With help of raandoom, I created a script what can easily change boot logo and background color directly from N900.
Usage:
logo.sh [ -h ] [ -l logo ] [ -c color ]
-h: shows this help.
-l: flashes an boot logo. File must be 16bit BMP. (Example of saving in GIMP)
-c: set backgroud boot color.
Color must be in framebuffer 16bit format.
It consists of two bytes: RRRR RGGG GGGB BBBB, where RRRRR, GGGGGG, and BBBBB — values of red, green and blue colors.
And these bytes must be swapped because of little-endianness.
So, for example, if you want to code red color, it will be 1111100000000000 = 00F8, blue will be 1F00 and green will be E007.
Result:

Here the link: https://hxka.keybase.pub/maemostuff/logo.run
It should support all of RX-51 revisions, but if something would go wrong, you can always use Cold Flashing.
Thanks raandoom, Xlab and tz1.

Exuse me, that i am so long don't post the FAQ and sorry for my not so good english
FAQ: Changing boot logo
* All in this FAQ tested on N900 with hw-revision = 2101, but all offsets are the same for other revisions (thanks to hxka for this info).
If you don't know your revision - "flasher-3.5 -i" will help you.
1. What you need
- RX-51_2009SE_20.2010.36-2_PR_COMBINED_MR0_ARM.bin
- flasher-3.5
- logo_compress.elf (attached to post)
- image file you want to use (it should be 416x72 pixels)

You need to unpack RX-51_2009SE_20.2010.36-2_PR_COMBINED_MR0_ARM.bin. There will be a lot of unpacked files - better if you will make this in some empty folder. Unpacking:
Find files "secondary..." and "xloader..." for your revision and rename them to some more shorter For example let's rename them to "secondary.bin" and "xloader.bin".
And try to don't forget this files, we will need them later.

2. Preparing source image
Better if you convert your image to 16bpp BMP image. In this step you can see how your logo will look like You can convert your image using this:
Linux: ImageMagick
Windows: PixelFormer
Check yourself: in this step your image must be ~59970 bytes.

Then you need to cut off the header, because elf need raw rgb565 as input file. You can do it with any hex editor (but you need to be sure that your BMP is "top-down row order", NOT "bottom-up row order") or using this in Linux:
* You can make this with any format, but with BMP you can already see the result logo and edit it for decreasing size of result logo.
Check yourself: in this step your "rawbmp.bin" must be 59904 bytes.

3. Creating compressed logo
Put "logo_compress.elf" and your "rawbmp.bin" somewhere into your phone. (For example: /home/user/logo)
And all you need is run this elf:
You will see something like this:
It is mean that all ok and your logo successfully compressed in "logo.bin".

4. Check "logo.bin"
There is some limitations for result logo. The maximum size for "logo.bin" is 6646 bytes.
If size of your "logo.bin" is more than needed, you must go to step 2. Preparing source image and edit your BMP. You must reduce the number of groups with non-recurring pixels. It is mean you must make smooth transitions of colors more sharper, for example.
If size of your "logo.bin" is less than needed, you can go to the next step.

5. Patching "secondary.bin"
Do you remember your "secondary.bin" and "xloader.bin". Put them in some folder with. Upload your "logo.bin" from your phone and put it in this folder too. Now we can start patching.
Patch "secondary.bin" with your "logo.bin":
Now better if we patch data with new lenght for image too:
* In this example image size is 6646 bytes (in hex it is 0x19F6), you must write your size in the command.
And a little bonus You can change the background color too:
In first command change bytes '\xFF\xFF\xFF\xFF' to needed color. Color must be 16 bit depth and bytes must be reversed and doubled Example:
0xF800 is RED , it is meen you must write '\x00\xF8\x00\xF8'
0x07E0 is GREEN , it is meen you must write '\xE0\x07\xE0\x07'
0x001F is BLUE , it is meen you must write '\x1F\x00\x1F\x00'
6. Flash your "secondary.bin"
And finally all we need is flash your new "secondary.bin" to device.
Don't forget reboot your phone:
And after all you can see your new boot screen

If somethings go wrong and your phone bricked, remember about Cold Flashing.

F***. That's some crazy s*** right there.
Amazing.

What dimensions do we need to make the background image?
It's 416x72. Cool.

Got it working. My boot logo's now a sexy white NOKIA on black background, integrating nicely with u-boot-bootmenu and hildon-startup-progress.

Don't know is there some people who interested in it, but why not. Maybe later, in my free time, i will post how to use icons and logo with custom width and height.

A couple of weeks ago i had a little upgrade my elf Let it be version 1.1. Now elf can compress any files (first version work correct only with files that have 59904 bytes size).
For what? Now it is possibble to compress images for changing USB and R&D icons
You can find elf in attached archive.

General FAQ about changing Nokia logo

Fast FAQ for changing USB and R&D icons
(If have questions - go to general FAQ)

1. Preparing icons
Format of icons must be the same as in general FAQ (16bpp BMP)
Icon sizes:
- 40x40 for USB
- 64x54 for R&D

2. Compress icons
Your actions for compress the same as in general FAQ:
- get RAW from your images
- rename RAW to "rawbmp.bin", run elf and get compressed image in "logo.bin"

3. Checking size of compressed images
There is limitations for size of compressed image:
- "logo.bin" for USB icon must be less or equal to 1089 bytes
- "logo.bin" for R&D icon must be less or equal to 3954 bytes

If all ok - next step, if not - edit your image for decreasing it's compressed size.

4. Patch "secondary.bin"
for USB icon:

And again, better if we write value with new size of USB icon to "secondary.bin":
* In this example size of "logo.bin" with USB icon equal to 1089 bytes, it is 0x441 bytes, that mean '\x41\x04'

for R&D icon:

And again, better if we write value with new size of R&D icon to "secondary.bin":
* In this example size of "logo.bin" with R&D icon equal to 3954 bytes, it is 0xF72 bytes, that mean '\x72\x0F'

* Third command in both cases is the same. I write so for those who decide change only one icon. Because this command (third) is required for correct patching value with size of "logo.bin". If you change both icons - you can enter this command (third) only once.

Thats all, flash your phone with new "secondary.bin"

With help of raandoom, I created a script what can easily change boot logo and background color directly from N900..

Guys, respect for still supporting our baby n900.

I always thought that n900's black overall background color is depressing, always wanted to make it white-red, white-pink or some white with bright color. How can I change it? Thanks.

Tequila628, maybe we talk about different things, because background color of boot screen is white by default, not depressive-black.
And you ask strange question: "How can I change it?"
For whom there is a FAQ by me, and script by hxka? Follow instructions and all will be ok.

I'm sorry for misleading you.

I meant the black background in the settings menu, conversations or contacts, etc (in the whole phone pretty much) as well as the top menu, I was wondering if I could change it to anything but black, wanted to do it for 2 years now...


This is my settings menu, I pointed with arrows to explain what do I mean with background colors.


Do you know the way to change them?
Much appreciated.

Please, stop offtop. This topic not about this.

First of all mate you are just awesome. I totally missed the news in this thread. And I always wanted to change my bootsplash as I did on my old phones before... So my deep respect to you.

And second:
How many bytes is the header of bmp, because the ffmpeg command errors out with
does anybody knows how to get the bmp support for ffmpeg?
ffmpeg -formats doesn't list bmp support either.

Thanks in advance...

J4ZZ

I just tried your script, but I always get
for my *.bmp
It's definetely 72 px high, I tried with Pixelformer, Photoshop and Gimp...

Any ideas what's the issue here?

Regards,

J4ZZ