WindowBlinds 5: What's new
Changes since version 4.0.
Friday, December 2, 2005 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize News
Version 5
| Introduction |
WindowBlinds is a software program for Microsoft Windows that enables users to completely alter the Windows graphical user interface (GUI) by applying specialized UI themes known commonly as skins (also called visual styles). These skins can change virtually every element of the GUI such as title bars, push buttons, radio buttons, checkboxes, the Start bar, Explorer task panels, scrollbars, toolbar buttons, progress bars, progress animations, and much more.
WindowBlinds was first released in 1999 for Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0. Since then, it has been completely rewritten to take advantage of newer operating systems such as Windows XP along with adding a host of new features.
WindowBlinds 4 was released in 2003. This document outlines what is new in WindowBlinds 5.
WindowBlinds 5 works on Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit as well as 2003 Server, Windows Vista support is due when Windows Vista ships).
| What's New |
The major new features of WindowBlinds 5.0 over 4.0 can be boiled down to this:
- Per-pixel alpha blended support for nearly all elements of the GUI such as title bars, borders, buttons, menus, special dialogs, start menu, etc. This means that the graphics can be seamlessly be blended into whatever is behind the graphic. This makes possible spectacular looking user interfaces previously not possible on Windows.
- No Dedicated Process. WindowBlinds now works as an extension of the OS itself. It requires no special process to be running to work.
- Newer, easier to use Configuration program.
- Enhanced hardware acceleration support. WindowBlinds 5 makes use hardware acceleration to a much greater degree to speed up repainting, resizing, and moving of windows. It should be noticeably faster, particularly on slower machines, than Windows by default.
- Animated per-pixel title bars and frames. Title bars and frames can be animated. The animation in most cases is hardware accelerated meaning it should use no CPU for the animation.
- Toolbar icon changing. WindowBlinds can change your toolbar icons for Internet Explorer and Explorer.
- Progress Animation changing. WindowBlinds can change progress animations (copy, move, etc.). The ones in Windows XP by default are over 10 years old.
However, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Below is a more comprehensive list of what's new:
- Internet Explorer 7 skinning
- Glow effects for title bar buttons
- Glow effects for most other controls on the system (put mouse over a button and if the skin supports it, a glow appears around it)
- Idle mode implemented for full-screen games (gamers should find their systems run faster if running WindowBlinds over the default Windows XP visual style).
- Explorer task panels that can appear on top.
- Support for MSStyles via SkinStudio conversion
- Improved compatibility with non-theme aware programs
- Support for over a dozen new languages
- Ability to change the hue, saturation, and brightness of skins by users using sliders.
- Skin memory management optimizations so that skins use less memory
- Countless new minor controls supported such as the ability to skin the shut down dialogs, please wait dialogs, etc. Like all controls, even these support per-pixel alpha blending.
In addition to these, hundreds of tweaks, fixes, and small enhancements have been added as well.
| How to get WindowBlinds 5 |
A shareware download of WindowBlinds 5 is available. It comes with several skins that support per-pixel alpha blending. It can be downloaded at: www.windowblinds.net
WindowBlinds can be purchased on its own for $19.95. It can also be purchased as part of the award-winning suite of desktop enhancement utilities called Object Desktop. Users who had WindowBlinds 4 can upgrade to WindowBlinds 5 for $15. The enhanced version has many features and options not available in the shareware version. To Purchase WindowBlinds go here.
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Reply #42 Saturday, December 3, 2005 11:07 PM
is it wrong to install WB on 2 system? i own them both. or i have to buy another WB?
Reply #43 Saturday, December 3, 2005 11:16 PM
| is it wrong to install WB on 2 system? i own them both. or i have to buy another WB? |
No, it's fine to install on both....Stardock is sensible enough to know you are likely to 'need' a lappy and a desktop...so are more 'liberal' with the end user license...
Reply #45 Sunday, December 4, 2005 6:09 AM
| Where can I find this theme?? |
"Arrow" is included with WB5....
Reply #46 Sunday, December 4, 2005 6:21 AM
Arrow by MikeB314
https://www.wincustomize.com/ViewSkin.aspx?SID=1&SkinID=5347&LibID=1
Reply #47 Sunday, December 4, 2005 6:24 AM
| No, it's fine to install on both....Stardock is sensible enough to know you are likely to 'need' a lappy and a desktop...so are more 'liberal' with the end user license... |
thats might sensible indeed.
Reply #48 Sunday, December 4, 2005 6:36 AM
Reply #49 Sunday, December 4, 2005 7:48 AM
You can find all of Stardock's products and their descriptions at https://www.stardock.com/products.asp
DD
Reply #50 Sunday, December 4, 2005 11:49 AM
When I start WB5, it only displays windows classic and windows xp skin, nothing else
If I want to change it, I've got to instal the skin, and click the icon right in the taskbar that says "you're skin has been installed" but they're not displayed in WB5 self
Reply #51 Monday, December 5, 2005 7:49 AM
Reply #53 Monday, December 5, 2005 10:23 AM
Reply #54 Monday, December 5, 2005 8:47 PM
Take care, Mark
Reply #55 Tuesday, December 6, 2005 12:42 AM
| Your problem is a firewall....Activate.exe must be given permission. Look in the firewall logs and where it shows blocked....change it to allow and try Activate again. |
I looked all over the log and still couldn't find the cause to my difficulties. I really appreciate your wanting to help. Mike H. at Stardock suggested I try loading it while off-line. That workde up until it started to detect my internet status, which it showed in the lower left-hand corner for a few seconds, and then it would just stop, meaning the dialogue box went blank. No activity at all. I am so tired of this. I'm no computer genius like most of the people around here, but I'm no idiot, either, which makes it all the more frustrating. If you like, or have the time, you can use my e-mail to contact me directly. I'm open to suggestions.
Just use small words.
Reply #56 Tuesday, December 6, 2005 1:50 AM
Do this (I'm assuming you have firewall other then XP's); Disable your firewall and the XP firewall will immediately enable itself. The XP firewall only blocks incoming traffic. You should now be able to activate SDC. If it works, then re-enable your firewall (XP firewall will disable itself). The Activate.exe only needs to get through once, so if it activates you're good to go.
Reply #57 Tuesday, December 6, 2005 2:05 AM
Merry Christmas, pal!
Reply #58 Tuesday, December 6, 2005 5:43 AM
| You are a genius, yraq, and I really appreciate your help. |
Yes, he is...
Jafo imagines yrag sitting in a huge room surrounded by the smoking wrecks of a thousand computers thinking...."I'm sure I replicated THAT error someplace....."....
Reply #59 Tuesday, December 6, 2005 9:55 AM
Reply #60 Tuesday, December 6, 2005 11:52 AM
| yrag sitting in a huge room surrounded by the smoking wrecks of a thousand computers thinking...."I'm sure I replicated THAT error someplace....." |
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Reply #41 Saturday, December 3, 2005 11:03 PM