WindowBlinds 6 Beta Feedback
Wednesday, August 1, 2007 by Neil Banfield | Discussion: Stardock Support General
Please post all feedback about the WindowBlinds 6 beta on this thread.
Note that the beta is for 32 bit XP and Vista systems only. Please do not post about it not working on 64 bit XP/Vista. Please continue to use WB 5.51 on those platforms.
This beta is for Object Desktop customers ONLY. Standalone WindowBlinds 5 owners will not be able to activate this build.
Please note that you must have Stardock Central 2.46 Build 154 or later to install the WindowBlinds 6 betas. If you try and use older versions, it'll eventually timeout and give you an error about an invalid URL.
If you have problems with it running at all, please uninstall WB6, reboot and then try reinstalling WB6 again.
Reply #382 Sunday, September 2, 2007 1:11 AM
Has anyone else had this issue? The only way I can "fix" it is to unload WB, return to the good-old standard (Fisher Price) XP look, and then putting WB back (the bad thing is all my sounds, cursors, and icons have to be restored too - a real PITA).
Can anyone help me get back to the normal size fonts without having to go to such extremes? I love Molten - but just HATE the font choices.
Reply #383 Sunday, September 2, 2007 7:17 AM
Dear Einstein, You should consider using SKS 5 and SKS 6 for better results with your fonts and overall anything else you want to change in WB or Windows.
To Restore your fonts to the proper original order of whatever skin you use or just back to what windows has it set for - 1st set WB 6 for [allow the skin to decide on the fonts] in the fonts section. Then apply your settings and restart the computer.
More than usually any font changes do not really take hold without first a logoff or a restart.
Actually if do this for what you want to change with WB 6 [for those font changes] and see if it works better for you. I've had no problems with it here. But my main way for changing things in WB is with Skin Studio 5/6. [But I have used the font changer with no problems!] Try the logoff first and then see whats what...
Good luck...
SGT
Reply #384 Sunday, September 2, 2007 9:57 AM
And WB6 does not show correctly in Windows Titlebars which uses Unicode characters.
This status only happens when I use windowblinds and aero window frame at the same time. (In windowblinds, setting 'I want to use aero window frames but keep the rest of the skin'.) If I only use windowblinds, the titlebars display correctly.
Reply #385 Sunday, September 2, 2007 10:59 AM
Same here...seems to hang almost everytime.
That is a strange problem vStyler. Could it be because the skins needs to be updated to WB6?
If i apply the new Classic skin we just got, then the problem goes away, so it is clearly related to Windowblinds.
Reply #386 Sunday, September 2, 2007 11:28 PM
to reproduce:
1. load media center and tune live tv to any channel
2. using wb, apply the classic skin
3. using wb, unload wb
4. media center will crash with an appcrash dialog box
Reply #387 Monday, September 3, 2007 12:29 AM
Reply #388 Monday, September 3, 2007 12:42 AM
Reply #389 Tuesday, September 4, 2007 1:44 AM
Reply #390 Tuesday, September 4, 2007 2:15 AM
and re-loaded all the Stardock stuff a
couple of days ago ..... so all new installs
of all the latest versions including WB 6 beta
and all works fine so far - no bugs - at all
maybe my 3-1/2 gigs of ram helps too ?
Reply #391 Wednesday, September 5, 2007 6:10 AM
Will wait for final, but for some reason, on Vista especially, WB6 feels about as tacked on over the top of Windows as WB used to back in the 9x/2K days. Feels like a step back.
I'm sure it doesn't on XP, which seems to have received the focus of this update. Ah well, guess Vista users will be waiting until v7. Makes sense, WB didn't feel integrated to XP until 5.
I know it uses DWM in Vista (I know because each version, if it manages to skin, kills DWM on startup and I lose transparency until manually started), but it feels like it uses it by borrowing bits from it to load into WB's own engine, and not seemlessly.
Reply #392 Thursday, September 6, 2007 4:00 PM
Repeated unnecessary repainting of both firefox and thunderbird.
Various unrepeatable stray repainting errors.
Annoying 'deleting' and 'copying' windowblinds messages on startup.
XP Pro SP2, two 7600GTs running 3 monitors : 1280x1024,2048x1536,1280x1024. Currently trying the molten skin, also tried 'aerial' by 'danil0c' - this has many repainting issues also.
Reply #393 Thursday, September 6, 2007 4:11 PM
Reply #394 Thursday, September 6, 2007 7:46 PM

