Windows 8 Edition and Build Version Watermark on Desktop

How to Hide or Show Windows 8 Edition and Build Version Watermark on Desktop


information   Information
This tutorial will show you how to hide or show a watermark displaying the Windows edition, build version, and Windows folder location on the desktop at the bottom right corned above the taskbar notification area for all users in Windows 8 and 8.1.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

Note   Note
Windows must be activated for this to work.

This watermark is not the same as the watermark below indicating that Windows is not activated. Notice the non-activated watermark does not include displaying the Windows folder location.

Unactivated_Windows_8_Watermark.jpg


EXAMPLE: Windows 8 Edition, Build Version, and Windows Folder Location Watermark
Windows_8_Build_Version_Watermark.jpg
Windows_Build_Version_Watermark.jpg
Windows_Build_Version_Watermark2.jpg



Here's How:

Note   Note
The .reg files below are for the registry key and value below.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows

DisplayVersion DWORD

0 = Hide watermark
1 = Show watermark


1. Do step 2 or 3 below for what you would like to do.​
2. Hide Windows 8 Edition, Build Version, and Windows Folder Watermark
NOTE: This is the default setting.​
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​
Hide_Windows_8_Build_Version_Watermark.reg
download

3. Show Windows 8 Edition, Build Version, and Windows Folder Watermark
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​
Show_Windows_8_Build_Version_Watermark.reg
download

4. Save the .reg file to your desktop.​
5. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.​
6. If prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.​
7. You will need to either restart explorer, sign in and sign out, or restart computer to apply.​
8. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.​




That's it,
Shawn


 

Attachments

  • Hide_Windows_8_Build_Version_Watermark.reg
    646 bytes · Views: 11,230
  • Show_Windows_8_Build_Version_Watermark.reg
    646 bytes · Views: 3,269
  • Desktop.png
    Desktop.png
    7.9 KB · Views: 291
Last edited by a moderator:
This works for Windows 10 too, fwiw.
I didn't look at your Tutorials over at 10 yet Shawn to see if you had this there yet, but I needed it just now in a hurry and had your TurnOn/Off reg's saved already and so just used them, and it works on 10 too as shown here, of which I needed to turn it on just for a minute for something:
10242.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11 (x86/x64)
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ..all towers built from scratch
    CPU
    i7's
    Other Info
    ..including W98SE/WXP
    No VM's ..all OS's are live
Good to know. Thank you for confirming. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Is this still valid? Didn't work for me.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 1750
    CPU
    Duo Core 2.5 G HZ
Hello rdwray, :)

What build of Windows 8.1 are you running?

Is it currently activated?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Running 8 not 8.1 and it is a cloned HD from an activated computer. Both computers are identical Inspirons 1750. I always keep cloned HDs because of crashed OSs that can't be repaired and that causes me to refresh or reset and both delete software such as Office which requires a new purchase because of limited activations. In words, I am talking about 2 PCs with 4 HDs.

The HD I am running as the master has the watermark removed; it is the clone that still has the it because it was created several months ago and I don't remember how I did it and apparently I did not save the documentation. :mad:

Edit: I tried this also:

1. Open an elevated command prompt.

2. In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below and press Enter. (see screenshot below step 3)
bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
3. In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF


4. Close the elevated command prompt.

5. Restart the computer to apply.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 1750
    CPU
    Duo Core 2.5 G HZ
Does the Windows on the cloned HDD show as activated?

If it is, then type BCDEDIT in an elevated command prompt, press Enter, and post your results to see if anything may stand out.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I did the bcdedit without any errors. I can solve the issue by cloning back the HDD with the watermark removed. Thanks Brink.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 1750
    CPU
    Duo Core 2.5 G HZ
Hello Atomicpixle, and welcome to Eight Forums.

I'm afraid that this will not work with Windows 10. It was only for the early builds of Windows 8/8.1 instead. :(
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hi Shawn,

..but I use that same reg from Post #1 of this thread once in a while for Windows 10 and I've found it to work great. It's even what I use to turn the build number on/off each time I post a new OS version screenshot for the WinMail thread. I don't know why it's not working for Atomicpixle but it has always worked for me on both Windows 8 And Windows 10
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11 (x86/x64)
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ..all towers built from scratch
    CPU
    i7's
    Other Info
    ..including W98SE/WXP
    No VM's ..all OS's are live
I'm not sure either then, but restarting the computer may help if it hasn't already been tried.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
No reboot needed, and after I click your reg files I then just right click the Desktop area and click Refresh, and depending on which reg file I clicked, the OS version and build appears, or is removed.
I've literally used them a thousands times so far over the years.
When Win10 came out I just assumed and use it on Win10 too - and it always worked every time.
I don't think I ever tested the Home version though fwiw, but certainly all the other versions.
Also fwiw all OS versions were fully activated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11 (x86/x64)
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ..all towers built from scratch
    CPU
    i7's
    Other Info
    ..including W98SE/WXP
    No VM's ..all OS's are live
I did reboot after changing reg. I also tried modifying the user32.dll files. It's probably because it's a beta version. Winaero took it off, but I don't know how. I didn't test it sand-boxed to see what it changed. Thanks for the help though.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Insider
Okay I see what the issue is, I apologize, I did not notice it before until just now to verify, I actually opened up my reg files to check make sure, and noticed they were a little different from the reg entries Post 1 gives.

I just now booted to Win8 Pro and also Win10 Pro to verify what works and what does not, and you're right Atomicpixle the reg files on Post 1 do not work for me on Windows 10 either and only work on Windows 8.

However the reg files I use, Tested / Working, on both my activated versions of Win8 and Win10:
Win8Pro.jpg
................
Win10Pro.jpg


Below I'll attach the reg files to do this to my post.

(Shawn (Brink) if this is inappropriate I apologize and just delete my post or edit to fix it however you want to)

DesktopBuildTurnedOn.zip

DesktopBuildTurnedOff.zip
 

Attachments

  • DesktopBuildTurnedOff.zip
    294 bytes · Views: 582
  • DesktopBuildTurnedOn.zip
    293 bytes · Views: 528
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11 (x86/x64)
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ..all towers built from scratch
    CPU
    i7's
    Other Info
    ..including W98SE/WXP
    No VM's ..all OS's are live
It's fine. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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