how to change the spinning dots boot circle graphic

opaugust201 said:

Both the spinning dots and the progressive ring are actually characters in a font called "Segoe Boot Semilight"

What if you were to overwrite or change that font? Would that in turn change the image at the load screen since that is where it is pulling the graphic from?

This response is a bit late, but effective.
You need to modify the font file, the font file is located at "C:\Windows\Boot\Fonts\segoe_slboot.ttf" (the file name may vary in CJK regions), change some fonts to your preferred graphics, be careful not to destroy the original attributes when exporting.
Then sign it (the signature doesn't have to be correct, just ensure the file structure is correct).
Next, patch Winload.efi, modify the binary to disable the verification in Winload (I don't know if there is a simpler method).
Finally, you need to disable the verification of bootmgr, just use the bcdedit command.

The problem with all these methods is you're invalidating the file's trusted digital signature. And in order for this to work, you must disable signature checking at boot time. Which opens up a massive security hole.

Running "SFC /scannow" to repair Windows will also restore the original file.

Figure out if it's worth sacrificing Windows security features for a custom boot animation.

garlin said:

The problem with all these methods is you're invalidating the file's trusted digital signature. And in order for this to work, you must disable signature checking at boot time. Which opens up a massive security hole.

Running "SFC /scannow" to repair Windows will also restore the original file.

Figure out if it's worth sacrificing Windows security features for a custom boot animation.

You are right, this is not a decent way to modify, so I only tried it on the VM. Modifying bootres.dll on Windows 7 to change the boot animation also requires patching winload, which is essentially no different from the previous method. Instead of worrying about the security issues caused by disabling digital signatures, it is better to consider whether the software you usually run is safe. I just provide a feasible method, whether to implement it and whether it is safe, is up to the host to consider.