Ralph124C41

Reply to 5 Mistakes Microsoft made with Windows Vista in Windows Vista WinCustomize Forums

I think the UAC "problems" were overhyped because most people forgot that once you have set up your PC, the UAC dialogs will not reappear unless something unusual is happening. If you are the type that builds a system and makes an image of it for backup, you only have to put up with UAC dialogs for a few days or so. However, I think Vista has triggered a rash of bad interface design, all of which looks superficially slick, but is inherently disorganized and confusing. For exam

Reply to FrogBlog: June 2007 in WinCustomize News WinCustomize Forums

Hopefully you guys will take this opportunity to fix a major problem with the Object Desktop suite - make sure that all features of this new product run for non-administrator users with UAC switched on. You'll be really shooting yourself in the foot if you don't because no company, government department or security-conscious computer user will want to run it if it requires you to be a sysadmin. If this is problematic for some features (for example, IconManager does not work for non-adm

Wincustomize.com: browser issues in Stardock Software Stardock Forums

I am finding this website crashes IE6 shortly after a page is mostly loaded, 100% of the time. With IE7, the same elapsed time results in an error message that the page cannot be loaded and the content of the page already loaded goes blank. It then comes back after 'reload' is clicked with no errors. However, I cannot find a workaround to view this site with IE6 at all. This did not used to happen with the older versions of your website.

Reply to Spam. I know it when I see it. in Internet WinCustomize Forums

On the other side of the coin (well, sort of: I hate spammers as well and I certainly don't SPAM people myself), some anti-SPAM organisations are erroneously assuming their detection methods are fool-proof, have no appeal processes, are apparently not open to review, have no published contact details, and have no independant governing body overseeing them. You can accidentally end up on their lists, even though you have never sent a SPAM in

Reply to Windowblinds vs. StylesXp in WindowBlinds Stardock Forums

Last time I checked out the StyleXP theme community website (about a year ago) there was almost no creative work being done - most of the skins were bland copies of the same basic theme or two and about having 'cool' cars and 'bikini chicks' wallpaper rather than a decent skin. On top of this, the website had become riddled with popups and advertisements for 'smilies' type products (which I personally regard as suspect) and was wrapping executables around some of the decent themes (absolutely un

Loading WindowBlinds in one user account affects other users in WindowBlinds Stardock Forums

When a user selects a WindowBlinds theme, all other users will be flipped from the default XP scheme to 'Windows Classic' the next time they log in. This can be rectified by the user selecting a theme (or the default XP scheme if they wish), but this crosstalk should not be happening. --//-- WindowBlinds 5.0 System Information Report: STATUS : WB+ SRV+ HLP+ UI+ TRAY+ WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC. WindowBlinds appears to b

Reply to Explorer does not shutdown during shutdown after running WindowsFX in WindowFX Stardock Forums

Same problem here. It has been the case for all versions of WinFX I have tried over the past year, with both WB4 and WB5. * It almost never happens when WinFX is not enabled. * It is exacerbated by multiple user accounts logged in with FUS. * It is usually Windows Explorer that is stuck, but sometimes other applications as well, especially hidden processes. Sometimes you have to kill 4 or so processes to log out. Although I like the shadows because they

Virtual PC 2004 Screen Refresh Problems in WindowBlinds Stardock Forums

Although Virtual PC 2004 works fine when skinned, there is a problem where moving a Virtual PC window to another location leaves a dead area the size of that window on the screen that cannot be repainted by any application until Virtual PC is minimised or closed. Also context menus and titlebars that cross a Virtual PC window are not drawn where there is overlap. (As Virtual PC is now a free download, this should be a bit easier for you to track down). PS1: The ne

WindowBlinds5 / WinFX3 block logging out in WindowBlinds Stardock Forums

WindowBlinds5 / WinFX3 appear to be intermittantly preventing programs from exiting during logout. I get from 1 to 5 requests to force termination of applications when logging out if this happens (usually 1 or 2). This intermittant problem appears to happen more often when WinFX is enabled, and/or FUS is used. Most commonly, it is Windows Explorer and WindowBlinds that get stuck and put up dialogs to force

Reply to WinFX/Shadows clash with WB5 in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

It's also true of the latest FX beta. The latest FX beta cannot shape shadows to the windows at present, so I was reluctant to switch to it (however, some shadows do not seem to require shaping). Even so, some shadows appear behind the window edges of some themes, and I have also seen spurious shadows (belonging to the Window behind) appear on some dialogs (eg: Start Menu properties).

Reply to WB5 Issue: Programs RunAs another user are not skinned correctly in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

Follow up: Just realised that not all programs are suffering from this problem (for example, eMule is fine being 'RunAs' a dedicated extremely limited user account). To be sure to see the problem, test with Microsoft Management Console (MMC.exe) - eg: Computer Management, etc, which need to RunAs administrator to be useful.

