Windows 7: Remove Aero border around user account icon

shoober · 30 Jan 2013

Is there anyway possible to remove that Aero border that surrounds the user account icon? Can it be disabled for both the login screen and start menu?

Bongo · 31 Jan 2013

For the login screen you would need to edit the authui.dll, look at Post #23 of this thread Removing Picture Frame On Startup/Login Screen Danny has already made up a authui.dll that removes the logon picture.

To remove the user picture from the start menu have a look at these two options.
Windows 7 Start Menu User Picture Remover : Remove Windows 7 Start Menu User Picture With One Click | door2windows

How to Hide / Remove “User Picture” in Windows Vista and 7 Start Menu? - Tweaking with Vishal

Jerry

shoober · 31 Jan 2013

I don't want to completely remove the whole user account icon, just the Aero frame around it. Is there a way to do that?

Bongo · 31 Jan 2013

Sorry not that I'm aware of.

Jerry

Duzzy · 31 Jan 2013

You can use Resource Hacker (ResHacker.exe) to do it. As Bongo mentioned you need to edit the authui.dll found in the system32 folder.

Warning

First the most important thing to do is to back up "C:\Windows\System32\authui.dll" before you do anything and learn how to replace it in case of not being able to boot into Windows after modding.

I tested it by making a copy of authui.dll then opening the copy in Reshack (2nd copy, not the backup).
In Reshack press CTRL+F to open the find text box and find

Code:

<ZoomableElement id="atom(Overlay)" layoutpos="client" />

and replace with

Code:

<ZoomableElement id="atom(Overlay)" layoutpos="none" />

The search term is found in the first 3 UIFILE folders but I only needed to change the first one, see image below.

After replacing the text click Compile Script at the top of the window then click file save, not save as, I've had problems with save as.

Now you need to take ownership of "C:\Windows\System32\authui.dll". If you don't know how here is one way that makes it easy - Take Ownership Shortcut

Next open the cmd prompt and type or copy,

Code:

taskkill /F /IM Explorer.exe
xcopy /vqy "[YOUR MODDED FILE PATH]\authui.dll" "C:\Windows\System32\*.*"
explorer

This will kill explorer before replacing the original authui.dll with your modded one then restart explorer.

shoober · 31 Jan 2013

Wow, thanks so much Duzzy. Will this remove the Aero border for the start menu user account icon as well?

Duzzy · 31 Jan 2013

No problem, I've helped mod a couple of these so I had an idea it could be done.

If you want to make some more changes you might like to check out Logon-WorkShop. Although you would have to do this mod after using Logon-WorkShop as it can't do it and it may/may-not make it harder to do this one.

Logon Workshop also includes the Reshack.exe that I used.

Bongo · 31 Jan 2013

Very well done Duzzy

shoober · 05 Feb 2013

I have been debating on whether or not I should do this tweak. If you do something wrong to the authid.dll, you will black screen at login and can't do anything. I don't have system restore enabled, so if I mess something up, I will have to do a lot of stuff to get my OS back.

Does doing this authid.dll tweak remove the Aero picture frame from the user account icon in the start menu? Here is a picture of what I'm talking about.

Will this tweak remove the picture frame for the start menu user account icon also?

Bongo · 05 Feb 2013

No it will not change that User picture frame in the start menu.

Jerry

Windows 7: Remove Aero border around user account icon

Remove Aero border around user account icon problems?