Installing .zip WB skins & how to keep scroll bar width

Wednesday, April 5, 2006 by justforlooks | Discussion: OS Customization

Typical noob question, but when I increase the width of my scroll bars, they go back to the minimum size of the skin. How do I keep them fat so I can easily grab them? And do I still have to change zip d/lds to .wba exts. or can I just unload them to My Docs\Unzipped folder and click on them and install what I want from there? Tried to unzip GT3OS into WB folder and found out that doesn't work. Thanks, just for those looks, man!
15 Reply 13 Referrals
Daiwa
Reply #1 Wednesday, April 5, 2006 9:44 PM
The scrollbar width is determined by the skin. Changing it in the traditional Appearance dialog of Display Properties won't work. You can change it using SkinStudio (a free download from Stardock), but depending on the skin it may look funky since the graphics are done (most often) for a specific size scrollbar.

As for installing the skins, if Internet Explorer is changing the extension to .zip when you download a skin by left-clicking the Download button in WinCustomize, the best thing to do is change the extension to .wba, then double-click the file to install it. Alternatively, and what I've always done, you can right-click the Download button, select "Save Target As..." and save the .wba file to a location of your choice (IE will leave the extension alone when you do that) and then double-click it to install it, or install it from the WB Configuration dialog by navigating to it from the "Install Skin From Disk" link.

It's possible to simply unzip the files to a folder in the WindowBlinds folder, but you have to be careful to name the folder properly or the skin won't show up in WB Config - the folder name has to match the folder name used in the path statements for the graphics files and the skinname listed by the author within the .uis file, one of the files that will be unzipped into the folder and the "control file" which WB reads in order to do the skinning.

justforlooks
Reply #2 Friday, April 7, 2006 2:04 PM
Daiwa, thanks for your knowledgeable, comprehensive answer. The scrollbar issue wasn't as big a deal as learning that its supposed to keep the skin's width. I think SkinStudio is a ways beyond my skin 'skills' at this point. I'm using GT3 OS, d/ld the zip, unzipped to \My Documents\Unzipped & found the WB "installer" icon for the skin & a newly created userpix sub-folder containing 49 bitmap files. I dbl clicked the installer, got a notification that a skin had just been... from WB. I checked WB 1st & GT3 OS was there, then checked C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds & GT3 OS was listed. The bitmaps I mentioned above were duplicates so I deleted them. GT3 OS only contains 249 items compared to 544 for Fresco but everything seems fine & I ain't seen no better skin in the couple dozen I've had time to look at so far. I tried Save Target As, but I.E.(during files transferring) covers that with a "I.E. doesn't support this unknown protocol" pop-up, I drag it out of the way, and in the File Transfer window, the est. time, rate, & size info is grayed out. I let it continue past 30 secs., at the right time, RR can d/ld 30 MBs in 30 seconds - so I stopped it & sure enough 0 was actually d/lded. Changing file ext. for WinZip only partially installed the skin, somewhere, it's been 2 days ago, I don't remember, cleaned things up &, everything seems ok. Opera gives me a JavaScript error when I right click a zip file and select Save Target As. That's it, I'll stick with d/lding .wba skins & forget about GT3wb5 as long as this older ver. doesn't start hiccupping. Thanks, justforlooks

Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central

Daiwa
Reply #3 Friday, April 7, 2006 11:13 PM
What sort of security settings are you using in IE? I've never had IE balk at downloading a .wba file (the files start with the .wba extension - IE changes it to .zip on certain rigs with certain settings it appears).

