Please Read this if your UI is black and painting slowly
Saturday, December 17, 2005 by Neil Banfield | Discussion: WindowBlinds
If you have installed a pirate copy (AKA cracked) version of WindowBlinds 5, please be aware that the crack is faulty and WindowBlinds will cease to function correctly on your computer.
To fix this you just need to uninstall WB and if you wish install a purchased copy of WB, or the trial.
To uninstall, you can either wait for your computer to login, unload WB (either using wbconfig, display properties, or from a command prompt calling WBLOAD UNLOAD) and then uninstall WB. Or you can boot into safe mode & uninstall WB from there.
Your computer has not been harmed in anyway. Whoever made the crack did a poor job and patched out code that causes WindowBlinds to no longer be able to paint bitmaps (so title bars, borders, everything will be black).
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Reply #42 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 12:46 PM
WB5 has other issues with transparency anyway. Like extra buttons from Powerdesk in explorerwindows showing up under the transparent titlebar where they should be, and thus not working/accesible. And thats slightly more important to me than some transparency eyecandy. It slows down the system too in my/my wifes opinion.
I just wanted to see what WB5 was about, and if its worth its money. Obviously not. And certainly not the trouble I had with getting that piece of shit out of my system (and I don't mean the 'crack', and I'm certainly not constipated).
So, i'm wondering what i'll get; a sales pitch, an apology or some handsome remark about a door and getting hit 'n stuff.
Reply #43 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 12:51 PM
Reply #44 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 1:33 PM
There seems to be the misunderstanding that SD built WB5 so that cracked copies would screw up your machine. As I'm understanding it, it's the crack that's screwing up. Not SD's doing. Of course no one posting here complaining of a problem because of their use of a cracked copy is getting much sympathy from those of us who've paid for ours.
Again (wasting my breath I know), Stardock hasn't screwed up your machines. The official, buy-it-if-you-use-it version works fine. The trial version works fine. The twit that cracked WB 5 is the one who screwed up your machines. Not that we care.
Reply #45 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 1:50 PM
| Well as i see it, Stardock (or the person who wrote WB5 with these 20 odd checks) know what will happen to a system when using cracked software, are willingly and knowingly sabotaging ppls systems??? |
bull. all a matter of opinion. far as i see it, the only people willingly sabotaging systems are crackers and the people stupid enough to install the cracks.
Reply #46 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 1:54 PM
| the people stupid enough to install the cracks |
!
Reply #47 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 1:56 PM
I think comparing a broken crack to 9-11 is just a little insensitive to those who lost loved ones on 9-11...
If anyone wants to try WB out, thats what the trial version is for. Gives you 60 days to try out some of WBs features and decide if its worth the money.
You could ask the person who made the crack for your money back of course.
Reply #48 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 1:57 PM
Reply #49 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 1:58 PM
Reply #50 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 1:59 PM
| You could ask the person who made the crack for your money back of course. |
I believe most of them give it for free, that way they can claim no liability when their crack blows your shit.
Reply #51 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 2:03 PM
The old saying 'you get what you pay for' comes to mind.
Reply #52 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 10:27 PM
If you want the best - you buy the best from Stardock period.
I just hope somehow the cracked programs are found and removed from the net somehow.
People just need to realize they can get so much more by just being part of Stardock and Wincustomize...
By just trying and then buying if they like. There are so many prospects for the people to take advantage of doing so.
There are also so many visitors - that could be so benefitted by doing so as well. It would be nice to see the visitors who want so much to come around and just buy things - instaed of trying to figure ways to get it for free.
| The old saying 'you get what you pay for' comes to mind. |
Thats the best statement here as of yet - which I completely agree with...>~!
SGT
Reply #53 Wednesday, December 21, 2005 9:17 AM
That is just with WB5 Trial, don't know about full versions though cause it does say you can skin non-skin-aware apps...Well...
| There are various backup checks in WindowBlinds that work in a variety of ways. However, the cracks that are out there brute forced it and made it so that when one of the backup checks turned on, that WindowBlinds could no longer repaint their resources. |
I think this is illegal...noone has the right to tresspass and load or take info from my PC...unless this is said in the Terms of Services or Disclaimer during install then i do not agree to this SD handling, although i do understand the reasons, still think is malpractise...just remew Disclaimer so that people know that info WILL be sent from their computers...
