SkinStudio A Series of Unfortunate Events
What did I do to my PC in the last 24-hrs?
Thursday, February 10, 2005 by Essencay | Discussion: SkinStudio Help
Running XP SP2 with latest round of updates (Feb 2/9) installed...
The affected software... SKS Pro 4.51.044; WB 4.50.044; OD+ 1.10.008
Yesterday I tried changing my WB skin to ChromeXP by Pixtudio. Everything seemed fine except the disabled state of the system button was showing as a white blank square with the font. Still worked correctly just the graphic wasn't loading right for it. So I opened it up in SkinStudio, ran the included optimizer, tweaked it and replaced the graphic and finally got it to skin correctly. So far I'm batting 1.000
A few hours later, I started playing around with an all glass aero startmenu in SkinStudio. Got all the settings right and it was looking good. To get it to work correctly though, I had to apply and then re-apply the skin everytime I made any changes. I got bored with that so I ditched the skin figuring alpha-blending was in its infancy and I could wait until it was more refined. So far I figure I'm not having any problems, just an older skin acting wonky with the latest version of software and this startmenu aplha-blending thing, I figured still needed some tweaking before it became really useful.
So know I figured I'd try to import a msstyle by clicking on it. SKS security window popped up, set my options and clicked okay. It was taking quite a while to convert the visual style to the wba format. I didn't think nothing of it except when it was done and I went into WB config find it, so I could edit it in SkinStudio, it wasn't there. The name and description were there, but the preview wasn't. Tried to send it to SKS from there and got the dialog box in SKS telling me wrong type of file. Tried to delete the port from WB config and it siezed. Tried closing WB config, had to kill it. I figured it was just a bad msstyle. So all I had to do was delete the port and try a different one.
On my tabbed dock I keep a shortcut to my stardock folder, so I wanted to get rid of that port. Now my dock was locked up. Opened up Windows Task Manager to kill it and noticed ObjectDock.exe was pegging my cpu around 97-98%. Killed it. Restarted it and my dock is working fine. Went through this and the above mentioned problems with porting two more times with a different msstyles.
I don't know how what I was doing in SKS relates to my dock locking up, but I figured I would just roll back to the previous release of SKS and try it again. The roll back didn't work. Tried twice, with two different archives and kept getting that this or that file was missing. That's a first, I've never had a problem rolling back to an older version. So I unistalled SKS through SDC and I am re-installing it.
So that's where I'm at right now. I'm going to try this porting thing again later today when I get back home from work. I'm really not sure what the issue is. I'm not sure if it's SkinStudio, or maybe during the conversion of the msstyle, OD+ was already pegging my cpu, slowing the conversion and the conversion somehow got messed up, or maybe the latest round of updates from MS borked SKS and OD+.
The affected software... SKS Pro 4.51.044; WB 4.50.044; OD+ 1.10.008
Yesterday I tried changing my WB skin to ChromeXP by Pixtudio. Everything seemed fine except the disabled state of the system button was showing as a white blank square with the font. Still worked correctly just the graphic wasn't loading right for it. So I opened it up in SkinStudio, ran the included optimizer, tweaked it and replaced the graphic and finally got it to skin correctly. So far I'm batting 1.000
A few hours later, I started playing around with an all glass aero startmenu in SkinStudio. Got all the settings right and it was looking good. To get it to work correctly though, I had to apply and then re-apply the skin everytime I made any changes. I got bored with that so I ditched the skin figuring alpha-blending was in its infancy and I could wait until it was more refined. So far I figure I'm not having any problems, just an older skin acting wonky with the latest version of software and this startmenu aplha-blending thing, I figured still needed some tweaking before it became really useful.
So know I figured I'd try to import a msstyle by clicking on it. SKS security window popped up, set my options and clicked okay. It was taking quite a while to convert the visual style to the wba format. I didn't think nothing of it except when it was done and I went into WB config find it, so I could edit it in SkinStudio, it wasn't there. The name and description were there, but the preview wasn't. Tried to send it to SKS from there and got the dialog box in SKS telling me wrong type of file. Tried to delete the port from WB config and it siezed. Tried closing WB config, had to kill it. I figured it was just a bad msstyle. So all I had to do was delete the port and try a different one.
On my tabbed dock I keep a shortcut to my stardock folder, so I wanted to get rid of that port. Now my dock was locked up. Opened up Windows Task Manager to kill it and noticed ObjectDock.exe was pegging my cpu around 97-98%. Killed it. Restarted it and my dock is working fine. Went through this and the above mentioned problems with porting two more times with a different msstyles.
