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WindowBlinds 6 Beta 2 arrives

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WindowBlinds 6 Beta 2 arrives

Almost...there...

from WinCustomize Forums

If you have Object Desktop you can now download WindowBlinds 6 beta 2.  For the uninitiated: WindowBlinds is a program that allows users to easily and safely change the look and feel of the Windows user interface (title bars, start bar, star menu, scrollbars, push buttons, etc.).  Object Desktop is a suite of programs that allow users to personalize their entire Windows experience.

Now, WindowBlinds 6 is the next-generation version of WindowBlinds.  Amongst its cool new features is the ability to do full blurred glass even on Windows XP. Full support of skinning every piece of Windows Vista. Advanced animation and advanced colorization, user sub-styles and well just tons of other features both big and small.

Beta 2 is a huge overhaul to the underlying structure of WindowBlinds.  For years, the skins you download for WindowBlinds have gone into the WindowBlinds directory. But with Windows Vista, Microsoft really frowns on programs putting data in the program files directory.  So beta 2 migrates all the skins to the shared documents folder.

Those of you who are technical can probably appreciate the immense amount of effort involved in smoothly migrating what can amount to gigs of skins from one place to another without disrupting the user experience in the process. 

Below are some screenshot highlights:


Taken on my Windows XP box. Check out the blur effect in the title bar. You can blur existing skins even.


This is the quick way of being able to Vista-ize your existing skins. There's literally an option to vista-ize skins (even in Windows XP).


The advanced coloring support is extremely cool. Now you can specific which colors you want to affect. It takes a little practice but it's worth it. Now you can hue shift parts of your skin.  So even if a skin author makes a skin a different color than you desire, no problem, you can easily change it.


The dragon on the start menu is a smooth, >30fps animation with fire effects.  It does this on Windows XP and Windows Vista.  Again, technical users out there can tell you - non-trivial to get this kind of performance.

WindowBlinds 6 not only has these cool features but it does it using trivial amounts of memory and is FASTER than Windows XP or Windows Vista are normally.  We include the Diamond skin. Feel free to dual boot to a Windows XP box, load up Diamond with full blur on and check out the performance. Then boot to Windows Vista and run the default Aero. Which is faster?  WindowBlinds 6 makes full use of the DWM on Windows Vista to maximize performance/lower memory requirements. 

If you have Object Desktop, check it out for yourself, let us know what you think.  We release on October 2nd!

 

 

43,981 views 77 replies
Reply #26 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I really like the direction Windowsblinds is going. One request, though: Would it be possible to allow an advanced option where the end user can specify the directory where the skin files are stored, with Shared Documents as the default? Thanks!   


Larry
Reply #27 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Um - the only one that shows up for me is WB6 5.91[b].038 - I am using SDC v 2.47.481 build 159 - I even tried uninstalling the previous beta - no dice.

Any suggestions?
DeskScapes - Bring your desktop background to life.
Reply #28 from WinCustomize Forums Top
After installation of this I cannot apply any skins as there arent any listed, and the WB UI is entirely black. I uninstalled WB, rebooted, reinstalled and rebooted again same thing. After that I uninstalled again, rebooted and then deleted c:\Users\Public\Documents\Stardock\Windowblinds and also C:\Program Files\Object Desktop\Windowblinds. Installed again and rebooted, guess what exactly the same again, there are no skins listed and the UI is black. What can I do. I dont want to contact support, as I am still waiting someone to even acknowledge another problem from 3 weeks ago, and another problem from 8weeks ago. No-one ever bothers their backside to reply from support.
Reply #29 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Buggy! To many continues loops! will just keep downloading and not install. Its tried 5 times to download,until I stopped it please fix the bug!
Reply #30 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I was stuck in a loop too til I cancelled and unchecked auto archive.File move went fine...no lost skins.  
Reply #31 from WinCustomize Forums Top
JUST in case... back up ur skins..its very easy to throw em all in a folder on your desktop  
Reply #32 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Worked right off the bat for me, moved the skins and all

Seems like it's working quite nicely.

My only question is are we going to get our command prompt skinning back soon? It's something I use quite frequently, and it's pretty ugly right now (if nothing else, let it stay Aero when excluded, right now, even excluded, it still uses the old classic style window frame).
Reply #33 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I second post # 26 ,i also would like to see an option to add roll up button on all blinds through windowblinds interface since the nvidia card software i use can't do it while wb is in use & not having a roll up option is real hard after using it..lol..

