Back to WB4

Published on October 23, 2005 By pinchecl In WindowBlinds

Well, after playing and testing WB5 I decided to go back to the good old WB4 again. Why? Well, got a minute? (I'm using the latest version of both WB5 and SS)
First of all, no doubt WB5 has great potential. The Per pixel option gives good possibilities and the effects that can be accomplished with that are awesome. So why the rollback then? (Mind you, all things mentioned here are just "bugs" and shortcomings I have on my machine and they not necessarily have to be a common WB5 problem!)
Simply, the goods are not enough to forget the bads. Too much "errors" to create the themes I want. Each of them no big deal if isolated.
- Like the text background, a wonderfull option in WB4. Not available in WB5.
- I'm a fan of creating a menubar I like. In WB5 the menubar can only be modified by adjusting a color.
- The Per pixel effect has another strange result at my system. I'm working on a theme with a glass frame of about 10 pixels. When a window is maximized, the glass part disappears and will only be visible when downsizing the window!
- Call me dumb but try to add a Rollup button in WB5 on the perpixel layer.......And having written this I discover the way it can be done...finally
- Skinstudio can't handle the testing and applying anymore. You have to start WB to test or apply a skin. No big deal, I know, but it's just another "irritating" point.
All in all, I'm still enthusiastic about the whole thing but for now it just keeps me from creating the theme(s) I want instead of giving more posibilities. I sure will test new versions but until then I'll keep on creating wb4's. Just my 2c's

Comments

Corky_O

on Oct 23, 2005

I think it is good to have the option to run the stable version, or test with the new beta.

For my part, I like the new handling of the shell with WB5 - but I think we will be waiting a while for the fully stable version 5.

I also have opted to run WB 4.6 until further progress has been made with 5.

Neil Banfield

on Oct 23, 2005

The latest skin studio should handle the applying of skins just fine with WB5.

Your other issues are limitations of the per pixel windows, but given that WB4 doesn't support per pixel windows, rolling back gains you nothing. WB5 continues to support the non per pixel skins in the same way as WB4 does.

Corky_0: What sort of issues were you having with WB5?

Koasati

on Oct 23, 2005

The latest skin studio should handle the applying of skins just fine with WB5.

Yep... works just fine for me.

Your other issues are limitations of the per pixel windows,

Are you saying, we are permenantly losing features we've grown accustom to using, in WB5?

jebland

on Oct 23, 2005

I have an odd problem with WB5. If IconX is loaded, WB5 will not apply a wallpaper. If I unload IconX and change Windowblinds, the wallpaper applies. Then if I reload IconX the wallpaper disappears. The only way I can get it back is to go to the WB skin directory and apply the wallpaper with Irfanview. This seems really crazy as I don't know what IconX could have to do with wallpaper. Go figure.

NightTrainthedark

on Oct 23, 2005

Skinstudio version 4.90 build 1084 has been working very well for me Cliff. Sometimes applying skins kinda stalls but it eventually loads. Maybe try falling back to a previous version can get you through until things get worked out.

pinchecl

on Oct 23, 2005

Thanks people.
Neil, not quite agree with you. One of the things with the WB5 I mentioned is the strange behaviour of the perpixel frames (not showing when maximized). That means the design is disturbed. So there is the gain: a window as it was designed. Apart from that, the whole thing still is not quite stable. Like NT already said,

Sometimes applying skins kinda stalls but it eventually loads. Maybe try falling back to a previous version can get you through until things get worked out

. Don't get me wrong though, I do like the way things are going, it's just not ready for me yet.

Corky_O

on Oct 23, 2005

Corky_0: What sort of issues were you having with WB5?

Neil,

The following have been consistent on both Desktop and Notebook:

Using "unload WindowBlinds" in config panel, without first applying the "default" skin, results in:

(1) Display properties\Themes tab shows only the "bliss" wallpaper - with no XP shell style image, when Windows XP is selected (applying this does not change the shell style, though one time upon reboot - the XP shell style was loaded).

(2) Display properties\Appearance tab shows only the default "classic" blue background with no shell style appearance images (applying this does not change the shell style).

(3) Rebooting in all cases where the XP shell style images do not show in Display Properties after unloading WindowBlinds, results in complete or partial skinning with the WindowBlinds skin that had been applied previous to unload.