PS: This WB informing service can it become an exploit from hackers?
Wouldn't like anyone snooping and messing around with my computer...
Reply #54 Wednesday, December 21, 2005 9:43 AM
| I think this is illegal...noone has the right to tresspass and load or take info from my PC...unless this is said in the Terms of Services or Disclaimer during install then i do not agree to this SD handling, although i do understand the reasons, still think is malpractise... |
Cyberworld....apart from the initial 'product activation' [just like XP] there IS no need for WB to contact ANYONE at all.
The 'checking' referred-to is coded within the program....if it found an 'issue' [read 'crack'] it would have ceased functioning whether the system was online or not.
Nothing in the program or its EULA, etc is illegal, nor is there any 'tresspass', or malpractise.
To suggest otherwise is to potentially invite a certain amount of legal 'grief' for unsubstantiated assertion/s....
If, for example...a program was date-aware [as most are] it is a simple process to trigger a program integrity check....[crc] and if it's found to be 'altered' then the proggy can be set to exit....or pop up a warning, eg..."CRC failed....system altered...contact support for solution"
Now, if the alteration was clumsy....it's quite probable that the 'ideal' exit sequence may also be 'damaged', leading to a 'broken' install...and system errors.
From the number of 'irate' crack users coming here it's clear that the crack was crap...some pea-brain got it wrong...and SHOULD be quietly having his nostrils slit as a thankyou....
But...
Instead they come here blaming Stardock for all kinds of nefarious deeds...[they were also on the grassy knoll....].
These CHILDREN need to go to school and get learned a bit...because even this whole bunch that turned up couldn't make a gestalt between them....
Reply #55 Wednesday, December 21, 2005 9:48 AM
| think this is illegal...noone has the right to tresspass and load or take info from my PC |
If it's illegal to harm your PC, then one would have to have the cracker charged. Windowblinds (when used legally) causes no harm.
And if one chooses to install (cracked) software, there is no tresspass, that person made a choice and [I think] is ok with breaking the law. How wrong can it be t o steal from a thief? {personal note: stealing is wrong no matter what. But am I going to shed tears over the thief? Don't think so]
If one uses legal software then the license agreement covers (or should cover) what is transmitted.
If one is a thief and stealing software I think the phrase "caveat emptor" takes on much more weightLink.
Reply #56 Wednesday, December 21, 2005 9:58 AM
LOL ....found a "cracked" version of Windowblinds that works. It fixed all that black screen stuff and missing taskbar. The reason i said "cracked" becasue the every dang program is crack proof. People need to make programs uncrackable but that is impossible. Crack means that it is broken. Make a Windowblinds or any program crack proof....In a car company if part is broken they fix it so it will not happen again. The car will run fine. So in the code of windowblinds something is broken "FIX IT" so it will not be cracked or hacked again. I am not downing crackers or hackers or Stardock. I am just mad that somone found a problem with your windowblinds making use of it. Oh well enough of the Bit@hing just had to put my two cents in all of this.
Reply #57 Wednesday, December 21, 2005 10:02 AM
| The old saying 'you get what you pay for' comes to mind. |
My previous comment about crack kills is now replaced by this :
Software Cracks are like drugs : you use you lose
Reply #58 Wednesday, December 21, 2005 2:18 PM
[edited by Troll]
Reply #59 Wednesday, December 21, 2005 8:54 PM
| changed this so's as not to a |
Wonder what I missed....
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Reply #41 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 12:24 PM
weeeeeee I bought it! YAY for WB - pitty there seems to be a lack of decent themes...and omg Vista theme by Kol dissapeared - lucky i downloaded it a few weeks back! phew - else i may just have well have stuck with a cracked version that didn't work!
lovely jubley
merry xmas all!