If you can't get IE to let you download them directly as .wba files, I would not recommend simply unzipping the files to the "Unzipped" folder. Better to move the file somewhere where you want to keep it stored, change the extension to .wba (ignore the warning message about the file becoming potentially unusable), and then double-click it, letting WindowBlinds handle the installation automatically - fewer opportunities for things to get screwed up that way.

justforlooks
Reply #4 Saturday, April 8, 2006 1:38 PM
Daiwa, for the purpose of d/ld GT3wb5, I've lowered IE security settigs to Default Level. When I right click the GT3wb5.zip download button and select Save Target As, I.E.(during files transferring) covers that with a "Internet Explorer cannot download from_doPostBack("_dlLink,")", "No such interface supported", pop-up. Of course I can left click & d/ld the zip file. I guess I'm not getting the changing the file ext. route. You not saying to right click the WinZip icon of the d/lded skin and renaming it with a .zip ext. are you? I did try that & I got the message, "If you change a file name extension, the file may become unusable" so I didn't change it, or are you (and the "the tips for new users", thread) saying do it anyhow, then dbl click it? Best I remember, when I did, it said "this file doesn't appear to contain a uis file" I went into File Types & changed .Zip WinZip files to open with WB & undid that when it didn't work (right clicking the file, of course, I could do the same thing) So there it is. If you want I can give you my email addy & I quit taking up space on this board. Thanks, justforlooks

Bichur
Reply #5 Saturday, April 8, 2006 1:47 PM
yes, Daiwa and the Tips thread are saying ignore the message and do it anyway

bear in mind that sometimes a zip is just a zip (other items maybe zipped in with the skin)

try a right click 'explore' to see if it's full of graphics or contains a .wba

if there's a .wba inside, then unzip it and double click the skin file

if it's full of graphics and such, the change to .zip to .wba (.wba is just another form of a .zip, it's just the form of zip the windowblinds reads and knows how to apply)

the no uis message can also mean that the file corrupted somehow on download

Bichur
Reply #6 Saturday, April 8, 2006 2:01 PM
you can't change the .zip to open with WB - won't work (I suspect if it did, WB would try to open all you .zips)

sometimes if you change the .zip to .wba and get the 'no uis' message it can mean it really was a zip with a wba inside, sometimes it means the file corrupted

justforlooks
Reply #7 Saturday, April 8, 2006 2:59 PM
Sir Birchur, ok, I rt. click the the zip & rename it. I ignore the warning & dbl click it & I get the a "Missing skin data" window, "There appears to be no uis in this skin. Are you sure it is a WindowBlinds skin?" Before renaming it, when I rt. clicked it & selected explore, a window opened up with the GT3wb5 WindowBlind icon & a userpix folder containing 55 bitmaps. When I rt. click on the GT3wb5 WindowBlind icon there, properties, says, "Name GT3wb5.wba, type wbload Document. So is it corrupted & I need to re-d/ld it or can/should I just dbl click this GT3wb5 WindowBlind icon? Thanks, justforlooks

Bichur
Reply #8 Saturday, April 8, 2006 3:39 PM
once unzipped, yes - that has a user pic folder and .wba = double click that .wba puppy

Bichur
Reply #9 Saturday, April 8, 2006 3:45 PM
ahhhhh

it's a .zip - don't rename = unzip it and double click the .wba next to user pics

justforlooks
Reply #10 Sunday, April 9, 2006 9:49 AM
Daiwa & Sir Birchur, ok, this is it. When I renamed the .zip per your instructions & these, "After downloading a windowblind (.zip file) where do I put the zip file contents?", I dbl clicked it, & got, "this file doesn't appear to contain a uis file". I clicked ok - 0 happens. I renamed it back to a zip file, I Rt. clicked it & selected explore, a window opened up with the GT3wb5 WindowBlind icon & a userpix folder containing 55 bitmaps. I dbl clicked the GT3wb5 WindowBlind icon, nothing seemed to happen, but I checked C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds & GT3wb5 was there with the 55 userpix bitmaps & the GT3wb5 WindowBlind icon. I sent it to My Documents, made sure it was there, & deleted the icon from the GT3wb5 folder. Then I navigated to it from within WindowBlinds, dbl clicked it, & viola, GT3wb5 was 'installed in WindowBlinds. Another check in C:\Program Files confirmed it was there, now without the WB icon that I moved earlier, but with, I guess, everything else (235 Objects.) I loaded it & everything worked & everything is way too dark (he said, " yes, it's still dark" & dark it is). So after playing with custom coloring, (inverting skin color, etc.) everything was still too dark, even MS Word, Opera & other apps excluded from skinning via WB's Per Application configuration. Maybe my method of installation didn't work quite right. I went back to, yeah, GT3 OS, great huh? Sorry for wasting your time, I really am, but at least I learned how to handle or mis-handle a WB zip d/ld. Thanks, justforlooks

scorpio-logic
Reply #11 Sunday, April 9, 2006 10:36 AM
I don't use WinZip. I use 7Zip. But they should be similar.