EDIT: Unless someone knows of a software or a registry change that can work to give the roll up option without stuffing up wb
Reply #34 from WinCustomize Forums Top
right clicking the titlebar can be set to rollup all windows...its in WB config in settings.(at least on xp it does)

Trans and blurring is a bit iffy.(taskbar didnt blur at all)



Color sliders work very well,tho I did see some corrupted submenus.
Reply #35 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Has the "new" Classic skin been fixed? Or is the "All programs" entry in the startmenu still broken on non-English XP systems? Otherwise I won't bother to install SDC again.
Reply #36 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Do we now have to keep our skins in this other Shared files directory? I would much prefer if they stayed right where they have been all along rather than spreading this stuff out.

Oh man...not a happy camper now! Finally got this thing to install and got a black UI...and not at all thrilled with having my skins migrated to some other folder now. How can I go back to the previous beta? Tried doing that but is just sits there doing nothing.

Ok....got my previous build back...sticking with this one until we have the option of where to keep our skins....this migration thing was a bad idea.
Reply #37 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Instead of skins being stored in the shared documents folder, I would prefer to store them on another drive and be able to browse to the directory via WB....would this be possible, and if now now, sometime in the future??

In fact, it's on my wish list for Logonstudio Vista, ObjectDock, IconPackager and other proggies.....pretty, pretty PLEEEASE.
Reply #38 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I've noticed that with WB6 there is no longer an option to "make toolbar buttons flat". I'm not a fan of having squares around the toolbar icons, was this an oversight or just no longer an option for some reason?
Reply #39 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Awesome Job Stardock

In fact, it's on my wish list for Logonstudio Vista, ObjectDock, IconPackager and other proggies.....pretty, pretty PLEEEASE.


Hum... yeah like the heaven
Reply #40 from WinCustomize Forums Top

The location where WB looks for skins is set by two registry keys.  They must be set to the same directory.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Stardock\WindowBlinds\wb5.ini\Installed\Path

and

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Stardock\WindowBlinds\wb5.ini\Installed\Path

If you want to put your skins elsewhere then you can change those keys and copy ALL of the directories off the current WB skin directory to that directory.

Reply #41 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks Neil i'll give it a try
Reply #42 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Smooth update here.

Request for the future..
Can transparent taskbars be true? So they don't pick up the background. So when you mouseover the taskbar with a maximized window the taskbar doesn't carry the wallpaper with it. Thanks
Reply #43 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Darkness slider messes up secondary menus...color sliders do not do this.

Reply #44 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Has the WB 5/6 IR-receiver bug been fixed in this one?


I also ask this,I would rather know before I install WB6 again as I don't want to go through all of that BSOD rigmarole again.
Is the IR receiver bug fixed?
Thanks.
Reply #45 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If you want to put your skins elsewhere then you can change those keys and copy ALL of the directories off the current WB skin directory to that directory.

Cool! Thanks Neil!

And what about the black UI? I gotta wait till thats fixed before I try reinstalling this new beta...or until someone can shed some light on why its happening.

IR has a receiver bug? I knew there was something fishy about him!
Reply #46 from WinCustomize Forums Top
IR has a receiver bug? I knew there was something fishy about him!


      
Reply #47 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I still gotta bug up me a** but I didnt know it was a reciever bug.  

I kinda liked the skin migration...wb is so much cleaner now(and the skin folder too...no windowblinds files)  
Reply #48 from WinCustomize Forums Top

WebGizmos: check the UI folder off the new skins folder.  Is it there?

A screenshot might help too.

Reply #49 from WinCustomize Forums Top

We are still looking into a couple of reports of problems with the MCE remote.  We have setup a test box, but are unable to reproduce it yet.

If anyone does have this problem, please post the type of cpu they have, the type of HD (IDE, SATA, RAID) and their motherboard type (if known)

Reply #50 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hi Neil,as regards the MCE Remote problem here is my PC spec.
● Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
● Intel® Viiv™ Technology
● Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6700
● 2 GB DDR2-SDRAM
● 400 GB SATA 3G Hard Disk Drive (7200 rpm)
● ATI RADEON X1650 SE, with Avivo
512 MB dedicated memory, up to 1280 MB total available graphics memory as allocated by Windows Vista™
● DVD writer SATA DVD RAM and Double Layer ±R/ ±RW 16x/8x max supporting LightScribe technology
● Ethernet 10/100BT integrated network interface
● IEEE 1394 FireWire® Interface
● 15in1 memory card reader
● HP Vista Media Center Remote Control
● TV (analog and DVB-T) tuner card
● Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g

As well as this problem I also have to turn off Vista UAC to be able to use IconDeveloper.
These issues have been reported to support@sd (ticket no. [#LGO-762813]) and MikeH has been most helpfull in providing me with workarounds (thanks Mike ) but I was kind of hoping to see a fix in this new WB release.