
If so, yes it will do what you say but I would offer caution as while you may consider "changing" something is all right, it is probably breaking your Xara licence conditions, if not, those listed here: https://helpandsupport.xara.com/xara...ledgements.htm.

People then may drift into wholly illegal activity.

Xara EULA (representative wording):

B. You are not permitted:

2. to rent, lease, sub-license, loan, copy (except as expressly provided in this Agreement), modify adapt, merge, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or create derivative works based on the whole or any part of the Software or its associated documentation except as permitted by law;

You'll probably find Magix is even harsher.

If you could find a way to do this through changing a Windows Registry entry, I might be more supportive.

Caveat Piratica.

Acorn

[mwenz]

There's no need to hack anything.

One can still create a new splash screen.

Make the BMP file 550 px wide by 385 px.

Leave a bit of room at the bottom for the registration info to appear (if desired) and color it white (or otherwise a light color.

Copy the bitmap to the top level of the Bitmaps folder located in the Xara application's installation folder.

I just did a quicky version and this still works. Here's the one I am now greeted with...



But damn. Now I have to make a proper one...

[Acorn]

There's no need to hack anything.

One can still create a new splash screen.

Make the BMP file 550 px wide by 385 px.

Leave a bit of room at the bottom for the registration info to appear (if desired) and color it white (or otherwise a light color.

Copy the bitmap to the top level of the Bitmaps folder located in the Xara application's installation folder.

I just did a quicky version and this still works. Here's the one I am now greeted with...



But damn. Now I have to make a proper one...

mwenz, appreciate the described approach. A Film 4 follower?
I always think I should create a CSS animation of it.

Acorn

[Bob-W]

That's exactly what I have done mwenz, just used RH to find and make the change easier, the registration info still appears.


Works with Photoshop too!

[handrawn]

out of interest then, why the references to DLL file and backing up ?

you don't need to do that as mike said, simply replace the bitmap and job done [copy old one first if you feel so inclined]

[mwenz]

No, it isn't the same thing. You hacked a dll. I did not.

So what happens is Xara applications look for splashscreen.bmp in a certain folder. If not found, the Xara applications use the embedded bitmap in the .dll you point out.



Just the presence of the so-named .bmp file is all that is needed.

[mwenz]

out of interest then, why the references to DLL file and backing up ?

you don't need to do that as mike said, simply replace the bitmap and job done [copy old one first if you feel so inclined]

A fresh install of newer versions no longer have the splash screen bitmap. The .dll/exe will still load the user-made version if present.

[handrawn]

thanks mike for that that technical update - me I just ignore splash screen content these days once read first time.. I don't tend to be looking at the screen whilst it loads anyway