MSFN Forums > Tutorial: Remove Evaluation Watermark from Desktop

bytesurfer

Sep 17 2006, 08:09 PM

The RC1 watermark in the right corner is set by user32.dll.mui.

The user32.dll.mui file is situated in your '\Windows\System32\xy-XY' folder (accordingly to your installed language):
on english based systems in 'en-US', german = 'de-DE' [, ...].

Here are 2 solutions to stop this Watermark being displayed:

I.) Modify user32.dll.mui by yourself (for instance with ResourceTuner or similar programs)
or
II.) Replace original user32.dll.mui with a patched one

QUOTE

I.) You intend to modify the file by yourself? Ok, let´s start!

[1.] Create a folder 'C:\user32dll', switch to your '\Windows\System32\xy-XY' folder and copy the user32.dll.mui to your new folder.

[2.] Start ResourceTuner (or a similar program) and navigate to 'c:\user32dll\user32.dll.mui'.
In the treeview panel expand 'String', open Item #45 and modify the strings like in the image below.

Item #45
Click to view attachment

Do the same for Item #46 and #47.

Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

[3.] After completing all changes save the file and quit ResourceTuner.

That´s all about the modding part..
Now, we want to attach the modified user32.dll.mui to our System.

[4.] In your '\Windows\System32\xy-XY' folder right-click to user32.dll.mui, click on Properties
from the contextual menu select the Security tab.

Click to view attachment Notice: Before you are able to change the permission settings you have to get ownership of the user32.dll.mui file!

[5.] Click on the Advanced button. Click on the Owner tab; change your settings and get ownership of that file.
Now you can edit the permission settings on the Security tab to get full access.
Click the OK button to apply your changes.

[6.] Rename the user32.dll.mui to user32.dll.mui.bak.

[7.] Copy our modified user32.dll.mui to 'Windows\System32\xy-XY', Reboot and Enjoy!

----------------------------

II.) Download the modified user32.dll.mui and run steps 4.-7.

Download English Version

Download French Version

Download German Version

I thank Lost SOul™ & Nesquix from www.aeroxp.org/board discovering this tweak in the English and French Version of user32.dll.mui in RC1. © 2006 Lost SOul™ & Nesquix
The German Version is modified by myself. © 2006 ByteSurfer

LLXX

Sep 17 2006, 08:29 PM

After reading this I was wondering if it is possible to put a watermark on XP's desktop...

EchoNoise

Sep 17 2006, 08:30 PM

Is this legal?

But good tip anyways!

bytesurfer

Sep 17 2006, 08:39 PM

QUOTE (LLXX @ Sep 18 2006, 04:29 AM)

After reading this I was wondering if it is possible to put a watermark on XP's desktop...

Who said something about XP???
This Tutorial is written for Windows Vista RC1. And it works!

Click to view attachment

Skyfrog

Sep 17 2006, 11:39 PM

Thanks very much, I was looking for a way to turn this off.

QUOTE (LLXX @ Sep 17 2006, 09:29 PM)

After reading this I was wondering if it is possible to put a watermark on XP's desktop...

Yes, I believe TweakUI has this option.

MagicAndre1981

Sep 18 2006, 01:25 AM

great thanks

N1K

Sep 18 2006, 02:17 AM

I can't download English version of the patch.

kartel

Sep 18 2006, 03:00 AM

Sweet!!

Now how about that security icon?

I killed it in services but it remains

N1K

Sep 18 2006, 03:59 AM

QUOTE (kartel @ Sep 18 2006, 10:00 AM)

Sweet!!

Now how about that security icon?

I killed it in services but it remains

Go to Windows Security Center and disable choose not to monitor Virus protection..

bledd

Sep 18 2006, 04:50 AM

QUOTE (N1K @ Sep 18 2006, 10:59 AM)

QUOTE (kartel @ Sep 18 2006, 10:00 AM)

Sweet!!

Now how about that security icon?

I killed it in services but it remains

Go to Windows Security Center and disable choose not to monitor Virus protection..

yup

and LLXX, tweakui can put windows version on desktop

kartel

Sep 18 2006, 05:58 AM

did that.............

N1K

Sep 18 2006, 06:07 AM

QUOTE (kartel @ Sep 18 2006, 12:58 PM)

did that.............

Start the service and than disable monitoring of the Virus protection..

kartel

Sep 18 2006, 06:18 AM

I'm blind.....

Skyfrog

Sep 18 2006, 11:27 AM

QUOTE (N1K @ Sep 18 2006, 03:17 AM)

I can't download English version of the patch.

