^^ smart-ass ^^

It should be available through Impulse as I type.

Thank you.  This is much appreciated.

Well, there still may be a problem folks. 

Widows Updates seem to work now but Windows Live Communications Platform now keeps shutting down.

-sigh-

Looking.

Thank you, Neil! Thank you to Zubaz too.  I know you are not having fun.  For now, I will wait to hear back from you before running the latest update. 

/me curses in Microsoft's general direction.

Well in trying to fix the problem that is now there on my Vista Home Premium 64 bit system with Windows Live Communications Platform I've uninstall Windows Live ran CCleaner and rebooted and reinstalled, problem is still there.

It appears to me that the problem is similar to what was fixed with Windows Update meaning that if I go into WBs and change to Windows Aero the problem goes away.  Has to be some codeing issue. 

An error log was sent to Neil by way of ShelbyGT who was trying to help me with the problem.

For the record, I'm having the same problem as Philly0381, and I also have Vista Home Premium 64 bit.

Good Evening Everyone,

I was able to update WindowBlinds a few minutes ago.  It was unavailable earlier today when I tried.  Windows Update is working and Windows Live Mail is fine too.  That's the only "Live" program I am using right now.  My system is only 32 bits  so not sure if the problem with Windows Live platform was limited to 64 bit systems or Stardock fixed the update.  Hope everyone else is good to go too.

Hang in there people everything will all work out here once Neil gets an idea of what has happened. That and I hope those MS Dev's don't mix things up again. Myself I hate going round with Windows Updates and such the like. I'm sure this next week we will see the problems resolved.

Same here, glad I saw the post, I was just about to start un-installing and re-installing and all sorts of other stuff......

Well, Microsoft ran another update today even though I have it set NOT to do that.  You are welcome to read KB928439 which is Windows Power Shell 1.0.  Here is a link to Microsoft support:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928439  It absolutely amazes me that they just ran two updates in the past few days without so much as a hint that they were coming. I wonder why they had to run them now instead of waiting for patch Tuesday?  Windows 7 maybe? 

Just a quick heads up to let you know that the issue with Live Messenger has been found.

It is unrelated to the Windows Update tweak, it is simply a bug introduced by some other upcoming changes.  Thats why we call it beta as sometimes these things happen!

I would expect us to put up an update early next week with this fixed.

Thank you, Neil and also an excellent reason to clearly label beta products as exactly that and not as an "update" in Impulse.  There is big difference between an update and a new version of a product. 

For example, I purchased Icon Packager 4 last night.  Icon Packager 5 is not available for purchase because it is an "update."  However, the "update" is apparently a beta version of Icon Packager 5 and it wants another $19.95 for me to purchase it!  That is not going to happen.  I have no problem testing beta products but they need to clearly labeled so that customers know exactly what they are getting intobecause the exact same thing happened with Window Blinds.  In that instance I was offered an "update" for $9.95 which is, in fact, a new beta version of the program.  I only found that out after I ran the install.  Beta products should come up on Impulse as BETA. 

Thanks for the information Neil.  Playing with betas is always so much fun, it keeps you up on your toes. 

Thanks for the info.

That is quiet incorrect.

In order to get IP5 beta you MUST have a subscription to Object Desktop. The majority of Betas are released to OD subscribers before being publicly available. You will not have access to IP5 until it goes gold and it's likely it will be a free update for you considering your purchase date of IP4.

Thank you Neil for your post. I myself fully understand the beta and the issues that come with using one. My main interest is to help you and the others there at Stardock with such a program testing a beta. By trying to collect data and try work arounds to the problem till the beta can be sorted.

Others need to be more respectful of you people and see this also. When using beta software always keep a good backup so you can roll back to it. That is if you are unable to work out the problem and the testinghas had a bad result.

But beta means just that " A Testing Software " not a finished product and it for sure has bugs or issues with it. The reason for beta software is so many people like ourselves can test the software and find these bugs/issues for the developers.

Let me repeat myself a bit here more plainly...

If you are going to be beta testing any new software ( pre-released ) ... be sure to have backups. Such as archives of the program you are testing, system image backups of the OS you are beta testing the program with or that is on. Keep a good list of any and all updates you install to your system or any other program you are using. Other things are - understand what you are doing by beta testing a new software. If you do not know much about computers do not test a beta software. If you know a little and are willing to learn... then do so at your own risk.

No One Forces you to use beta software. It is a USE AT YOUR OWN RISK testing purpose only.

But to help the dev's at Stardock a lot better it is always good to have a better working knowledge of what is going on completely with your system and how you are using it to test any beta software.

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Hey it is great if it works for you. But this thing about how  it mess's with your system and so forth needs to be explained in a different way. Such is this thread... now do not get me wrong. I see this thread as addressing things for an issue found in the beta software. But in a sense we are being a bit too much open with these reports here in the forum. I would like to see things a bit different and have those people online where I can communicate with them better and get more information about what all is happening. Oh it is good to see as with Garbage man and such he stopped from uninstalling his system and so forth by reading this thread. But that is a problem... what if he missed it? We kind of need a system in place where people beta testing a product understand better what to do in such a situation and so forth. That and what is reguired for a person to be properly beta testing a product. Right it is use at your own risk... but others are using it too. We all need better communications with each other to figure things in a much better way. Sort of like people who would have a list of who is beta testing and if issues or problems/bugs are found. Then eveyone gets an email or a report is issued at a website that you could check before you did the wrong thing to try and correct the problems.

