Answer Line: Quick and Easy Data Backups to CD-RW Discs

Hide Windows Me's Logo

Back in the July 2000 issue, you explained how to hide the start-up splash screen for Windows 98 [" Stop or Change the Splash Screen."] Is there a way to do this in Windows Me?

Brandon Schumann, Pine City, Minnesota

In earlier versions of Windows, you could stop the splash screen with a simple setting on the Boot tab of Microsoft's downloadable freebie Tweak UI. But oddly enough, when you bring up Tweak UI in Windows Me, the Boot tab has disappeared (see Figure 2). Go figure.

So what can you do about it? One solution is to press the Esc key as soon as the logo appears. This simple approach is the best way to suppress the splash screen if you have a one-time reason not to sit and stare at it as your PC boots--say, to speed up the Me start-up process or to verify that the logo is hiding an important message.

If you want to avoid the splash screen every time you boot, you have to do some tinkering. Select Start, Programs, Accessories, MS-DOS Prompt. In the MS-DOS window, type attrib -r -s -h c:\msdos.sys and then press Enter. Type notepad c:\msdos.sys and press Enter again.

In Notepad, put your cursor at the end of the line that reads '[Options]', and press Enter to add a new line. Type logo=0 (that's a zero, not the letter O). Now save the file and close Notepad.

Back in the DOS box, enter attrib +r +s +h c:\msdos.sys. Press Enter and close the DOS window. That should do it.