Yeah, the link didn't work for me either so I took the address of the French version and removed FR from the file name. It worked, here is the English link: http://eoxus.free.fr/files/RC1_desktop_tag_patch.rar

N1K

Sep 18 2006, 11:55 AM

QUOTE (Skyfrog @ Sep 18 2006, 07:27 PM)

QUOTE (N1K @ Sep 18 2006, 03:17 AM)

I can't download English version of the patch.

Yeah, the link didn't work for me either so I took the address of the French version and removed FR from the file name. It worked, here is the English link: http://eoxus.free.fr/files/RC1_desktop_tag_patch.rar

Thx

neo

Sep 24 2006, 06:32 AM

Any idea to removw "Evalution copy"watermark from desktop in
windows xp x64 edition and windows 2k3 server R2

Click to view attachment

Please help....
//Ramesh//

iCrash

Sep 25 2006, 07:55 PM

QUOTE (LLXX @ Sep 17 2006, 10:29 PM)

After reading this I was wondering if it is possible to put a watermark on XP's desktop...

Download TweakUI from Microsoft.com. Click General then scroll down and select "Show Windows version on desktop"

LLXX

Sep 25 2006, 11:34 PM

QUOTE (neo_matrix.rs @ Sep 24 2006, 07:32 AM)

Any idea to removw "Evalution copy"watermark from desktop in
windows xp x64 edition and windows 2k3 server R2

Click to view attachment

Please help....
//Ramesh//

and @ the post below that one, I figured it out - it's a registry key called PaintDesktopVersion.

neo

Sep 25 2006, 11:55 PM

QUOTE (iCrash @ Sep 26 2006, 07:25 AM)

QUOTE (LLXX @ Sep 17 2006, 10:29 PM)

After reading this I was wondering if it is possible to put a watermark on XP's desktop...

Download TweakUI from Microsoft.com. Click General then scroll down and select "Show Windows version on desktop"

"paintdektopversion" reg key also

no any help about this . i have already done

any more....

Spooky

Sep 26 2006, 05:35 AM

Why bother to remove the watermark at this time anyway. You just have to do it again and again for each build, and then its going to go away anyway when Vista goes RTM. Besides, there is no need to modify any files to do this, its a registry entry change.

yronnen

Oct 1 2006, 05:13 PM

QUOTE (Skyfrog @ Sep 18 2006, 12:27 PM)

QUOTE (N1K @ Sep 18 2006, 03:17 AM)

I can't download English version of the patch.

Yeah, the link didn't work for me either so I took the address of the French version and removed FR from the file name. It worked, here is the English link: http://eoxus.free.fr/files/RC1_desktop_tag_patch.rar

I'm trying to change the properties on the dll, but when I try to add "full control" or any other type of permission , I get a permission denied error. I have admin rights.

bytesurfer

Oct 2 2006, 03:32 AM

QUOTE (yronnen @ Oct 2 2006, 12:13 AM)

I'm trying to change the properties on the dll, but when I try to add "full control" or any other type of permission , I get a permission denied error. I have admin rights.

Hi yronnen!

Got ownership before editing the permissions?

It´s recommended that you take ownership of the user32.dll.mui first and then edit the permissions.

yronnen

Oct 2 2006, 11:40 AM

QUOTE (bytesurfer @ Oct 2 2006, 04:32 AM)

QUOTE (yronnen @ Oct 2 2006, 12:13 AM)

I'm trying to change the properties on the dll, but when I try to add "full control" or any other type of permission , I get a permission denied error. I have admin rights.

Hi yronnen!

Got ownership before editing the permissions?

It´s recommended that you take ownership of the user32.dll.mui first and then edit the permissions.

Of course...

fletch33

Oct 8 2006, 07:33 AM

has anyone tested to see if this works in RC2?

thanks

Aegis

Oct 8 2006, 12:23 PM

QUOTE (neo_matrix.rs @ Sep 24 2006, 07:32 AM)

Any idea to removw "Evalution copy"watermark from desktop in
windows xp x64 edition and windows 2k3 server R2

Click to view attachment

Please help....
//Ramesh//

Short of finding a similar hack, there's no way to remove the notice from an evaluation copy of Windows.

kartel

Oct 8 2006, 09:50 PM

QUOTE

has anyone tested to see if this works in RC2?

fletch33

Oct 9 2006, 07:40 AM

QUOTE (kartel @ Oct 8 2006, 10:50 PM)

QUOTE

has anyone tested to see if this works in RC2?

thanks

cerdar

Nov 15 2006, 12:51 AM

Thanks,i get it !

doomuk

Nov 15 2006, 09:13 AM

Hello,

hoping you can help, Ive installed the X64 Ultimate edition and cant remove the watermark - there is the user54.mui.dll file in both the wow64 and windows32 folder and have modded both of them but I still cant get rid of the evaluation txt.

