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Essencay
Essencay
Join Date 01/2003
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Video Card and WindowBlind Stats Comparison

October 7, 2004 5:36:24 PM from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Hiya folks...first off my apologies for posting this in the general discussion instead of the help discussion....I know better, but I'm trying to find any people running the same video card to try to figure out why I keep losing the skinning on my shellstyles on every skin I use.

If you are running XP, ATi Radeon 7500 AGP and a full/purchased version of WindowBlinds, please help me by answering this little survey so I can see what setting I need to change to get this sorted out....Thanks

I'm using XP Home SP2 and WindowBlinds 4.40.36 ... a fresh re-install of version 4.30 from the ODNT2004 disc updated to 4.40.036 through SDC.

1. What version of XP?
2. What version of WindowBlinds? (You can find this by opening up StarDock Central)
3. In WindowBlinds Performance Options is Hyperpaint enabled? (In the WB Advanced Configuration Window...In Basic Settings...click on the performance button to see this)
4. In XP's Folder Options is "Launch folder windows in a separate process" enabled? (Open My Computer....Go to Tools....Folder Options....View tab...Advanced Settings box)
5. What version of Radeon driver? (You can find this by opening XP Display Properties...Settings Tab...Advanced Button...Adapter Tab...Properties Button...Driver Tab)....Probably a shorter route...but I can't think of it right now )
6. While Your Lookin at the stuff in the Settings, under the Troubleshoot Tab is Hardware Acceleration Full?
7. Also is Write Combining enabled?
8. Are you having any skinning problems with the Shellstyles yourself?

I don't know what if any of this has any affect on how WindowBlinds performs, but for no reason at all other than spite, XP's Luna Blue Shellstyles keep popping back up and I have to unload WindowBlinds, reload Windowblinds, Apply the XP Classic appearance, then apply the skin I want. If anyone has got anything else I should be looking at please chime in. I got no answer in the newsgroups and I figure I'd try this before I email Stardock Support. Once again thanks very much for any and all help....really appreciated
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Essencay
werewolf
Join Date 04/2001
+28
Reply #1 October 7, 2004 7:13:38 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Hi Essencay,

I'm running Xp sp2, no write combining, Catalyst 4.8, accellerator full, hyperpaint enabled, full setting, latest WB beta update, launch in separate process. I have an ATI ViVo (7200)

I'm running litestep, previously Astonshell. I, too, have shellstyle skinning problems, but...

When I run 'explorer' from the winkey r command, I get shellstyles skinned. When I run explorer from any kind of a shortcut I get the blue shellstyles. When I run explorer from the wk-r, explorer opens in 'My Documents' with skinned shell, but when I click on the My Documents shortcut, the shell isnt' skinned. I don't know what the difference is, but it is pretty frustrating.
I'll be following with interest.




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Essencay
BlueDev
Join Date 12/2003
+16
Reply #2 October 7, 2004 8:02:43 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Essencay, I have a Mobility Radeon 7500 (64 megs). Not exactly what you are looking for but I will pass along my info if it helps in any way.

1. XP Home with SP2
2. Windowblinds version 4.40.036 (ODNT sub)
3. Hyperpaint disabled (I assumed that since it was disabled automatically that it wouldn't help me. Should I give it a go? I thought my vid card was too old)
4. No
5. Omega Drivers version 2.5.90 built off the Catalyst 4.10 betas
6. Hardware Acceleration set to full
7. Write Combining enabled
8. Nope, things have been working great for me.
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Essencay
Essencay
Join Date 01/2003
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Reply #3 October 7, 2004 8:19:47 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
I noticed that I'm having better success keeping the shellstyles skinned....I don't have to go thru the load..unload WB process to skin them...when "Launch folder windows in a separate process" is enabled, by closing all windows and reloading the skin from the WB icon in the systemtray, but then IconPackager complains that using this setting will cause some icons not to be shown correctly and will go back to the default icons.
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Essencay
yrag
Join Date 08/2001
+393
Reply #4 October 7, 2004 9:55:46 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Stephen - Look into installing Microsoft's .Net Framework 1.1.
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Essencay
werewolf
Join Date 04/2001
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Reply #5 October 7, 2004 10:52:19 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Essencay, what happens when you run explorer using the winKey R (run command)? I just set all my short cuts to launch explorer.exe and set the path as the argument and shellstyles are skinning fine.



