First Things First

If you’re going to make a change to your computer, you should create a restore point prior to that. If you don’t know how to create a restore point, it’s rather easy:

  1. Go to “Start -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> System > Advanced System Settings” (this link appears on the top left area). Got it? Good! Click the “System Protection” tab and then the “Create” button near the bottom of the window. You should be here:

  2. Once you’re done typing something in that text box, click “Create” and wait for the magic to happen. Now that you’ve created your own restore point, you have to know how to use it to restore your computer in case something happens. Simply navigate to “Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore”. Once in the restore application, everything else is pretty much self-explanatory so I’ll spare you the details. That’s all you need to know to make sure your system is ready for a creepy change.

The Fun Stuff

Before we get started, just download the Windows 7 Start Button Changer application here and extract it to a folder of your choosing. Now, you’re all set for whipping out the magic wand! Follow these instructions carefully:

  1. Right-click the executable you extracted and click “Run as Administrator”. Accept the annoying pop-up asking you to authorize the application and let’s just keep going. You should see something like this:

  2. Click the top right start button and browse to one of the sample files that came with the application. This is in the same folder as the EXE file, called “10 Sample Orbs”. Double-click your favorite orb and wait a second. Your computer will freeze and the taskbar will be unavailable momentarily while the application updates everything. Do not restart your computer or reset it while in this process. If you do get issues, use the restore point you created to your advantage. If you can no longer boot to your desktop normally, don’t panic! Press “F8” on your keyboard right before the Windows loading screen comes up. A menu will appear with a bunch of booting options. Choose “Safe Mode”. Make sure you don’t opt for safe mode that has networking, as you don’t need the Internet to restore your computer. Once in safe mode, you can restore the computer to a previous point and breathe a sigh of relief while you wipe that sweat from your forehead. Using the samples, you can get creative and make your own start orb templates if you wish. If you ever make one, make sure you post it here in the comments section! We’d love to hear about it!