WindowBlinds 4 Released!
Tuesday, April 8, 2003 by Stardock Central | Discussion: WinCustomize News
WindowBlinds 4 has some great new features including:* Command prompt skinning
* Skinning of virtually every element of the Windows XP GUI
* Skinning of the logoff, shellstyles, and please wait dialogs
* Smart painting - makes most WindowBlinds enhanced visual styles run nearly as fast as "classic"
* Enhanced integration into Windows XP greatly increasing compatibility with nearly all programs
* A new configuration program that makes the features of WindowBlinds more accessible than ever
* Settings for control of the Windows XP start bar. Now you can have a skinny start bar with any visual style
* Native integration into Remote Desktop and graphics acceleration by most video cards
These new features add to the already impressive WindowBlinds feature set that includes:
* Change the color of your visual style on the fly
* Gamma correction on visual styles
* Skinning of non-theme aware applications
* Hyperpaint - uses the extra memory in your video card to buffer to increase performance
* Additional controls in the title bar such as MP3 players, roll-up buttons, always on top buttons, minimize to tray, and much more
* Associate sound effects with title bar buttons
* Have animated title bars, buttons and more
* Powerful enhanced visual style format that allows placement of buttons any place on a window edge as well as independently sized window borders
* Much more!
Users who purchased WindowBlinds 3 since the beginning of the year can upgrade for free. Just visit https://www.stardock.com/support.asp and type in your email address.
Other users of WindowBlinds 3 can upgrade to version 4 for only $10 for a limited time.
Visit http://www.windowblinds.net/wb4upgrade.asp to upgrade.
All other users can purchase WindowBlinds 4 at: https://www.stardock.com/order.asp?product=Windowblinds for $19.95.
WindowBlinds is part of Stardock''s Object Desktop which is $49.95 and includes WindowBlinds 4 plus DesktopX, ObjectBar, IconPackager, WinStyles, and much more plus a year''s worth of updates to them.
A shareware version of WindowBlinds 4 will be released next week.
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Surj
Reply #42 Wednesday, April 9, 2003 11:12 PM
Reply #42 Wednesday, April 9, 2003 11:12 PM
to clarify that, I deleted the *.cat files in the main wb install folder. Upon opening up the display prop window my skins were once again properly showing.
TheGuest
Reply #43 Thursday, April 10, 2003 12:59 AM
Reply #43 Thursday, April 10, 2003 12:59 AM
"How do I get the WB icon out of my tray? Can't find a toggle anywhere."
Open the WB config, then select 'User Overrides' on the left. Then un-check the 'Show icon in system tray' box. Hope that helps.
Open the WB config, then select 'User Overrides' on the left. Then un-check the 'Show icon in system tray' box. Hope that helps.
Big Doug
Reply #44 Thursday, April 10, 2003 3:53 AM
Reply #44 Thursday, April 10, 2003 3:53 AM
As far as the version for 9x/ME/2k, I see what they have to try to accomplish. I'll break it down as I understand it.
Lets say you build a program. You make the program the very BEST that you are able to make it. But in doing so, you end up making that program incompatible with the older operating systems. So, you need to make a version FROM SCRATCH that will run on these older OS's, but that will in the end do the same thing just VERY differently than the original.
Realise also that while Win2k still has life...honestly....9x systems are pushed to their limits with what a full Object Desktop installation makes it do. You ever try running DesktopX, ObjectBar, WindowBlinds, WinFX 1.21, Icon Packager AND Desktop Architect at the same time on Windows 98 and ME ?!? Yeah. It won't happen. Something WILL crash, or it'll run like crap. Believe me --- especially when it comes to the attempt of making 9x-based systems do new tricks, you have too many limitations. Kernal32.dll wasn't made to handle the kinds of things (especially graphics intensive stuff in a static environment like Active Desktop) that StarDock software does. Better Video, Memory, and Processor really dosen't make much of a difference on those systems. SO, give Frog and the guys a little space, and let them get the thing made.
Lets say you build a program. You make the program the very BEST that you are able to make it. But in doing so, you end up making that program incompatible with the older operating systems. So, you need to make a version FROM SCRATCH that will run on these older OS's, but that will in the end do the same thing just VERY differently than the original.
Realise also that while Win2k still has life...honestly....9x systems are pushed to their limits with what a full Object Desktop installation makes it do. You ever try running DesktopX, ObjectBar, WindowBlinds, WinFX 1.21, Icon Packager AND Desktop Architect at the same time on Windows 98 and ME ?!? Yeah. It won't happen. Something WILL crash, or it'll run like crap. Believe me --- especially when it comes to the attempt of making 9x-based systems do new tricks, you have too many limitations. Kernal32.dll wasn't made to handle the kinds of things (especially graphics intensive stuff in a static environment like Active Desktop) that StarDock software does. Better Video, Memory, and Processor really dosen't make much of a difference on those systems. SO, give Frog and the guys a little space, and let them get the thing made.
snarph
Reply #45 Thursday, April 10, 2003 7:45 AM
Reply #45 Thursday, April 10, 2003 7:45 AM
SO, give Frog and the guys a little space, and let them get the thing made.
Ok so maybe I rant and rave a bit about exclusions. I just think a company with as much savvy and expertise would do a little more to not alienate and segregate their customers I rember WB on win95 systems wile other people had 2000 their wasnt as much hype and more effort was put in to seeing that a release coverd all platforms.
I,m all for giving Stardock its due they make an awsome product and also have the best support and responce to customor needs that I have seen in any industry, I would just like to see things arive in a final package thats all .
Ok so maybe I rant and rave a bit about exclusions. I just think a company with as much savvy and expertise would do a little more to not alienate and segregate their customers I rember WB on win95 systems wile other people had 2000 their wasnt as much hype and more effort was put in to seeing that a release coverd all platforms.
