I was never able to get fences to work right on Windows 7 x64 so I just stopped using it.  I did submit a support ticket as well and never got a resolution to my issue.  I even offered to beta test a debug version and as of yet they never took me up on the offer.

To be fair it could have been another program I was using the caused the problem but I have yet to see Explorer crash it without using Fences so I am going to wait a bit and try a newer version or a debug version if offered.  Sorry Stardock but as they say the guilty app barks first.

Fences was a nice to have but not really a killer enough app like Window Blinds is to me.  I run a very clean system and only install apps that I really need so my desktop wasn't very crowded to being with.

I'm using

  Windows 7 x64
  Crucial M4 256Gb SSD
  8 HHD of various sizes
  8 GB DDR3
  Water Cooled

Crashing the windows explorer (i.e. the desktop) has been a problem since Fences 1.0 and, in fact, the problem existed in other Stardoc apps before then too.

The old version would only crash once on every boot up.  While annoying, I could live with this.  The new version, however, crashes multiple times.

To test this I started by installing a clean copy of windows + fences 2.0.  It started crashing within minutes of installing.  Therefore, it is NOT an interaction with some other malformed program.  It is a BUG in fences.

I then noted that fences was still launched from the "startup" folder in the start menu!  This is SO old school.  Programs launched from there do not have elevated privileges.  Fences, by its very nature, must have system level access and does not have it.  I also noted later that the other Stardoc apps are now launched from the Task Manager.

I then removed the start menu launch entry and replaced it with a Task Manager entry with elevated privileges.  This STOPPED the crashing cold.  However, there is a side effect.  The program thinks that each start up is the first run of the program and pops up the options page.  I can live with this even if it is a little annoying.

Since reinstalling the system and all of my apps, many hundreds of them, still no crashing.  Problem solved.  At least, for me.

The following procedure requires no registry hacks and is entirely reversible.

How to create a Startup Task for Fences:


Step 1 - Find the Task Scheduler

    + Open "Control Panel"
    + Open "Administrative Tools"
    + Open "Task Scheduler"

    Within the Task Scheduler you will see, on the left, "Task Scheduler (Local)" followed by "Task Scheduler Library."  

Step 2 - Create Task Folder

    + Click on the "open" arrow next to "Task Scheduler Library."  Right Click on "Task Scheduler Library" and select "New Folder."  I suggest you name it "Personal".  This will make finding your personal tasks easy to find later.  
    + Click on your new task folder

Step 3 - Create Task

    In the "Actions" pane, select "Create Task..."  This brings up a dialog with five tabs.  Only make the changes specified, leave everything else as is.

    The “General” Tab

        Name:  Fences
        Select: Run only when user is logged on
        Select:  Run with highest privileges

    The “Triggers” Tab

        Click the "New" button and...
        Begin the task:  At log on
        Click "OK"

    The “Actions” Tab

        Click the "New" button and...

        Action:  Start a Program
        Browse to “C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\Fences\Fences.exe”
        Add arguments:  /STARTUP
        Click "OK"

    The “Settings” Tab

        Select:  Allow task to be run on demand
        Select:  Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed
        Select:  If the running task does not end when requested, force it to stop
        Select:  If the task is already running:   Do not run a new instance
        Click "OK"

Donn

It's been a few days since I changed the startup command for Fences, so I thought that I should report back.  

My suggestion at the time was to launch Fences from the task manager and not the "startup" folder.

Simply put, don't do it.  While starting up Fences from the Task Manager does stop the crashing, Fences gets all confused.  It does not know that it was auto started and pops up the configuration screen every time you boot.  And, worse yet, it auto checks the "start with windows" checkbox.  So that the next time you boot Fences will try to launch two times.

This is the behavior that I've observed.

When Installed:  The startup entry is placed in the "Startup" folder.  The "startup" folder entries DO NOT have elevated privileges.  

If that is deleted and the program is run later:  The startup entry is placed in the registry at HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.  The various run folders, to my knowledge, also do not have elevated privileges.  

The Task Manager does have elevated privileges if that option is turned on.

So, after minimal investigation and experimentation, I am inclined to think that the startup for Fences should be an entry in the Task Manager but it must be done by Fences in such a way that Fences is aware of it.  The ball is in the court of the programmers now.

I'll checkout the beta as I have time.

Donn

If you get the time and would not mind trying a few things, we would like to see what is causing your crashing issue. Send us an email at support@stardock.com and mention this post.