No "maximized" windows, just resized normal windows?

Newbie tweaking downloaded skin

from JoeUser Forums
EDIT NEW: OK, so I downloaded the latest version of Windows Blinds, and it wouldn't work with my old skin. I don't know why. So I downloaded SKS6 to re-modify the skin I edited, and that worked fine except that I have the same problem that I had originally. See latest post for info.



EDIT: Figured out most of it myself, still don't have the animation working, but that's minor.


Original Post
So I downloaded the Alienware Xenomorph skin (yeah, I'm sure it's cliche or blase or whatever), which I do rather like (or at least, do now that I've editted all of the images to remove the Alienware logos), but when you maximize a window, it does not actually create a "Active Maximized Window", it just resizes the normal kind of window. That leaves a very annoying border around my screen with maximized windows. So I downloaded the trial version of SkinStudio and started messing with it. I found that there was no defined "Maximized Window", so I did that, and I editted the buttons and positioning and stuff to make it look good. It does look good now, I'm happy with it.

But pressing Maximize Window still doesn't make the Maximized window. There's still a border around it. How do I change that?

Also, I appear to have broken the animation around the Min/Maximize and Close buttons, not really a big deal to me (it wasn't working very well to begin with), but if someone has tips on fixing that too, I'd appreciate it.



Oh, and I know that this skin is copy-righted, etc etc. I'm not going to release it, don't worry, this is for my personal use.


So, yeah, any help on the animation would be nice. The image is set up as it needs to be, and if I scroll through the states thing for the menutop image, it does look as if it's animating - but the windows themselves aren't going through those states to create the animation effect.
11,174 views 22 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
BUMP
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
In the animation image 'attribute' you have to specify number of frames, animation rate and which frame\s the animations start and stop on.
DeskScapes - Bring your desktop background to life.
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The Screen Edge Clip settings determine how much of the border shows in maxed windows - default (no Screen Edge Clip setting) is 4px clipped from the each border. Setting Screen Edge Clip to zero shows the full border for that edge (need to set it for each "side" - top, bottom, left, right). That may be what you "figured out" but just in case.

Thank you, vStyler :
Your reply turned a big light on in my head concerning a problem I was having with button anims. 'Preciate it.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
This is kind of silly - I updated to WindowsBlinds 6, and my skin stopped working. Installed SKS6, re-edited the Alienware skin (which still worked for whatever reason?), and now I have the same problem with maximized windows - and I don't know how to fix it in SKS6. The new skin won't open in SKS5 (or whatever I had, it was new when I posted above), so I'm kind of stuck. Anyone care to help me out?

The only thing I've found that seems related is "Maximized Window - Left/Top/Right/Bottom Border Cutoff" in the Extra Settings section of the Editing UIS2 Frames - Borders dialog, but changing those values doesn't seem to do anything. Sounded like it was the thing to do, too.

Also, and this is minor, when I am maximizing or restoring, the center portion of the title bar changes back to defaults - loses the background image in favor a solid blue bar, fonts change size and type, etc etc. Why is that happening?
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
DragoonWraith -

Please post your system information from WBConfig. That'll be a start.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Heh, noob here - WBConfig?

By the way, since I spent a fair amount of time trying to find my own answers - where does one get help with this program?
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
Right-click on the WB system tray icon & select 'Configure Windowblinds'. Click on 'System Info' and you'll see a button upper right that says 'Copy Info' - click that and your system information is copied to the clipboard. Start a reply here & use CTRL-v to paste the information, or you can right-click in the reply text box & select 'Paste'.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
OK, got it:

WindowBlinds version : WindowBlinds 6 (6.1 (build 51 x86))

WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC

WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC

Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.

(Plug and Play Monitor) 1 is attached to NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS

Wblind.dll 2007/06/19 07:39:20
Wbsrv.dll 2007/03/13 08:57:52
Wbconfig.exe 2007/06/19 07:43:03
Wbload.exe 2006/03/13 15:54:14
Wbhelp.dll 2004/09/18 12:37:07
Wbui.dll 2005/12/06 19:29:06
Tray.dll 2006/04/28 15:27:49
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
WindowBlinds 6 (6.1 (build 51 x86))


I don't think so.
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
Those file dates are very old and don't match the current version of WB6.

I'd suggest updating to the current version, then repeating the system info post.
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
I don't think so.


Bichur's all-seeing eye beats me to the punch. ;)

And I was being so subtle.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

WindowBlinds version : WindowBlinds 6 (6.1 (build 51 x86))


interesting... here's mine

WindowBlinds version : WindowBlinds 6.1 (build 50 x86)


Wblind.dll 2008
Wbsrv.dll 2008
Wbconfig.exe 2008
Wbload.exe 2008
Wbhelp.dll 2007
Wbui.dll 2007
Tray.dll 2007
Screen.exe 2008


Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
EDIT NEW: OK, so I downloaded the latest version of Windows Blinds, and it wouldn't work with my old skin. I don't know why.


