What Is Asus Fancy Start?

By Dan Stone

FancyStart changes the boot splash screen on Asus computers.
i Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Asus FancyStart is a program that lets the user customize the computer's boot splash screen. FancyStart changes the first screen the computer displays when powering on -- it does not alter the Windows loading logo. FancyStart is designed to work with Asus-brand motherboards and computers. The utility is configured in the Basic Input/Output System and within Windows. According to program analysis site Should I Remove It, FancyStart is not a vital system program and can be uninstalled.

Custom Splash Screen

When you first turn on an Asus brand computer or an Asus motherboard, it displays a splash screen with the company name and information on how to access the system BIOS for about five to 10 seconds. The boot splash screen doesn't really project any personality: it's a generic system feature. FancyStart lets users swap out the default splash screen with anything they want to suit their tastes. The only difference when using FancyStart is that the customized image set will show up instead of the default splash screen when you first turn on the computer.

Supported Files

Asus's FancyStart program requires specific image types for specific features. According to Asus, FancyStart can only display images that are equal to or less than 1024 by 768 pixels in dimension. Additionally, the program only supports JPEG and Bitmap files for the picture and background configuration modes. The program uses PNG files for the frame overlay. Running FancyStart may tack on a few seconds to the boot time, which can be minimized by using JPEG images.

Enable in BIOS

FancyStart must be enabled in the system BIOS to activate when turning on the computer. To access BIOS on an Asus computer, press the "F2" key when viewing the default boot splash screen when powering on the computer. The Asus FancyStart option may differ in location depending on your BIOS version, but it can usually be found under the "Advanced" heading. Select "ASUS FancyStart" from the menu and change the value to "Enabled" to activate the program. Save and exit BIOS to complete the process.

Configure in Windows

The image FancyStart loads on boot is configured through Windows. In order to setup the image, launch the FancyStart program from the Start Screen. FancyStart includes four elements: picture, sound, background and Frame. The picture can be configured to display the same image every time with "single," display an animated sequence with "sequence" and load a randomized image with "random." The sound option lets you customize the boot sound effect and features the same option set as "picture." The background option configures and image to displfay underneath the main picture: it can be set to fit to screen or tile. The final option, "frame," lets the user configure and enable a third-layer PNG overlay that displays on top of the picture and background. The frame should be configured with transparent pixels to let the picture and background show through.

×