For those with ODBC / DSN errors with wbconfig
Sunday, December 4, 2005 by Neil Banfield | Discussion: WindowBlinds
If you have problems with wbconfig only showing Windows Classic & Windows XP Style & get an ODBC dialog when you open WBConfig, could you try the following please :
When you get the message about a DSN, pick the 2nd tab (Machine Data Source). From this please pick MS Access Database & press the New... button.
You want a User Data Source, press next, scroll down to find Microsoft Access Driver(*.mdb), press next, press finish.
On the new dialog, enter a DSN name (anything will do) and then press the Select... button & browse to the WindowBlinds directory & pick the skins.mdb file. Then on the ODBC Microsoft Access Setup window, press ok. Then press ok on the Select Data Source window (it should have your new SDN selected under Machine Data Source).
Does WindowBlinds then list all your skins? (if the dialog appears again, simply find the DSN you saved on the Machine Data Source page & use that one again)
Reply #2 Sunday, December 4, 2005 5:04 PM
Well this is not a fix, this is a query for information so we can work out what the problem is.
Reply #3 Wednesday, December 7, 2005 4:18 PM
I'm having the same error in trying to evaluate Windowblinds 5.0(build 49x86).
Following your instructions, on the Machine Data Source tab, MS Access is not an available option.
Only options:
ECDCMusic
MQIS
My system is:
XP Home SP2
AMD Athlon XP3000+
Abit KV7-V motherboard (VIA KT600 chipset)
1023mb Ram
WindowBlinds 5.0 System Information Report:
STATUS : WB+ SRV+ HLP+ UI+ TRAY+
WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC.
Your machine does not support per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.
This is because :
Your computer is currently in 16 or 24 bit colour mode and WindowBlinds needs to be in 32 bit colour mode to use per pixel borders. Please adjust the colour depth of your display to 32 bit colour. If this is not an option, then you may want to see if you can obtain new drivers for your graphics hardware.
Your computer graphics hardware does not support acceleration of per pixel alpha. WindowBlinds requires this for per pixel alphablended borders as without it performance would be poor. Please see if you can obtain new drivers for your graphics hardware. Recent ATI & NVIDIA boards should support this feature. Onboard graphics tend not to.
You have one monitor in total.
(Default Monitor) 1 is attached to SiS 300/305
Wblind.dll 2005/11/28 12:01:54
From reading the other numerous threads on this topic, it seems your newest beta might contain a fix, but since I'm currently just evaluating, the Beta is unavailable to me.
Will a trial version with the fix be available?
I must confirm stability before purchase as this is a purpose built Digital Audio Workstation.
Any suggestions you might have that would enable skins in this current trial version would be appreciated.
I also followed the two Microsoft linls in the [url=https://forums.stardock.com/?ForumID=167&AID=94144]Windows Blinds 5 Problems[/url] thread. My system was alread fully up to date.
Thanks in advance,
Jonmark Stone
Reply #4 Friday, December 9, 2005 1:50 PM
I tried WB a few years back but is was heavy handed with the audio application this computer was built for. Last week I decided to give WB5 a try and ran into this ODBC issue. The skin that loads by default (Retro), the only skin available to me with this trial software, seems to function well. But a full evaluation is impossible and I have a hard time with the logic of paying to be a Beta tester, even if it is only 20 dollars.
I have done a great deal of reading on this forum in the past few days and am aware that I am certainly not alone with this issue.
So the original question remains, can you tell me whether the newest Beta is going to be made available for evaluation anytime soon? If not I'll just move on and maybe try again in another few years.
Thanks
Reply #5 Friday, December 9, 2005 4:05 PM
| can you tell me whether the newest Beta is going to be made available for evaluation anytime soon? |
The beta versions are only available to Object Desktop subscribers.
Reply #6 Friday, December 9, 2005 4:24 PM
Since the rumor is that the newest beta fixes the issue many of are experiencing, and the current trial is giving a bad impression to potential customers, it seems logical that the "beta" would become an official release ASAP.
Would you become a subscriber if the trial version you were presented didn't function?
Reply #7 Friday, December 9, 2005 4:43 PM
| This is because : Your computer is currently in 16 or 24 bit colour mode and WindowBlinds needs to be in 32 bit colour mode to use per pixel borders. Please adjust the colour depth of your display to 32 bit colour. If this is not an option, then you may want to see if you can obtain new drivers for your graphics hardware. |
Have you changed your display settings to 32 bit color?
| Your computer graphics hardware does not support acceleration of per pixel alpha. WindowBlinds requires this for per pixel alphablended borders as without it performance would be poor. Please see if you can obtain new drivers for your graphics hardware. Recent ATI & NVIDIA boards should support this feature. Onboard graphics tend not to. |
What type of video card do you have?
| Would you become a subscriber if the trial version you were presented didn't function? |
1] Probably not, but Object Desktop includes much more than just WindowBlinds.
2] Judging from the WindowBlinds 5.0 System Information Report, it appears your system is the problem, not WB5.
Reply #8 Friday, December 9, 2005 5:14 PM
According to many other threads on the subject, the database problem is not related and has been in fact fixed in the latest beta.
Reply #10 Friday, December 9, 2005 9:45 PM
Neil has indicated that there should be a "release build" with the "ini" file (as opposed to the ODBC use) made available to customers probably sometime next week.
I would think this will include an updated "Shareware" version, though no statement has been made on this possibility. 
Reply #12 Wednesday, December 14, 2005 8:48 PM
I have the same problem although the problem is not my computer. I do not have the MS Access Database option. All that I have is the Trio Motors Option. What do I do? I have reinstalled and rebooted then deleted all windows blinds folders and then rebooted then restarted and rebooted again. The same message keeps on appearing and I have an Sis 650 graphics card. My sytem is set to 32 bit. System Specs: WindowBlinds 5.0 System Information Report:
STATUS : WB+ SRV+ HLP+ UI+ TRAY+
WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC.
Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.
You have one monitor in total.
(Plug and Play Monitor) 1 is attached to SiS 650
Wblind.dll 2005/11/28 12:01:54
Wbsrv.dll 2005/11/28 11:50:22
Wbconfig.exe 2005/11/28 15:45:06
Wbload.exe 2005/11/25 19:30:58
Wbhelp.dll 2004/09/18 15:37:00
Wbui.dll 2005/11/26 18:09:46
Tray.dll 2005/11/02 13:28:26
Reply #13 Wednesday, December 14, 2005 8:48 PM
I have the same problem although the problem is not my computer. I do not have the MS Access Database option. All that I have is the Trio Motors Option. What do I do? I have reinstalled and rebooted then deleted all windows blinds folders and then rebooted then restarted and rebooted again. The same message keeps on appearing and I have an Sis 650 graphics card. My sytem is set to 32 bit. System Specs: WindowBlinds 5.0 System Information Report:
STATUS : WB+ SRV+ HLP+ UI+ TRAY+
WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC.
Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.
You have one monitor in total.
(Plug and Play Monitor) 1 is attached to SiS 650
Wblind.dll 2005/11/28 12:01:54
Wbsrv.dll 2005/11/28 11:50:22
Wbconfig.exe 2005/11/28 15:45:06
Wbload.exe 2005/11/25 19:30:58
Wbhelp.dll 2004/09/18 15:37:00
Wbui.dll 2005/11/26 18:09:46
Tray.dll 2005/11/02 13:28:26
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Reply #1 Sunday, December 4, 2005 3:09 PM
Thanks for posting, Neil.
Should help clear many of the ODBC issues I see being posted.