I'm guessing the mortar's not set yet...



Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Windows Blinds


I suggest updating to WindowBlinds... I hear its pretty good. ;)
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
OK, so I got the update through Stardock Central, and they don't offer another update... assuming that's no good, where should I go to update?

Also, how would I simultaneously have Build 51 (which is after 50, the latest?) and old DLLs? What's going on?

(might explain some of the weirdness that prompted me to update in the first place, actually...)

EDIT: OK, now SkinStudio 6 is complaining about an installation error. I'm thinking maybe I should just completely reinstall Object Studio, any advice on that? I don't want to uninstall and then learn I have to pay again or something.

EDIT2: Uninstalled WindowBlinds and reinstalled. Now have this:

WindowBlinds version : WindowBlinds 6.1 (build 51 x86)

WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC
WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC
Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.

(Plug and Play Monitor) 1 is attached to NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS

Wblind.dll 2008/03/17 12:45:20
Wbsrv.dll 2008/03/11 06:56:10
Wbconfig.exe 2008/02/20 13:52:33
Wbload.exe 2008/02/14 11:05:14
Wbhelp.dll 2007/08/27 11:54:07
Wbui.dll 2007/12/01 16:43:05
Tray.dll 2007/09/12 17:58:21
Screen.exe 2008/01/11 12:14:18

That looks more reasonable to me, anyway. Didn't fix the problem though.

EDIT: OK, so I decided to more-or-less start over again, and I came up with something that works. I'm assuming the problems stem from the fact that I'm modifying a very old skin, but here's what's happened:

* Over the summer, I edit a skin downloaded from Alienware to my liking with SKS5
* Today, I download updates through Stardock Central, and the skin stops working
* The skin is not available in the WindowBlinds menu at all, and browsing for it does not work as the file (.uis?) does not seem to be recognized (it's looking for .wba, I believe)
* I download SKS6, which cannot open my old skin. I re-edit the original downloaded skin, which DOES work.
* SKS6 does not appear capable of fixing the original problem that I had - maximized windows have an annoying border.
* SKS5 will not open my skin edited using SKS6 - claims the code used for it (UIS1) is old (?!) and no longer supported.
* I edit the original skin in SKS5 to fix the borders, then use SKS6 to change everything else back

And now it works. Argh. I'm assuming it's not meant to be that complicated?

Anyway, thanks for everyone's help. Were it not for you guys I'd probably still be attempting to run WB6 with WB4 dll's or something.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
did you completely uninstall any and all WB and reboot prior updating via sdc?


I also noticed before, some older skins left in the folder when I updated to WB6 didn't run - unless I removed them, redownloaded and reinstalled them = then 6 ran them

I'm currently running Frogboy by Pixstudio last updated in 2001 with no issues other than some outdated graphics (causing some white pixels around the frog on the top) and the start menu isn't skinned - but I can't remember if it's supposed to be
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
OK, current status - I had to uninstall and reinstall again after my last post - it just stopped working, and claimed I needed to reboot in order to complete installation (which is bizarre since it had been working). No amount of rebooting, regardless of the "another thread" setting or other programs starting up with it, would fix it, however. So I uninstalled and reinstalled, and it appears to be working again. Hopefully permanently. I made sure to uninstall, reboot, install, reboot, and then apply a skin, just to make sure. Hope that does it.

At this point, the only problem I have is that when I am maximizing or restoring a window, the title bar, between the left and right borders, loses its skin, as I described before. It's momentary, but it is kind of annoying, if anyone has any fixes for that problem.

Anyway, it seems like I've gotten things working. Thanks everyone!
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
you have nview turned on? seen posts that have issues with it on
Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
Ah, I do have nView turned on... what IS nView? I know it's cuz of my nVidia card, but what's it for?

EDIT: OK, I just looked it up, decided I had no use for it, turned it off, and did not see any improvement in my maximizing/restoring issue. *shrug*

Thanks for your help. I'll check back in a day or so to see if anyone has any ideas, but it's pretty minor. I'm more or less happy with how things are right now.
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Ah, I do have nView turned on... what IS nView? I know it's cuz of my nVidia card, but what's it for?EDIT: OK, I just looked it up, decided I had no use for it, turned it off, and did not see any improvement in my maximizing/restoring issue. *shrug*Thanks for your help. I'll check back in a day or so to see if anyone has any ideas, but it's pretty minor. I'm more or less happy with how things are right now.


did you toss a reboot and reapply skin in there after turning it off?
Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
Had done reboot, as for re-applying Visual Styles, I just tried clicking the "Apply my changes" button, which brought up the "Please Wait..." box (the one with the Shut Down background), and after that went away, I saw no change. Still have the same problem. Is there anything else you meant by "reapply skin"?
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Is there anything else you meant by "reapply skin"?


nope