I don't know how what I was doing in SKS relates to my dock locking up, but I figured I would just roll back to the previous release of SKS and try it again. The roll back didn't work. Tried twice, with two different archives and kept getting that this or that file was missing. That's a first, I've never had a problem rolling back to an older version. So I unistalled SKS through SDC and I am re-installing it.
So that's where I'm at right now. I'm going to try this porting thing again later today when I get back home from work. I'm really not sure what the issue is. I'm not sure if it's SkinStudio, or maybe during the conversion of the msstyle, OD+ was already pegging my cpu, slowing the conversion and the conversion somehow got messed up, or maybe the latest round of updates from MS borked SKS and OD+.
Essencay
Reply #2 Thursday, February 10, 2005 9:48 AM
Reply #2 Thursday, February 10, 2005 9:48 AM
This is bizarre....I opened up Windows Task Manager to watch what was going on and this time imported a msstyle MM Maggra-X by KoL that I know is a good msstyle and while SkinStudio was converting the file the cpu usage for ObjectDesktop.exe shot right up to 98%, slowing down the conversion process and after a minute it was still in the 40% range. It did go back to normal and did not lock up this time and the port worked. So now my question is why would importing an msstyle with SKS cause objectdock to peg my cpu usage?
Also I closed my dock and went back to try porting one of the msstyles that I had a problem with earlier this time the port went fine as expected.
Also I closed my dock and went back to try porting one of the msstyles that I had a problem with earlier this time the port went fine as expected.
_02
Reply #3 Thursday, February 10, 2005 10:14 AM
Reply #3 Thursday, February 10, 2005 10:14 AM
I installed all the updates yesterday too, and now my Skin Studio Pro does not read any programs I try to open in it and won't shut down without doing the Ctrl-Alt-Delete number. 
Phoon
Reply #4 Thursday, February 10, 2005 10:19 AM
Kona.. you MUST have other issues at hand on your PC as I have noticed you have consistently bashed SP2 in various threads.
I have installed SP on several hundred PC's, not one has ever suffered a dramatic decrease in performance or other serious issue.
Reply #4 Thursday, February 10, 2005 10:19 AM
| I installed those updates yesterday - They made my computer lock up and be constanly SLOW. Not to mention my Internet connection slowed down. So I UNINSTALLED them. |
Kona.. you MUST have other issues at hand on your PC as I have noticed you have consistently bashed SP2 in various threads.
I have installed SP on several hundred PC's, not one has ever suffered a dramatic decrease in performance or other serious issue.
Koasati
Reply #5 Thursday, February 10, 2005 11:43 AM
Reply #5 Thursday, February 10, 2005 11:43 AM
I haven't noticed any problems since installing the updates yesterday, but I can't test the msstyles conversion (don't have any to convert). SkS seems to work ok, but I haven't done anything other than open a few skins.
| but I figured I would just roll back to the previous release of SKS and try it again. The roll back didn't work. Tried twice, with two different archives and kept getting that this or that file was missing. That's a first, I've never had a problem rolling back to an older version. |
This is getting to be a real problem though...... what good is the Archive feature, if there's always some random file 'missing' when you attempt a restore??
I recently had a problem with a certain media player borking the OD+ taskbar. Restore from Archive would not work no matter what archived version I tried to restore. Always some file or another reported 'missing'.... I had to uninstall OD+, and redownload everytime. Not much fun on dialup to have to redownload something that should have been restored in a few seconds.
Essencay
Reply #6 Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:03 PM
Reply #6 Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:03 PM
So I have been leaving Windows Task Manager open to keep an eye on things. When I open up SDC from the systray icon objectdock.exe again shoots up to 97-98% cpu usage. After SDC finishes opening, OD+ settles back down. When I right-click on one of the ODNT apps and select Restore Archive to bring up the dialog showing all my archived versions, OD+ again pegs the cpu usage.
Essencay
Reply #7 Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:07 PM
You have those luna ones that came with XP
but I'm ruling out SKS. I going to uninstall OD+ and try reinstalling it to see if that fixes things.
Reply #7 Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:07 PM
| but I can't test the msstyles conversion (don't have any to convert). |
You have those luna ones that came with XP
but I'm ruling out SKS. I going to uninstall OD+ and try reinstalling it to see if that fixes things.
