Fences width are go nuts after reboots sometimes

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. Need to know :

1. Your Windows 11 full OS Build number. Please use Winver.exe.
2. Please post screenshot on what is should look like.

Thank you.
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

Hi danielhurtubise this is strange! Could you do a few things to help?

1) Please elaborate more on what it should look like vs broken? What do you need to do to manually fix each time? Screenshots of it broken/fixed?

2) Can you take a couple of snapshots/backups... one with it "good" and another "broken"?

3) Last, can you upload the report to us? You can access via "Troubleshooting" and "Create error report" in About.

Really not sure what's going on here but hope we can take a look. Thank you!

Thanks for the quick reply,

this is the backup image

Windows Build # is 26100.2605

I also uploaded the report

After rebboting it seems to be back to "normal"

Ah, thanks for uploading the report.

So, would it be possible to head to the Layouts tab, expand the "Backups" area and (1) Save a backup when things seem to be acting fine (2) Save a backup when things are broken? And the please resubmit. I seem to see a handful of backups where it's working properly but not seeing the broken scenario where things are scrunched up (please point out if I'm missing it), so that would be very helpful to have that.

Ideally, upload the report RIGHT AFTER loading up with it broken and haven taken a backup.

Once you have backups taken for each of them, resubmit and I can have a closer look! I see some hints from what you've sent so far, but having these will likely figure it out.

Just uploaded the broken one, i'll redo the operation once i get a working one

Hmmmm. So getting some hints from the debug data but not finding it yet.

Question: your OP said that it goes BAD upon reboot, but other times, it seems to be fixed upon reboot?

The way I'm seeing this I feel like I could most likely see this going bad if one of the monitors isn't powered on during boot... or if one of them goes to sleep then comes back etc.

I'm most curious about: "if it's in a broken state, does just rebooting it often fix it"?

Thanks for the clarification

Not necessarily. Sometimes it will, most of the time it won't.
Also all monitors go on, none fails

😫

Ok. So– inconsistent.

We have a new build coming out shortly that will nab a little more debug info in the Advanced Logging.

====

Here's sorta what I'm thinking:

This seems to be happening to your single-width fence groups only. (Correct? Not correct?)

Fences get sized based on two things. (1) the size you set them to, and (2) minimum size, based on the size of a single icon. This size can get messed with heavily based on DPI...especially changes in DPI.

I haven't seen this before but – what SEEMS to be happening is that, sometimes your layout loads up and the 1-icon width for the given DPI is larger than it should be. If you can then resize it back down, then that means that it is temporary and it's just catching this incorrect width during load. It doesn't save this different width with the minimum enforced until you move/resize the fence, hence, sometimes you can reboot and that "fixes it". In the backup files you sent, the stored-in-the-config width of the fences (i.e. Python-AI) was the same as the prior ones, even though the latest one shows a screwed up screenshot and prior ones show correct! That to me says "realtime correction based on minimum, that is getting there via mechanism "??".

Low-odds, but it's possible I just need to add a routine to periodically check for changed minimum-sizes and update the current "size to use" in kind on the fly.

AN EXPERIMENT!

* Next time this happens, take a backup, and immediately restore that backup. I'm curious if that fixes it. (Pro-tip: you can hold shift while clicking create backup to name the backup at that time.)

* If these do not fix it, at that time, can you resize the size of the fence inward, or is it stuck wider? (In previous reports you indicated you could "fix" it by resizing them all more narrow again. It is "good for us" if you can!)

* Similar- if you are able to fix it by resizing them down narrower, then save backup and open that backup immediately, does that then stick? Or does it go back to being wider. Etc etc

Good times! I can't say I can 1000% guarantee a fix on this one but I'd really like us to figure it out. The upcoming build v5.88 already has some accommodations specifically for you so let's see where this goes.

To see this effect in live action PS!

Try setting your icon size on desktop to "small". Then resize a fence down to smallest it can be. Then change icon size to "large". You'll see they all get larger. But, so long as you don't move/resize, if you change back to "small", it'll shrink again. That includes through reboots and screen resolution changes.

So yeah my GUESS is that's what's going on here, and there's just some delay going on regarding Explorer properly updating the minimum size it reports idk. Let's see what we can do to validate.

Actually– since I'm not sure the beta will be coming out this week, here's a patcher to get you there. You may get some messages complaining about "mismatching version" when you open settings until your next full update, but feel free to ignore

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/et2evui75himq77b547r4/UpdatePatcher_Debug_2025_01_16__3_25_50_pm.exe?rlkey=2u5mnw157jsbk8zwolxkmduoa&dl=1

Patches live without need for reboot. Be sure to say yes to "restart explorer" at the end. About screen should read "v5.88" after patching. It might help with the issue, and in either event, it'll help give us some additional logging. Thanks!

(**note, I updated this link 5min after posting, so if you got it RIGHT AWAY pls do it again ha)

Your on fire this morning
I can wait for the nnext build, it's not a life or death matter just a small annoyances.. like my wife nagging

😂😂😂

Patch is a revision ahead of what they’re prepping for beta — added a potential fix — so feel free to give it a shot.

We’ve got a bunch of fixes we’re working to get to release so would love to have this be a part!

Might fix the issue, or might just give richer detail in the Advanced Debugging log. If not fixed, with the advanced debug logging turned on just submit a new report when the issue occurs next + also try some of the “experiment” steps I cited in prior post above and maybe we can figure this one out.

Anywho happy Friday and hopefully one less thing nagging at you soon! 😆

Patch installed, i'll keep you posted
Thanks a lot and happy Friday too

Welll... turned out prett bad actually

Even better... i open the Fences dialog and it's back lol

lol great! Yes it sometimes needs a kick after the patch.

Well cool yes submit a new report after the next occurrence, and then get after the experiments listed in post @ https://forums.stardock.com/533742/get;3957685

Beta was published today so if you see a beta update available don't download it, as as noted you're technically one revision ahead. #cuttingedge

So far so good? 🤞 And or, new log to check? We'll just be uploading a new log right after the next occurrence.

Sorry i'll be travelling for a few days, i'll try to remember to keep you posted

🙌 🙌

Howdy, just checking in on if issue resolved? Hopefully that took care of it. Otherwise, back to the (new) logs

I was waiting for the new release.
Just uploaded a new zip with the working configuration

Rebooted and boum i get the "wide" fences again.
Just submitted the report