How to: Install A Custom Launch Screen In An Alpine iLX-700 / iLX-007 / iLX-107 / X902D

If you have an Alpine iLX-700 (iLX-007 outside Europe) and you’re looking to replace the launch screen of the headunit with your own, then you’ve come to the right place.

Although this is detailed in the owners manual, below is a step-by-step walkthrough of how to create and upload your own custom launch screen onto your Alpine headunit.

First Lets Make your image

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You can’t upload any old image onto your iLX-700, not all images will be compatible. You must first create your image under some strict conditions:

  • The image file must be a BMP image
  • Use a resolution of 800 × 480 pixels
  • Image must be RGB 24bit or less
  • Filename must be called ‘openingfile.bmp’ (without the quotes).

You can download the above Audi image I used here.

You can create this image using your preferred image editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop, Gimp, Pixelmator (Mac) etc. Making sure it is saved/exported using the conditions listed above.

Prepare Your USB Drive & Save Your Image

openingfile bmp

Once you have your image file ready, we need to save it onto a USB drive, again with a few strict rules:

  • The USB drive must be formatted to FAT-32 file system
  • Once formatted, create a folder named ‘OPENINGFILE’
  • Copy the openingfile.bmp file into the OPENINGFILE folder

Upload Your Launch Image

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Once you have your image loaded into your USB drive, head over to your vehicle with the Alpine iLX-700 installed and do the following:

  • With the vehicle switched on, powering the Alpine
  • Locate the USB extender cable and plug in your USB drive
  • Wait a few seconds and a confirmation message will display
  • Press OK to replace the launch image with your own

Restart To View The Update

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Once you’ve uploaded the image, it is time to test if it has worked.

  • Restart the vehicle, or press and hold the menu button for a few seconds to switch off the headunit and press the menu button again to power it back up again.
  • You should now see your newly installed launch image

Resetting Your Launch Image

You can revert back to the original factory image from Alpine by navigating through the system’s own settings and turning the customisations option from User to Default.

It Didn’t Work?

If neither of these steps worked as intended, first make sure you have followed each step, file formats and folder rules as stated above. If you still run into problems try one of the suggestions below.

  • Nothing happens when plugging in my USB drive
    Check that the USB drive is connected correctly and that it is formatted to FAT-32 and not NTFS or any other format.
  • USB is Not Recognised
    Try a different USB drive. I’ve worked with a few CarPlay Life fans who have had this issue and by simply changing to a different USB has worked for them. This means there are some USB drives out there that aren’t compatible.
  • I do not get the confirmation message
    Try inserting the USB drive with the headunit switched off first, plugging in the USB drive and then turn the headunit on.
  • Check your file and folder names
    Also, make sure the filenames are correctly named and the file you’ve added is a BMP file saved under the correct folder conditions. As a test, you can download our own launch screen above to test with.
  • Installing on a different Alpine?
    There is a possibility that the Alpine model you are trying to install a custom launch screen on using this guide, does not allow this. To find out if this is the case, check your Alpine’s manual for a mention of custom launch screens. If it is not mentioned in the manual, this isn’t a hidden feature, so it is likely that your Alpine doesn’t support custom launch screens. I know that HALO systems do not support custom launch screens.
  • Solution Check List:
    • Format of the USB stick
    • Check correct naming of folders and filename
    • Make sure other files are not on the USB stick
    • Check file is BMP and it hasn’t been renamed on saving
    • Make sure the image is flattened
    • Use our own BMP file from the guide to make sure it is not your own image that’s incorrectly saved
    • Check pixel size
    • Make sure BMP is 24bit colour
    • Try not using Pixelmator software to save BMP, try Adobe Photoshop trial
    • Try with ignition on and plugin
    • Try with ignition off and plugin, then turn on

Still Stuck?

Let me know in the comments below, or via Twitter, Facebook or our contact form on this site if you run into any trouble and I’ll try and help you.

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