As this is a cry for help i will start with this:
WindowBlinds version : WindowBlinds 6 (6.0 (beta build 22 x86))
WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC
WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC
Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.
(Dell 2407WFP (Digital)) 1 is attached to Radeon X1950 CrossFire Edition
Wblind.dll 2007/08/28 15:49:20
Wbsrv.dll 2007/08/27 11:54:18
Wbconfig.exe 2007/08/27 11:54:35
Wbload.exe 2007/08/27 11:54:11
Wbhelp.dll 2007/08/27 11:54:07
Wbui.dll 2007/08/27 11:54:06
Tray.dll 2007/08/27 11:54:49
I am running WinXP pro SP2. 2GB Ram and a Duo Core CPU.
So, I have just downloaded and installed WB6 beta using SDC. First things first it looks absolutely stunning and I just lurv the Leo skin

So, having got it all set up on my laptop with no problems I set about replicating it on my desktop. This is where it got weird. Everything installed ok and the default skin was just fine. However, when I swapped to the Leo skin some weird things happened . The cursor is displayed behind the title bar of windows when moving over them. On top of that, the menus from ObjectBar (MacPC Update skin) are also displayed behind the title bar. See attached pictures.




I have un-installed WB6, updated my video drivers, re-installed WB6, deleted skins and recopied them and nothing has worked. I did notice that it only seemed to to it on the perpixel skins though. I also un-installed cursorXP and re-installed it. When using the windows default cursor there is no problems with the cursor but the menus still show behind the title bar of windows (so I dont think its a CursorXP issue either). I also noticed that the coloured highlight affect that appears when you hover over the max/min/close buttons on the title bar, seem to be displayed behind the bar, whereas on my laptop they are in front of it. Its almost like the title bar is being displayed on the wrong layer?
The transparency and blur effects are all displayed correctly though

The frustrating thing is that the exact same config work flawlessly on my laptop

Anyone got any ideas?? Thanks!
Reply #395 Thursday, September 6, 2007 8:26 PM
Reply #396 Thursday, September 6, 2007 9:25 PM
The cursor is displayed behind the title bar of windows when moving over them. On top of that, the menus from ObjectBar (MacPC Update skin) are also displayed behind the title bar. See attached pictures.
This happens due to a bad load of the graphics drivers and that of cursorxp. If you have some way to clear the icon cache and do a logoff and log back in - it should solve it. If not do a complete restart with let xp load completely before you login. Another problem also is there maybe a lot more running in the startup than what is truly needed.
How many icons are on your desktop? Just a question I'm wondering about...
Give that a try and see. It is mainly a bad load of graphics drivers. The which ATI are very bad about doing. Also make sure those drivers are completely up to date!
SGT