WB5 Issue: Programs RunAs another user are not skinned correctly in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

Background One common practice for ensuring your system is secure is to run as non-administrative user and to use RunAs to open individual programs that require administrative access. Problem Programs that are opened with RunAs another user are not properly skinned - major screen elements such as borders and titlebars are missing. BTW The problem with the ">" appearing on shortcuts in the Favorites menu instead of the sub-folders

Reply to Unable to return to standard Windows XP theme in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

Thanks for that tip - I'll try it cautiously and see. Usually I'm reluctant to use prerelease software, for obvious reasons. I have another clue which may help the diagnosis: If I import a Windows XP style and convert it to WB format with Skin Studio (eg: Luna or Royale), then after loading that theme in WB5, I can switch to the built-in Luna without lockup, except that for some reason menu items in applications have white patches around them.

WinFX/Shadows clash with WB5 in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

Steps to reproduce: Open Display Properties dialog. Click on the WindowBlinds button. Display Properties dialog crashes as WB5 opens successfully. "The instruction at "0x6902360c" referenced memory as "0x00000000". The memory could not be "written"" rundll32.exe Problem only happens if one or both of the following are true: WinFX is set to display shadows under wi

Reply to Unable to return to standard Windows XP theme in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

Specifically, SDC reports: WB5 5.00.001 5/12/2005. Downloaded 2 days ago to replace WB4 (which was uninstalled and rebooted as prompted before installing WB5). First ever download of WB5 on a freshly built machine.

Reply to Unable to return to standard Windows XP theme in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

It's the latest paid version brought down by the latest version of SDC. Another workaround: Unload WindowBlinds, then select Windows XP Theme. Perhaps WB is simply not unloading itself when default Windows themes are selected?

Reply to Unable to return to standard Windows XP theme in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

Follow Up: I am using the latest Catalyst drivers from ATI. I have tested on an earlier system image before the ATI drivers were installed and there is no problem with the bog-standard default VGA driver that comes with XP (though no full featured effects either). Looks like it doesn't like the latest Catalyst drivers for some reason. Or perhaps the per pixel skinning engine (which is presumably not available with the standard VGA driver) is tryi

Unable to return to standard Windows XP theme in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

WindowBlinds 5.0 System Information Report: STATUS : WB+ SRV+ HLP+ UI+ TRAY+ WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC. WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins. You have one monitor in total. (L768) 1 is attached to RADEON X800 Series Wblind.dll 2005/11/28 13:57:10 Wbsrv.dll 2005/11/28 15:52:00 Wbconfig.exe 2005/11/28 16:19:00 Wbload.exe 2005/11/25 19:30:58 Wbhelp.dl

Reply to Issue: Internet Explorer Favorites Menu incorrectly displayed in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

I think the reason I hadn't noticed it before was because it is only now that I have started using custom folder icons for certain parts of the Favorites tree (eg: pre-provided corporate Intranet links, to make them stand out from user-created links). When your folders appear as the 'yellow folder' icon and your shortcuts as 'web page' or other icons, it is easy to ignore the arrows. Once you start having icons for folders as well, the arrows are the only

WB5: Cannot practically disable WB in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

As a safeguard for troubleshooting OS issues and testing software (particulary our own stuff) it is nice to be able to unload WB and know the OS is operating 'unaltered'. With WB5 you cannot do this and still use the luna styles (that is, it is not handing back control the the default XP skinning engine). Otherwise it is looking really nice and is noticeably faster. Great work. Looking forward to the final release.

Issue: Internet Explorer Favorites Menu incorrectly displayed in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

Interesting problem - the Favorites menu in Internet Explorer is displaying the arrows for the shortcuts and not the folders (back-to-front). However, the Favorites menu in Windows Explorer is displayed correctly. WB 4.x (latest) on WinXP Pro SP2 with current Windows Updates EDIT: Just confirmed this is also a problem in the WB5 beta. Happens with all skins (however, all skins have been 'debugged' with SkinStudio so it may be a fault in the way SkinStudio

Reply to Problem: Color gamut change when WindowBlinds is loaded in Object Desktop Stardock Forums

Sorry - this appears to have ended up in the wrong forum and I don't know how to move it. Probably that old "combo boxes changing selection while scrolling with the mouse wheel" problem.

Problem: Color gamut change when WindowBlinds is loaded in Object Desktop JoeUser Forums

Question: I wonder if anyone else has seen this problem. Note: It will be quite subtle for people who are not used to casting a critical eye on colour for photoediting, artwork, desktop publishing, etc. Also, cheaper monitors/video cards may not be able to display the difference as the colour gamut of some devices (particularly TFT/LCD) is often limited. The problem is, for example, quite obvious on a high end TFT monitor