(3) StealthOS (.bmp) wall - after using the StealthOS skin, and after restoring the default Windows XP style - displays after POST, and before Welcome screen. This can be prevented by removing the StealthOS (.bmp) from the skin folder. I tried converting to a ".jpeg" and replacing the ".bmp" image - which resulted in no wall image displayed in the WB config panel preview window, and no wall applied with the skin (Apply any wallpaper..., was selected). I assume this must involve image assignment in SS, but did not check it.

(4) A horizontal line (almost white, and probably 5 pixel in height) displays in "flickers" across the width of the taskbar during the use of StealthOS, and seems to be activated during a refresh of screen image. I did not test this one with other skins.

Here are the troubleshooting reports:

Dell Inspirion 9300 Notebook:

WindowBlinds 5 BETA Troubleshooting Report:

STATUS : WB+ SRV+ HLP+ UI+

WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC.

WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC

Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.

You have one monitor in total.

(Default Monitor) 1 is attached to ATI MOBILITY RADEON X300
'ATI MOBILITY RADEON X300 ' also exists as device '\\.\DISPLAY2', but is not attached to the desktop.
'NetMeeting driver' also exists as device '\\.\DISPLAYV1', but is not attached to the desktop and is a mirror driver.
'RDPDD Chained DD' also exists as device '\\.\DISPLAYV2', but is not attached to the desktop and is a mirror driver.

WindowBlinds 5 BETA Troubleshooting Report:

STATUS : WB+ SRV+ HLP+ UI+

WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC.

WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC

Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.

You have one monitor in total.

Homebuilt machine (P4 2.5 Ghz, 400 Mhz FSB, 1.5 GB PC2100 RAM, ASUS MoBo, Antec TruePower 380- all BIOS and drivers updated fully):

WindowBlinds 5 BETA Troubleshooting Report:

STATUS : WB+ SRV+ HLP+ UI+

WindowBlinds is installed correctly on this PC.

WindowBlinds appears to be activated on this PC

Your machine supports per pixel borders on WindowBlinds skins.

You have one monitor in total.

(Plug and Play Monitor) 1 is attached to RADEON X700 Series
'RADEON X700 Series Secondary ' also exists as device '\\.\DISPLAY2', but is not attached to the desktop.
'NetMeeting driver' also exists as device '\\.\DISPLAYV1', but is not attached to the desktop and is a mirror driver.
'RDPDD Chained DD' also exists as device '\\.\DISPLAYV2', but is not attached to the desktop and is a mirror driver.

Note - I am currently doing a clean install of OS on both machines (not due to WB, just routine maintenance), so will check back to see if there are any responses to prompt more testing.

Thanks again.

Corky_O

on Oct 23, 2005

Neil,

I just installed WB 4.90g(.003 on a clean install of XP w/SP2 on the Dell notebook listed above.

Issues #1 & #2 listed in my post above still exist, I did not keep "Always apply any wallpaper included..." option selected, and saw no flickering issue in the taskbar during testing.

I tested with both prepackaged skins included with install, as well as with the Mako and 5imple (non-alpha) skins.

The work around I am using for Display Properties issue, is to do the following:

1 - Apply the "classic windows" listed in WB config panel > unload WB > reboot machine > computer loads with classic windows style > use Display Properties\Themes tab\Theme drop-down\Windows XP\"Apply". This sets all back to default "Luna" with no issues.

Additionally,

I had posted an issue I noticed with Painter IX in another thread, where the WB 4.6 skinning would in some way prevent the function of the Min, Restore/Max, and Close buttons when a skin was applied. This issue seems to have been resolved with the new beta for the main program window shell, but persists for the file windows that open inside the main program window.

The functionality of the main program window buttons in question will only work with the prepackaged skins, not with skins designed for WB 4.6 (I am wondering if the issue may be in the SS 4.6 designing?). In all cases where the Min, Restore/Max, and Close buttons do not function, the right-clicking of the window title bar (both main program and inner file windows) results in the window rolling up.

I will keep WB5 beta installed on this machine to track the changes as the new versions become available.

Thanks for all the great work, and I have no doubt that all bugs will be fixed in time.

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