Start Button Hangs

from WinCustomize Forums
Got a weird one with Windowblinds 5 beta 6 - SDC (Stardock central isn't showing me the final version with my Object Desktop subscription, at least not yet - or do I have to purchase something else?)

Anyway = as soon as I switch to any screen other than Windows Classic the start button doesn't work! Nor does the windows key on the keyboard bring it up, nor the shortcut combo of ctrl-escape! Sometimes I'll see a pale outline of it but no information - other times if I turn off wallpaper it will come up for a time or two then not work - looks like the image is getting lost in some layers of desktop stuff before it can make it to the top of the screen. Not sure if it's a setting issue or just an incompatible skin - maybe I'll install a couple more and see if the results are consistent - meanwhile any suggestions appreciated!

Thanks!
:NOTSURE:
windowblinds
10,111 views 16 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
More info: Graphics adapter is a Radeon 7000 (QY) with 64 MB memory. System is IBM Aptiva, XP, SP 2 applied, 256 MB RAM. I figured out how to upload the full version of Windowblinds by turning off the 'show prerelease' box - but the problem remains even with the full version. It's odd because all other skinned aspects of applying a skin work perfectly - just the start button won't load to the foreground!!! And since I can't easily get to the programs withoout it, short of littering the desktop with icons - getting this resolved would be nice!

Another item - the RIGHT-click option on the start button works fine on all skins - to get explorer, open menu, etc. It's only the primary functions when you click with the left mouse button that the menu display is woefully inconsistent.


Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Same problem with start button hanging; I have uninstalled WB5 & am sticking with 4. I have a NVidia GeForce FX Go 5200 32MB video card on my toshiba portege m200 tablet, 768 mb ram, xp sp2, 1.5 ghz centrino.
Star Control: Origins
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Well I get a pretty consitent 2% of CPU usage with WindowsBlinds, is this normal? Happens with any skin and i notice its csrsse.exe which is the one taking the time. I was on the understanding that it would not use resources from CPU? Happens even with the default skin and this is a clean install.

This doubles naturally with Cool and Quiet enabled, since cpu speed is cut in half.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Taskmanager itself uses cpu when it updates its cpu usage indicator.  Which might be where 2% cpu is going. (plus the taskbar repainting for the cpu meter icon)
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
The problem is on startup for me, when SDMCP loads, until I end the process it makes my start button/sys tray hang (the cursor over them is an hourglass). When I end it, the problem goes away.

However, WB 5 doesn't work at all on my system--the desktop wallpaper appears, but all my toolbars/taskbar reverts to Win Classic as someone else has mentioned.

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
none of the navigational bars work on mine and it is a legit copy but i deleted my email because of certain reasons and i dont have an email right now
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
none of the navigational bars work on mine and it is a legit copy but i deleted my email because of certain reasons and i dont have an email right now


go back and read comment #21 Link
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
So, any idea what the problem is here? I'm pretty disappointed, having paid $80 for the OD ensemble and not being able to use one of the main attractions (WB).
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
My Start button/taskbar has also recently started *hanging* when I first power up my machine and log on, takes almost 2 minutes before clicking the start button works, it's an hourglass when you move over the taskbar...

Would really like to know what this is as it's my only issue and it's so annoying not being able to get access to the start menu for 2 minutes.

Thanks, Fedorov.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Usually that means explorer is too busy processing something else
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
Similar to a posting above, If I ctrl-alt-del and end the SDMCP process I get my taskbar back immediately. What is SDMCP needed for? Things are running without it okay I think....

Thanks.
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
>Similar to a posting above, If I ctrl-alt-del and end the SDMCP
>process I get my taskbar back immediately. What is SDMCP needed >for?

SDMCP is the Stardock process that drives WindowBlinds and who knows what all else - once you kill it, the system goes back to the pre-Stardock state, so, the taskbar will work as it should, since the Stardock "filter" is now off.

Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top

SDMCP does nothing for WindowBlinds.

That process provides tray services to ObjectBar, DesktopX & ObjectDock as well as auto start functionality for those processes.

Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top
Neil, I offer my apologies as I appear to have fixed my issue although it's such a weird one!

I have hotkeys assigned to most programs/shortcuts on my system for quick launching anything I need - recently a very annoying problem began where there would be a 1/2 second delay from pressing any hotkey to seeing the eggtimer and my program being launched. By pure chance last night I'd been running Tune-Up utilities and one thing it hightlighted to me was my no-ip.com client which runs in the background was using 27mb or RAM!

Further investigation reveals that my OutPost firewall rules were blocking this program from getting out to the no-ip.com servers but also a bug was causing their program to increase memory usage and looks like was causing my hotkey slowdown!

I updated the no-ip.com client to the very latest, sorted the firewall rule and my hotkey speed is back to being instantaneous!!!

The other good news is that the taskbar now does not freeze for 2 minutes upon starting my machine with WB5

So I'm hoping it was all just related to that and hopefully all is running fine again (fingers crossed).

SDMCP was obviously causing some issues with the above problem because EVERYtime I ended that process I got my taskbar working again immediately.

Neil, if SDMCP has nothing to do with WB5 running then is there a simple way to stop it even being loaded upon startup please - I see no point in having any extra baggage running on my lean machine...

Also, maybe others with this frozen taskbar issue have some OTHER Windows processes that are having issues upon startup like my no-ip.com client had, causing extra cpu cycles or something....

Fedorov.