We have a long way to go people! Vista was a small step in a said direction for everyone. Now here we go with Win7... next is Windows 8. We need to get a group together that is a ready set of people that are willing to beta test products with all the proper stuff needed to do a good and complete job. That and a place where these testings can be open to those involved with it. Meaning more communications, better understanding of what the testing is for, where it will go and such. Plus where we can report openly to each other and the devs what it is we are having problems with and why - I repeat communication.

Lets figure the guy that wants all this for his new win7 system and he buys it and then installs it to find things are not working and has no way to see what is wrong. Thus he never been on this forum and has no idea of what he is doing as such the case could be.

I would love to see a special place in impulse for such. Thus giving them invitations to irc channel and instructions for what to do if problems occur witha beta product.

Yes I know this would take some doing. New word for this is " Volunteer's " People willing to be in place to gather info and help with other people with a problem to assist them so they do not do something wrong or also so data can be collected to send to a developer to see if it is the beta program or something else all together. All this and more in a place where it works together with the deveolpers at Stardock and those of this community or any one using a beta product.

My reason for bring this up is that SUPPORT is over whelmed with tons of problems which are not their problems at all. Least should not be and would not be if we all work more together with each other and find a group of people to help manage this with Stardock completely under control of all the beta testing they purpose to do.

We have some of this in placve already. But it needs more...

I'm presently part of many volunteer beta testing groups as it is for many companies. The even greater thing with this is to get each of these companies together to form what they need also to test those beta products together so it all works together.

Here today we have a problem with a microsoft product and a stardock product. Tomorrow it maybe even more complex to involve several products from several companies.

By helping other people with these problems we get a first hand look at the future. Being that - it comes down to just on thing...

IT IS WHAT WE MAKE IT TO BE! What we want and what we think it should be is a whole other story. But what we make it is the BIG picture. Working better together and finding solutions to problems is always better than throwing in the towel. We win together. Thus also we have the best software on the market today. Meaning we help make what is to be the best software on the market today by winning!

Microsoft is doing this... Mozzilla is doing this... and many other great companies are doing this. We need to be in there and figure a volunteer group of people who will do this.

I'll put whatever time I got in on this and if you are a beta tester and have any knowledge of what is going on with these things or can learn to do the right thing. Plus have the proper equipment to do such testing it would be good you get involved in a right manner and lets get in there and help these people.

Question ? How many people are installing pre-released software?

That is my reason! You are a memeber of WC/STARDOCK and have pre-released software you paid for on your computer. I want to help you and those that are deveolping that said pre-released software so there are less problems and better results for the people that work hard to develope that software. Mostly for you the member who does not completely understand what he is doing when he installs a pre-release software.

This is the attitude we need with this group to accomplish what is needed to fully test a beta product. I call it a working attitude and flexible to what is needed to be aware of what is what and so forth.

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Ok hope I've not stepped on any toes today and hope this helps things go the right direction.

This is just an idea of what I'd like to do for this community and those people out there beta testing.

As it is if you have a problem with things and are not sure what to do. Then come by irc stardock via your Impulse chat in the community tab. Myself or many other people there will be glad to try and help you with things gone wrong.

That or if you are an irc user then we are at irc.stardock.com, channel is,  /join #stardock   or  just  #stardock

We would love to just talk to you and see what your problem is. That or just shoot the breeze... we do a lot of that.

Again THANK YOU ! Neil for the post and for working hard on weekends.

Thanks, Lantec.  I have no problem with that but if the product is not even available for sale yet, Impulse should not be flagging it as an "update."  There is a big difference between a product update and a whole new version of that product.  Further, beta products should be clearly labeled as such.  Version 5 IS for sale for the full price of the product now.  If you try to run the Impulse "update" it takes you to the checkout and asks for $19.95.  However, you can only purchase it once you already own Version 4. Nowhere does it say that Version 5 is a beta.  I've been out there a loong time but so far my experience with Impulse has been unique. 

I'm about 99% sure the purchase won't complete. The Impulse "sales" site only shows IP4. What you are seeing is the Beta listed in Impulse's Desktop section because you have impulse set to show Betas. I suggest setting Impulse to not show betas since without a OD sub you won't have access to many anyway.

No, it's not for sale stand-alone. You could purchase an Object Desktop sub and have access to it. I highly recommend the sub over individual purchases anyway.

If you click on it and look at the description at the botton of the page, it says "Version 5.01 BETA"

I have been pushing for increased control over the showing of prereleases.

It would be good if a user could indicate the level of prerelease they are comfortable with.

So :

Show me final releases only
Show me RC and final releases
Show me late betas, RC and final releases
Show me betas, RCs and final releases
Show me alphas, betas, RCs and final releases

This way people who are comfortable with RC builds could say yes to prereleases while not downloading the more beta releases.  Right now they can either show betas or not.

I can't promise that this will ever show up (its been on my request list for since before Impulse was released), but I hope it will eventually.

I just consider myself a beta tester and enjoy getting an advance look at what the final release will be.