Here's how I just d/l and installed GT3 OS:

1. Download .zip file to My Documents/GT3OSwb
2. Open archive: GTOSWB.zip
3. I see that it has a .wba file and a folder.
4. Double-clicked .wba file, 7Zip opens it to see what it contains.
5. I see that it has lots of images, and other files. I believe it to be a WB .zip with extention .wba
6. I move focus back to the .wba file in explorer sidebar and right, extract to here...directory/windowblinds
7. I close all windows.
8. I unload windowblinds.
9. I reload windowblinds, and click on "Rebuild List" in WB config.
10. I see that GT3 OS is now a skin in the listing.


You don't necessarily have to use the .wba to install. You can manually install as I have briefly outlined above.

Hope this helps.

justforlooks
Reply #12 Sunday, April 9, 2006 7:08 PM
scorpio-logic, copy/pasted, soon as I see something worthy of replacing GT3 OS or have to try it just to see how well it works, I'll do it. Probably a topic for another thread, but have you used GT3wb5 and was it really dark - affecting apps like Word & Opera which had been excluded from WB's skinning? Thanks, justforlooks

Bichur
Reply #13 Monday, April 10, 2006 11:55 AM
Hey S-L.

7Zip appear to make it more complicated.
for me it went like:

1. Download .zip file to firefox download (since it was an actual zip file)
2. extract to within the same folder
3. I see that it has a .wba file and a folder.
4. Double-clicked .wba file, WB installs the skin and the balloon pops up letting me know it's installed and I can click the balloon now if I want to

but then I don't manually install the skins

justforlooks
per your instructions & these, "After downloading a windowblind (.zip file) where do I put the zip file contents?",


sometimes a .zip is a .zip and not a misnamed .wba
I use Firefox and it hasn't been wrong yet.
When FF tells me it's coming in as a .zip, then I save it on download.
Then I extract the .zip and double click (or right click and open with WB) the .wba inside. Usually if a WB skin comes in as a .zip and it's supposed to be a .zip - the artist usually mentions it in the description - something like: I included some extra goodies in the .zip)

yes a dark skin can affect an excluded app - there is a way to fix it, but I can't find it again in forums & I don't have the KSAs to do it = so, I just use the per apps to apply a specific skin always (Antares works nicely) to certain apps.

Daiwa
Reply #14 Monday, April 10, 2006 10:47 PM
It wasn't clear until today that the file you are trying to download "started" as a .zip. Most skin files uploaded (to WinCustomize, anyway) have the extension .wba, not .zip.

Sir Bichur explains it perfectly - follow his advice and you should be fine.

justforlooks
Reply #15 Tuesday, April 11, 2006 8:46 PM
Daiwa, Sir Birchur, scorpio-logic, any else who might benefit, this is how I installed a zipped skin (using WinZip) just now. I d/ld GT3 OS (again, after deleting it from WB, just to do this) & saved it to My Documents. I selected open archive & displayed in WinZip's window was 54 Bitmap files & the WB icon (.wba) file. I selected Extract & I had a newly created userpix folder (containing the 54 Bitmap files & the WB icon .wba file). in My Documents. I dbl clicked the WB icon & saw the WB pop-up balloon that said a new WB skin has just been..., but I didn't click it. I checked C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds, GT3 OS was in the list & contained 180 objects. I cut/pasted the bitmaps from the userpix folder in My Documents to C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop\WindowBlinds, GT3 OS & increased total objects to 234. I opened WindowBlinds & selected GT3 OS, dbl clicked it & GT3 OS displayed with no apparent problem, so far. Thanks, justforlooks

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