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Essencay
Essencay
Join Date 01/2003
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Reply #6 October 8, 2004 1:09:18 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Hiya Gary...MS Net Framework 1.1 is already onboard

werewolf...I usually open My Computer or My Documents from the XP Startmenu...Using WinKey+R to run explorer opens My Documents with the Folders View showing, when I close the view, the blue shellstyles rears its ugly head some of the time.
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Essencay
yrag
Join Date 08/2001
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Reply #7 October 8, 2004 1:23:48 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
So much for that idea.....make sure you're not using ATI drivers beyond 4.8 (although I don't think it's a graphics glitch). Does it still do it if you un-check 'Open folders in separate process'?
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Essencay
Essencay
Join Date 01/2003
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Reply #8 October 8, 2004 1:54:36 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Does it worse when that's unchecked. Using Catalyst 3.9, Radeon Driver 6.14.10.6369. I had this same problem way back when WB 4.x came out, but not as bad as it is now, only happened then if I applied a whole series of skins one right after the other. This has started with the 4.4 versions of WB. Another interesting note is that when I try to use one of the skins with the new horizontal shellstyles, the vertical shellstyles is hidden, but no horizontal shellstyles shows at all.

Well I'm off to work, I'll check in later. Thanks Gary
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Essencay
Septimus
Join Date 03/2002
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Reply #9 October 8, 2004 11:22:43 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Shouldn't you be running Catalyst 4.8? Unless is a laptop version of the GPU of course.
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Essencay
yrag
Join Date 08/2001
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Reply #10 October 8, 2004 11:23:20 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
... a fresh re-install of version 4.30 from the ODNT2004 disc updated to 4.40.036 through SDC.


You might try saving your skins to a temp folder and un-installing WB (folder and all). Re-install using SDC only. Make sure in WB Config you have no global coloring enabled. If you use PowerDesk6 or other apps using 'Direct Skin' they will cause a problem if you don't disable it.

On a side note...those Catalyst and Radeon drivers are fairly old...you should update to 4.8 and if you want try 4.9. Make sure you use a driver cleaner when you do it so there's no trash left behind.

When it's all said and done, you can use the 'Inclusion Apps' option in WB to determine where the software problem is.
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Essencay
Essencay
Join Date 01/2003
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Reply #11 October 8, 2004 12:56:13 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Yep, the drivers are pretty old....I tend not to update video drivers unless there's a problem app. Most of the software I own is older than the video card and drivers....except the Stardock stuff.

Not using any Direct Skin apps that I'm aware of, no global coloring or PowerDesk. Before I read #10, I rolled back to the 4.30 install from the disc to check if I had the issue with that install. I'll run it today just to torturing myself and I've got to do some house cleaning on my drive before I back it up. Also, I want to see if it's as bad as what was happening with 4.40.36 installed. Then I'll go thru the process of updating drivers to 4.8....uninstalling WB and getting the SDC version. I'll post back here sometime Sunday/Monday with what's happening.

Thanks again Gary, I very much appreciate receiving your help
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Essencay
yrag
Join Date 08/2001
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Reply #12 October 8, 2004 2:22:44 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
You're more then welcome and good luck, my Friend
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Essencay
Essencay
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Reply #13 October 9, 2004 10:50:07 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Here's where I stand....

Uninstalled old ATi drivers and ran a little proggie they have that scrubs every ATi file off you disk. Installed Catalyst 4.8....good point not to jump to 4.9 since it has issues with SP2. Uninstalled WB 4.30, Deleted the WB folder, installed 4.40.036 from SDC. On the second skin I applied....lost the shellstyles. So far the stablest is 4.30 with Open folders in separate process checked. I can almost apply skin after skin after skin without losing the shellstyle skinning with the folders set this way. Doesn't seem to matter whether WB's hyperpaint is enabled or not.

I also replaced the shellstyle.dll v. 5.1.2600.0 with a copy of the same from my wife's PC....she doesn't run any customization software just in case mine was corrupt, figured it was worth a shot, it had no impact, so I don't know, maybe her's is corrupt as well. This is the only thing I found about shellstyle.dll at MS http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kben-us823768 Searching the net I found that some folks are using a RC version of this file skin the shellstyles/taskbar....think I got that right.

So right now I'm at a loss. I think something was introduced in WB 4.40 that makes this very unstable on my PC. My PC Stats....

*Asus P4G8X Deluxe Mainboard
*P4 3.06 HT FSB533....Hyper-Threading enabled
*1GB Corsair Dual-Channel Mem w/Platinum Heat Spreader DDR333 (runs at 266x2 'cause of the FSB)
*Radeon 7500 4X AGP video card w/64MB DDR

Virus and spyware clean, defragged, only other thing I can think of is that IE6 windows will sometimes lock/not respond and/or crash the taskbar...my wife's running the same OS without issue...so if there are any other files, that might be corrupt, I can get them off her PC or from the XP disk (when you Delete a critical XP file it panics and asks for the XP disk to reinstall it)
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Essencay
Essencay
Join Date 01/2003
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Reply #14 October 10, 2004 5:55:39 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
Disabled hyper-threading....problem appears fixed. Minor performance hit, but skinned windows actually drag around noticeably smoother than with hyper-threading enabled. Go figure....
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