changing windows gui how?

I've been configuring my Windows XP Pro installation for a little while now and have pretty much gotten the system to look the way I want, exept one part, the start menu. I want to edit the text and color/background for the selected area in the attached image.
I've searched google and this forum for "Windows Gui hacking" "Changing windows GUI" "Windows GUI" and several others.
How do I do this?

Style XP
http://www.tgtsoft.com/

Not bug free but it does the job. Don't mess around with boot screens, they aren't too friendly, IMO.

This particular tweak is quite easy. First right click on the start button and select properties. Then select "Use classic start menu". Then right click on the desktop, select properties, and in the themes tab select Windows Classic.

Cheers,
cgkanchi

I know how to change it to the classic start menu. I was more interested in learning how to change the information such as changing the text "Windows XP Professional" to "MicroKrash Curtains" and change the background color from blue, to green with foreground color of white.

check out this site:
http://www.winguides.com/registry/
it shows you how to mess with the registry, splash screens, and other stuff to customize your machine.

You can also change the start caption...very nice hack

Change Start Caption.....

first make a back up of your Explorer.exe file

Download Resource Hacker from here http://www.softnews.ro/public/cat/5/4/5-4-5.shtml install it and Run the program

.... open the file explorer from your drive:/windows/explorer.exe when you open it on the left site menu there are some

options ...click on the little plus next to String Tables... then click on the plus next to the number 37 and click on

1033...now on the right side it says somethin like this

578, " start"

replace the start with whatever you want to appear on your Start Button.....
after that Shoose File->Save As -> type in Whateverexplorer.exe and save it somewhere on your desktop.....
Now go to regedit ( start->run->regedit )
go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - > SOFTWARE ->Microsoft - > Windows NT - > WinLogon.... on the right side

find an entry called Shell ... double click it ...now replace explorer.exe with your new created explorer filename...close regedit..... now Cut your new created Explorer.exe and paste it in the Windows directory .... restart your computer ...and

enjoy the new Start Caption .....