question regarding stylesxp vs window blinds

from WinCustomize Forums
i am a newbie to all this. I have been using WB for around a month now and love it. I have a xpmachine. A buddy of mine is using stylesxp and loves it. I have done some research on the 2 products and think I understand the differences, but suspect because i am new I am probably missing something. So i thought I would toss the question out to the more experienced peope to get some imput.

Firts as I understand it:
stylesxp simply unlocks the locks on the windows .dll that do not allow unsigned/unverified themes from being run. this allows any msstyles theme to be be used. It is a .dll hack.

WB is more full featured, being able to do more. It does this by using the windows skinnig engine or the WB engine and is able to skin things like scroll bars in word, were styles xp cannot.

this is the extent of my understanding and with that will toss out a few questions.
*Which is more stable and less glitchy? I see alot of bug fixes and ungrades etc with WB.
*As I understand it both apps utilize the windows skining engine. Yet there seems to be some concern over how stylesxp does this vs. windows blinds. Waht is the concern with styles xp?

Just looking to get a bit better undersstanding for future "discussions" with my buddy.
2,835 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well to put it simply... Windowblinds is written from scratch... their is actually very little of the windows built in skinning engine... that's why it's endorsed by microsoft... if you have a problem with it... you talk to Stardock, and bug them not microsoft... but when you hack into the built in visual style engine you are editing windows code... this makes microsoft mad... because if you mess something up you come to them for support... also with WB4 less than a month away... I can tell you that it skins every aspet of windows... leaving little or no elements unskinned... many things are skinned with WB that aren't skinned with Style xp... Radio Buttons, Log off, and Shutdown Dialogs, more windows are skinned like the command prompt, and many more features to come... like the explorer buttons... and I my self haven't witnessed a bug in window blinds since I used it on my windows 95 machine 4 years ago... the program is awesome...and likewise you may want to check out the whole object desktop

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Everything is said already, I only wanted to add that You are the first one here that asks reasonable questions about stylesxp vs. window blinds in a very friendly manner. Only wanted to point that out as a good example.

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Fences - Organize your desktop icons today!
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
In other words, I agree with c242. (and of course with da_zman20 said in the first place)

Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yes, Mark, you put it pretty acurately yourself.

But one other difference is because Style XP is a system hack, it is highly dependant on Windows itself. When Microsoft changes some core DLLs, the Style XP hack ceise to work, where Windowblinds doesn't. The kind people that make the system hack have to get back to work and release a new version of the hack.
Furthermore, I heard rumours that Microsoft will change some things in the next version of Windows that will make the hacking of the security lock impossible. Therefore all those who bouhgt Style XP will be left with a useless hack.

Also, I don't know how technically they do it, but Windowblinds 4 will apparently be actually faster than XP's "native" skins.

And of course, as somebody else mentionned it, ther eis the support issue. If Windowblinds doesn't work well, you ca have support from Stardock. If you have problems with a MSSTYLE, just try to email Microsoft.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks people. This is helping.

Paxx, I think you hit on what I thought might be escaping me. (Iknow just enough to get my self in trouble with all this) With stylesxp you are messing with the operating system. Microsoft comes out with a new SP and your back to using the standard themes. Then you are back to hacking the system again.

I can understand why MS would not want people messing with the code then running buggy themes on the OS. I can see having to boot into safemode and delting themes on occassion. They build things so grandma and grandpa can go to Bestbuy, bring it home and just plug it in, not bring it home and start skinning.

What are the differences in the way the themes are written. This is bad question since I would not understand anyway. What I am really getting at here is that I prefer window blinds, but he does have one stylesxp theme that i liked called "bluegloss". All it did was give the default blue a shinny gel'd look. Is there a way to get convert Stylexp to window blinds?
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Forgot to mention. i do have object desktop. Right now i am just using WB, Desktopx, cursorxp, object dock.

I made a spongebob user profile for my 8yr old with desktopX. Its like putting him in a playpen withh all his toys and not having to worry that he can get at the system or places on the net by accident. So im with stardock for that reason alone. Marketing idea guys. Kids dont ask the folks to go to Mcdonalds for the food, its the happy meal.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I've got both - and use both. There are some visual styles I love which haven't been ported over to WB, and I'm too bloody lazy to do it on my own.

Visual Styles seem to display shellstyles a /little/ more quickly than WB - but WB's still in an alpha stage yet, and my reference is an older alpha build anyway - I've since turned shellstyles off (they take up too much screen space and give to little in return, IMHO.)

But - using Visual Styles, I've noticed my system is also prone to strange little inexplicable crashes that I don't get when using Windowblinds, or Windows Classic. ^_^

So - in /my/ opinion at least - Windowblinds is more stable. ^_~ That - and the big difference is WB doesn't limit you nearly as much in how skins can be designed. (even though most skins /do/ seem to fit with the standard layout set by Windows.)
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
ok, so it is possible to use both at the same time???? I was apprehensive about even trying this. It seemed to me from teetering on the back of the truck, that WB would be using the stylesxp hacked dll and did not want to find out what might happen then.
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I have also used both at the same time. Ditto "kthxbye" about loving some of the visual styles in StyleXP. Some of them are absolutely gorgeous and I really miss using them. It's the colors and smoothness of the lines, not all but more than WB. In saying that, this is my personal preference. I personally don't like glassy or pipe looking WB, that's just me. Some authors have ported a few to WB. Wish I knew how to port them.

I have uninstalled StyleXP. It plays with my fonts too much and after loading a style I have to adjust my fonts. Not comfortable anymore with the idea of it being a hack. I'll miss some of the skins very much.
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Might I add before the tomatoes are thrown, that I love my Window Blinds. Stardock products are the best and the support is terrific. I have message boards and I have newsgroups.


I have been a customer for a long time now since V1. I have purchased at least 4 or 5 of their products over the years until I smartened up and purchased OD and I will renew it every year. Great value....

Haunt this site everyday more than once, I might add