I,m all for giving Stardock its due they make an awsome product and also have the best support and responce to customor needs that I have seen in any industry, I would just like to see things arive in a final package thats all .
eieio
Reply #46 Thursday, April 10, 2003 8:02 AM
Reply #46 Thursday, April 10, 2003 8:02 AM
Well, I'm happy 
I haven't had any problems and everything looks great!!
Great work, guys.
I haven't had any problems and everything looks great!!
Great work, guys.
Just4Jane
Reply #47 Thursday, April 10, 2003 10:50 AM
Reply #47 Thursday, April 10, 2003 10:50 AM
Basicly, I am (was) thrilled with this update. Much faster, easier to use, changes skins, etc. All great! I just have one problem ... This program disables my scanner. It took me some time to realize it was WB causing it. As soon as I unloaded WB (temporarily) I was able to use the scanner (Cannon 1220). I have always had to turn off WB when I use my tax program (Intuit's ProSeries). I guess testing and programing are not done on much professional software. I still really like WB and would not be without. I just wish I would not have to turn it off when I am in my tax program (very deeply this time of year) or when I have to scan documents. Anyone have ideas why these problems are happening. I have XP Pro (1.7 gig with 512 ram).
Just4Jane
Reply #48 Thursday, April 10, 2003 10:51 AM
Reply #48 Thursday, April 10, 2003 10:51 AM
I have to take back part of whay I just "Complained" about!!! WB will now let me use my tax program ... ya!!!! 
TheGuest
Reply #49 Thursday, April 10, 2003 1:46 PM
Reply #49 Thursday, April 10, 2003 1:46 PM
Jane, couldn't you add your Tax and Scanner program to the list of programs NOT to skin? If you add them to the 'Per Application' list and tell it to not skin those, then it should work. I had similar problems with some of my programs not working either until I told WB to not skin them.
GreenReaper
Reply #50 Thursday, April 10, 2003 3:40 PM
Reply #50 Thursday, April 10, 2003 3:40 PM
Also you could try using a per-application UIS1 skin with them, like Blackcomb - they are distinguished by the lack of a menu bar in the preview.
joetheblow
Reply #51 Thursday, April 10, 2003 4:15 PM
Reply #51 Thursday, April 10, 2003 4:15 PM
yeah UIS1 works great on programs that don't want to skin well (like photoshop and other graphic programs).
If UIS1 don't work, then just exclude the program.
If UIS1 don't work, then just exclude the program.
TheGuest
Reply #52 Thursday, April 10, 2003 4:22 PM
Reply #52 Thursday, April 10, 2003 4:22 PM
What does UIS stand for anyways? I'll have to give it a try on the programs I had previously excluded from being skinned.
GreenReaper
Reply #53 Thursday, April 10, 2003 5:31 PM
Reply #53 Thursday, April 10, 2003 5:31 PM
Universal Interface Specification, I believe. There's UIS1 (which should really be UIS1++) and UIS2, which came before it. Confusing, no? *g*
See http://www.windowblinds.net/skinning/skinformats.html for full details of the differences.
See http://www.windowblinds.net/skinning/skinformats.html for full details of the differences.
TheGuest
Reply #55 Thursday, April 10, 2003 8:08 PM
Reply #55 Thursday, April 10, 2003 8:08 PM
Ah hah! So that's what it is. Thanks
I didn't know there was that much info about it..
I didn't know there was that much info about it..
Richrap
Reply #56 Thursday, April 10, 2003 11:59 PM
Reply #56 Thursday, April 10, 2003 11:59 PM
I don't understand it. Am I the only one having nothing but problems with 4.0? I try to access Control Panel from the start menu and it doesn't appear. Switching between Window Blinds, my system freezes. Had no problems with previous versions. Running XP on a 1.5MHZ with 256MB ram and G-Force II. Any ideas? 
TheGuest
Reply #57 Friday, April 11, 2003 12:10 AM
Reply #57 Friday, April 11, 2003 12:10 AM
Richrap, Have you tried reinstalling or re-downloading WB4? Did you uninstall/unload your previous version of WB?
I don't know what else could be causing those problems..
I don't know what else could be causing those problems..
wulfn1
Reply #58 Friday, April 11, 2003 4:35 AM
Reply #58 Friday, April 11, 2003 4:35 AM
"The version for Windows 9x/2000 will be released around the beginning of summer. We have said this is the case for some time now.
by Citizen Neil Banfield - 4/9/2003 6:37:38 AM"
Well, actually, wbxp was promised at an earlier date with 95\98\me to be released this spring. I renewed my OD subscription in Jan. Looks like I'll have missed out on half of what I paid for. *Sigh*
but on the bright side, I have SDC, which I enjoy thoroughly!
by Citizen Neil Banfield - 4/9/2003 6:37:38 AM"
Well, actually, wbxp was promised at an earlier date with 95\98\me to be released this spring. I renewed my OD subscription in Jan. Looks like I'll have missed out on half of what I paid for. *Sigh*
but on the bright side, I have SDC, which I enjoy thoroughly!
Cherokee Kid
Reply #59 Friday, April 11, 2003 2:00 PM
Reply #59 Friday, April 11, 2003 2:00 PM
Very Nice!! but I still get an error when opening any spreadsheet documents, Of course any version of WB's caused me a problem there. I like the new interface and will always be a fan of Stardock and the apps 
Neil Banfield
Reply #60 Sunday, April 13, 2003 5:28 AM
Reply #60 Sunday, April 13, 2003 5:28 AM
What error do you get when opening spreadsheets?
And which app do you use for those?
And which app do you use for those?
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Reply #41 Wednesday, April 9, 2003 11:11 PM
thanks to werewold on the wb newsgroup for discovering that one