Does anyone know which folder I should be looking in, if there is another place the OS might check and if it needs something different or extra on X64 ultimate edition.

Thanks in advance

Stead

Nov 15 2006, 08:56 PM

Am i the only one that likes ther watermark?

ripken204

Nov 22 2006, 09:56 PM

QUOTE (Stead @ Nov 15 2006, 10:56 PM)

Am i the only one that likes ther watermark?

i kinda do, doesnt rly bother me and its nice to show off to friends that im using vista

dam13n

Nov 29 2006, 01:44 PM

hello this'll be my first but i guarantee not my last post

i've been running windows vista x64 ultimate build 6000 for 2-3 weeks now and have it working perfectly apart from the watermark i've tried everhing to remove it including what it says here but it just wont move. has ayone else removed it on rtm if so can you help please?

neo

Nov 30 2006, 01:06 PM

QUOTE (neo_matrix.rs @ Sep 24 2006, 06:02 PM)

Any idea to removw "Evalution copy"watermark from desktop in
windows xp x64 edition and windows 2k3 server R2

Click to view attachment

//RAMeSH//
Please help...

Any idea for Windows XP Pro x64 Edition

Spooky

Nov 30 2006, 03:15 PM

There is no watermark on the RTM thus there is no reason to remove it.

QUOTE (dam13n @ Nov 29 2006, 02:44 PM)

hello this'll be my first but i guarantee not my last post

i've been running windows vista x64 ultimate build 6000 for 2-3 weeks now and have it working perfectly apart from the watermark i've tried everhing to remove it including what it says here but it just wont move. has ayone else removed it on rtm if so can you help please?

mikleemy

Dec 1 2006, 02:39 AM

I'm using Vista Bill released... in my c:\system32, there's no xy-XY... nor user32.dll.mui directory, why ?

neo

Dec 1 2006, 04:02 AM

QUOTE (mikleemy @ Dec 1 2006, 02:09 PM)

I'm using Vista Bill released... in my c:\system32, there's no xy-XY... nor user32.dll.mui directory, why ?

its mean
xy-XY

For English version en-US

like this U can search Ur version lang.

Biohead

Dec 1 2006, 03:50 PM

As Spooky says - there is NO watermark in the RTM version of Vista.

If there is then it's obvious what you've done to cause it, so you shouldn't be asking to start with.

disenter

Dec 4 2006, 02:24 AM

QUOTE (Biohead @ Dec 2 2006, 07:50 AM)

As Spooky says - there is NO watermark in the RTM version of Vista.

If there is then it's obvious what you've done to cause it, so you shouldn't be asking to start with.

Ok then, on the flipside, how would you cause the watermark to appear if you wanted it? On Vista64 RTM. I mean, its not as if its not there, it is, but disabled. I'd like to be able to show my build version.
Anyone know???

Cheers.
D.

Spooky

Dec 4 2006, 08:24 AM

Then your using a pirated version and we don't do that here.

QUOTE (mikleemy @ Dec 1 2006, 03:39 AM)

I'm using Vista Bill released... in my c:\system32, there's no xy-XY... nor user32.dll.mui directory, why ?

Spooky

Dec 4 2006, 02:03 PM

The watermark isn't in the RTM because the files and code/entries to produce the watermark are not in the RTM. As far as the version not sure if one of these will do it for you or not as I haven't tried it (this is from an old XP reg entry that still exists in Vista):

CODE

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"PaintDesktopVersion"=dword:00000001

or.....

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop]
"PaintDesktopVersion"=dword:00000001

QUOTE (disenter @ Dec 4 2006, 03:24 AM)

QUOTE (Biohead @ Dec 2 2006, 07:50 AM)

As Spooky says - there is NO watermark in the RTM version of Vista.

If there is then it's obvious what you've done to cause it, so you shouldn't be asking to start with.

Ok then, on the flipside, how would you cause the watermark to appear if you wanted it? On Vista64 RTM. I mean, its not as if its not there, it is, but disabled. I'd like to be able to show my build version.
Anyone know???

Cheers.
D.

Mike_G

Jan 27 2007, 03:47 PM

Work perfectly! Thnx!

Sydnelson

Dec 11 2008, 01:13 AM

Its works in Vista x64 SP2 beta?

Kelsenellenelvian

Dec 11 2008, 01:15 AM

No...

GenH

Dec 12 2008, 03:13 PM

is there a way to make this method remove the windows vista starter watermark? i tried doing the steps above, didnt work.. Maybe theres something else to modify?