WindowBlinds constant "You must reboot..." & wbsrv.dll woes

from WinCustomize Forums
Hello all - hopefully someone here can help. I recently reinstalled Windows (x64 version) and am now having difficulty installing WindowBlinds properly. I have already read about a couple of other similar problems but cannot find details of a fix or workaround.

Basically the problem is upon reinstalling WindowBlinds (version 5.49e{b}.026) through Stardock (latest version), it will not run after rebooting my PC. Instead a window appears saying "You must reboot your PC before WindowBlinds will work correctly...". Rebooting again gives the same message, but with the option to use an additional process to make the app work. Using this at least allows WB to run, however, upon rebooting my PC any times after this, WB will no longer load (and so Windows goes back to the boring old Classic theme).

The version of wbsrv.dll that is being installed appears to be very old - 2006/03/17. I have a feeling this is related to the problem, but I can't delete that file after uninstalling WB so that it can be recreated freshly (I tried booting into safe mode to do it and still no joy... it's apparently in use by the system).

Help!! Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere but I couldn't find any solutions...
windowblinds
5,341 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
google "hijackthis" ...a good little app that will allow you to kill an "in use" process ...then delete it.

It's safe to use.. I have it very nearby, always
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You can also try The Zapper to completely remove WB remnants ( - move your downloaded skins to someplace safe 1st &set WB to default skin if possible)
Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Unlocker Assistant [google it] will also kill an in use process, allowing safe deletion. Good for many reasons, not just yours, above. I actually was thinking of this app when I told you about the other one [hijackthis] ...U.A. does the job a tad better.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Sadly Unlocker Assistant won't work under x64 Windows, but HijackThis did manage to delete the file after a reboot.

So, after clearing out all my previous WB files, I tried reinstalling - and no success It does appear to load up after the initial reboot now, but I cannot change skins - trying to do so causes blank / black taskbars, disappearing scrollbars, and other weirdness.

WB reports that:

WindowBlinds version : WindowBlinds 5 (5.5 (build 84 x86))
WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC
WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC

You have one monitor in total.

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

Wblind.dll 2006/12/12 16:40:20
Wblind64.dll 2006/10/09 11:51:37
Wbsrv.dll 2006/03/17 11:16:39
Wbconfig.exe 2006/12/20 13:35:02
Wbload.exe 2006/03/13 17:54:14
Wbhelp.dll 2004/09/18 16:37:07
Wbui.dll 2005/12/06 21:29:06
Tray.dll 2006/04/28 18:26:49

Any other suggestions? :S
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Have you tried Bichur's method?

If that doesn't/didn't work, it'd be wise to contact [email protected].

Give it a while for them to get back to you, I hear they're pretty busy, but I've always received a prompt reply when contacting Stardock.

Really do hope you get it sorted soon ..plain windows suck.

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Had a go at using the Zapper tool Bichur mentioned but unfortunately same result there too

Thanks for your ideas - I'll drop Stardock an email and see if they can suggest anything. You're right there, standard Windows is rubbish!