Reply #397 Friday, September 7, 2007 4:55 AM
Syllopsium: Copying and deleting messages at startup are nothing to do with WindowBlinds. I suspect you have ObjectBar or RightClick running and it is trying to reimport the WB skin every time.
Could you be more specific about painting issues as we have not had reports of that before.
ijhammo: What you are seeing is the bug in Windows with perpixel windows where they paint the z order incorrectly. Always on top windows are showing under non always on top windows.
Rebooting should fix this, but any display mode changes may trigger it. The bug is totally random and sometimes a display change will cause it and sometimes a later display change will fix it. I would guess that something on your PC is causing a screen res change near bootup (ATI CCC perhaps?)
Reply #398 Friday, September 7, 2007 6:41 AM
Rebooting doesn't fix it but logging off and on again does! ATI CCC does run during bootup so I think you could be right. I tried changing the order everything loads in but it didnt seem to help.
Any other suggestions for how I might resolve it?
Thanks
Reply #399 Saturday, September 8, 2007 10:23 AM
>Pidgin (www.pidgin.im) works poorly - buddy list is broken.
Fixed by updating drivers to latest beta nvidia UK international driver
>Repeated unnecessary repainting of both firefox and thunderbird.
Appears to be a WindowFX issue, not Windowblinds. Has not reoccured since WindowFX disabled
>Annoying 'deleting' and 'copying' windowblinds messages on startup.
Only appears when 'windows classic' is selected as a skin
Various unrepeatable stray repainting errors.
However, there are now repainting issues in Pidgin's IRC window at times
The scrollbar sometimes flashes the window edge all manner of colours when scrolling up and down
The inactive window border frequently becomes completely transparent
WindowBlinds version : WindowBlinds 6 (6.0 (beta build 22 x86))
WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC
WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC
Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.
(Plug and Play Monitor) 1 is attached to NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
(ViewSonic VP730 Series) 2 is attached to NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
(ViewSonic VP730 Series) 3 is attached to NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
(This is a lie - one of the monitors is a CRT, not a VP730)
Wblind.dll 2007/08/28 15:49:20
Wbsrv.dll 2007/08/02 11:25:18
Wbconfig.exe 2007/08/27 11:54:35
Wbload.exe 2007/07/30 13:14:11
Wbhelp.dll 2007/07/24 10:21:07
Wbui.dll 2007/07/24 10:21:06
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer INTEL_
System Model D975XBX2
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 2 GenuineIntel ~1866 Mhz
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 2 GenuineIntel ~1866 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Intel Corp. BX97520J.86A.2770.2007.0613.1403, 13/06/2007
SMBIOS Version 2.4
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United Kingdom
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
Time Zone GMT Daylight Time
Total Physical Memory 2,048.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 1.05 GB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 3.85 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys
Name NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0391&SUBSYS_22201682&REV_A1\4&16020E22&0&0008
Adapter Type GeForce 7600 GT, NVIDIA compatible
Adapter Description NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
Adapter RAM 256.00 MB (268,435,456 bytes)
Installed Drivers nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version 6.14.11.6344
INF File oem55.inf (nv4_NV3x section)
Color Planes 1
Color Table Entries 4294967296
Resolution 2048 x 1536 x 75 hertz
Bits/Pixel 32
Memory Address 0xA3000000-0xA3FFFFFF
Memory Address 0x80000000-0xF0000000
Memory Address 0xA2000000-0xA3FFFFFF
I/O Port 0x00004000-0x00004FFF
IRQ Channel IRQ 16
I/O Port 0x000003B0-0x000003BB
I/O Port 0x000003C0-0x000003DF
Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\nv4_mini.sys (6.14.11.6344, 6.53 MB (6,842,208 bytes), 23/03/2007 19:06)
Name NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0391&SUBSYS_22201682&REV_A1\4&6C79FC5&0&00E0
Adapter Type GeForce 7600 GT, NVIDIA compatible
Adapter Description NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT
Adapter RAM 256.00 MB (268,435,456 bytes)
Installed Drivers nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version 6.14.11.6344
INF File oem55.inf (nv4_NV3x section)
Color Planes 1
Color Table Entries 4294967296
Resolution 1280 x 1024 x 60 hertz
Bits/Pixel 32
Memory Address 0xA1000000-0xA1FFFFFF
Memory Address 0x90000000-0x9FFFFFFF
Memory Address 0xA0000000-0xA1FFFFFF
I/O Port 0x00003C80-0x00003CFF
IRQ Channel IRQ 16
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\nv4_mini.sys (6.14.11.6344, 6.53 MB (6,842,208 bytes), 23/03/2007 19:06)
Reply #400 Sunday, September 9, 2007 9:06 AM
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Reply #381 Saturday, September 1, 2007 1:46 PM