Essencay
Reply #8 Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:11 PM
Reply #8 Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:11 PM
Oh and Koasati I'm running TranKwill right now 
I love all the little buttons 
I love all the little buttons 
NightTrainthedark
Reply #9 Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:20 PM
Reply #9 Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:20 PM
Stardock central crashes on me after about 3-5 minutes everytime. Been happening since the last Satrdock Central update. Otherwise I would have installed the SKS and wb updates already. Just thought I would throw that out in case Stardock central is part of the problem. 
Essencay
Reply #10 Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:27 PM
Reply #10 Thursday, February 10, 2005 12:27 PM
NT I would uninstall SDC and request Stardock to resend your registration details https://www.stardock.com/support.asp you'll get link for SDC and I believe it'll be the latest version.
Koasati
Reply #11 Thursday, February 10, 2005 1:07 PM
Reply #11 Thursday, February 10, 2005 1:07 PM
| You have those luna ones that came with XP |
Well duh... Converted luna, and everything seems fine here. OD CPU usgae didn't budge during conversion. No problems at all.
| Oh and Koasati I'm running TranKwill right now I love all the little buttons |
Thanx! Glad you like. 
Essencay
Reply #12 Thursday, February 10, 2005 1:43 PM
Reply #12 Thursday, February 10, 2005 1:43 PM
Figured it out....It's the recycle bin docklet that's causing the cpu spikes. Removed it from the dock and they go away. I don't think it's just the recycle bin docklet by itself that's doing it. I also have the recycle bin protected by Norton's and now I remember that more often than not whenever I used a DX recyclebin it would lock-up DX.
kona0197
Reply #13 Friday, February 11, 2005 2:53 AM
Phoon - Even after a FRESH reformat and Reinstall of XP my PC slows down when SP2 is installed. I have no idea why. I have a Nvidia Nforce chipset and a Athlon 2000+ CPU and 512 megs DDR. Everything justs gets about 30 to 40% slower. For example IE takes 2 minutes to load instead of seconds (without SP2) I'm on a 4 megabit connection. So I'm not going to install SP2 any time soon. As for these other updates - no clue why they made the system lockup.
BTW I'm not the only one who bashes SP2 - especially since they have found holes even in SP2...
Reply #13 Friday, February 11, 2005 2:53 AM
| Kona.. you MUST have other issues at hand on your PC as I have noticed you have consistently bashed SP2 in various threads. I have installed SP on several hundred PC's, not one has ever suffered a dramatic decrease in performance or other serious issue. |
Phoon - Even after a FRESH reformat and Reinstall of XP my PC slows down when SP2 is installed. I have no idea why. I have a Nvidia Nforce chipset and a Athlon 2000+ CPU and 512 megs DDR. Everything justs gets about 30 to 40% slower. For example IE takes 2 minutes to load instead of seconds (without SP2) I'm on a 4 megabit connection. So I'm not going to install SP2 any time soon. As for these other updates - no clue why they made the system lockup.
BTW I'm not the only one who bashes SP2 - especially since they have found holes even in SP2...
NightTrainthedark
Reply #14 Friday, February 11, 2005 5:31 AM
Aren't the updates for SP2? im really confused now Kona.
Reply #14 Friday, February 11, 2005 5:31 AM
| As for these other updates - no clue why they made the system lockup. |
| So I'm not going to install SP2 any time soon. |
Aren't the updates for SP2? im really confused now Kona.
aufisch
Reply #15 Friday, February 11, 2005 4:23 PM
I sooooo totally agree with that. I had recently gone through a several hour session of trying to roll back a version of DesktopX, just to find out that NONE of the 7 versions I had would install!! All of them were missing one or more files (strangely enough they were all missing different files too).
This is really a worry. What happens if you decide not to renew your Object Desktop subscription and you think you have savely backed up your programs just to find out that you can't install them?
Reply #15 Friday, February 11, 2005 4:23 PM
| what good is the Archive feature, if there's always some random file 'missing' when you attempt a restore? |
I sooooo totally agree with that. I had recently gone through a several hour session of trying to roll back a version of DesktopX, just to find out that NONE of the 7 versions I had would install!! All of them were missing one or more files (strangely enough they were all missing different files too).
This is really a worry. What happens if you decide not to renew your Object Desktop subscription and you think you have savely backed up your programs just to find out that you can't install them?
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Reply #1 Thursday, February 10, 2005 2:52 AM
I installed those updates yesterday - They made my computer lock up and be constanly SLOW. Not to mention my Internet connection slowed down. So I UNINSTALLED them.