Fences 4 - GUI will not open - SdDisplay.exe not running.

from Stardock Forums

Hi All,

Fences 4 Version: 4.0.7.2 
OSVersion:    10.0.19045.0 (Win 10 fully patched)

Whenever I try to run a newly installed Fences4, either by running the app or Right Clicking n the desktop, no GUI ever appears.

 

Looking in the SasLog.txt I get muiltple entries related to SdDisplay.exe

[2023-01-25T12:27:11] Info    : Initialize: Product ID '2664', Product Name 'Fences4', Version '4.0.7.2', Company Name 'Stardock', Process Name 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\Fences\Fences.exe'.
[2023-01-25T12:27:11] Info    : Loaded package file 'C:\program files (x86)\stardock\fences\Default.spak', Version '5'.
[2023-01-25T12:27:11] Error   : Unable to run SdDisplay.exe

 

Tried so far:

  • Installed with Admin permissions
  • Right Click and Run as Administrator (+ UAC Prompt)
  • Allow-Listed the below in MS Defender:
    • C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\Fences
    • C:\ProgramData\Stardock\Fences4
    • SdDisplay.exe

I'm at a loss as to what else I can try.

I'm confident I can't be the first user to see this, however there were no recent posts showing up in searches and the above attmpts to resolve have been covered off.

Cheers!

fences
10,166 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues.

Is this a PC in a corporate environment? If so, could you ask your IT people if WebSense / ForcePoint is being used? If not, what AV app is being used?

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Yes in a Corporate environment, no Websense/Forcepoint.

Are there URLs it needs to get to in order to open - I can have those adjusted if I know what needs to be reached.

In the logs I did see some blocking on Google Analytics, but hopefully the blocking of that is not the cause?

AV is MS Defender for Endpoint.

Thanks!

SoundPackager - Customize the Windows sound scheme
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

Thanks for the response, I disabled the High Entropy ASLR for testing and rebooted. Alas no change, same log entries.

 

Any other thoughts / tips to try?

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,
I have forward your problem/question to Stardock Support Team for their assistance. Please keep an eye on this thread for any updates. We appreciate your feedback and patience.

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,

Sorry to hear you are having trouble.

In:

C:\ProgramData\Stardock\Fences4

If Fences has been properly activated, two files will be here:

License.sig
Cache.dat

If they are not there, the app is not activated and you could see what you are now.

If SDDisplay is crashing, thus the UI is not popping, activation with the command line is an option:

https://support.stardock.com/space/SHC/1340342286/Product+silent+installation+and+activation

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

Thanks all,

 

The command that worked for me was:

Code: asp.net
  1. SASUpgrade.exe -prodId=2664 -prodName="Fences4" -company="Stardock" -ver="1.0" -email="[email protected]" serial="ProductKEY"