WindowBlinds 5 now available!

Frogboy

Join Date 03/2001

+2419

WindowBlinds 5 now available!

Start personalizing Windows!

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Stardock has released WindowBlinds 5 to the public today. WindowBlinds allows users to completely alter the look and feel of the Windows interface by applying visual styles (skins) to title bars, buttons, the Start bar, borders and more. Consumers customize nearly everything else in their environments: their cars, homes, clothing and cell phones are based on their personal preferences and needs. With WindowBlinds 5, users can now make their Windows desktops look and feel the way they want.

WindowBlinds 5 introduces a broad range of new features, including per-pixel alpha blending, resulting in smooth or glassy title bars and borders that realistically distort the content behind them; as well as the ability to change toolbar icons, progress animations and the hue and saturation of the Windows interface.

With over over 8 million users worldwide, WindowBlinds 5 is the most popular desktop-enhancement utility of all time according to CNET’s Download.com where it recently passed the 9 million download mark. It is also used by companies such as Microsoft, ATI, nVidia, Alienware, Nintendo and many others to provide custom Windows user interfaces for their customers.

WindowBlinds 5 is $19.95 as a stand-alone program or for $49.95 by purchasing Stardock’s award-winning Windows enhancement suite, Object Desktop. A shareware version of WindowBlinds is available for free download.

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I'm using a 2+yr old, off the shelf HP - original nonupdated nvidia driver - 5 looks good to me so far. Nice effect(s). When I get some time, I'll update my drivers to see if there's any improvement. (wish they wouldn't do such large {for dialup} update packages).

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Corky_O

Join Date 04/2004

Izzee,

If you are still experiencing problems, then the most efficient way to attempt to fix the issue would be to go to the following link, and then follow the steps below to set your graphics adapter straight: https://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&folderID=293

Left pane - Windows version > Radeon > CATALYST 5.11 (or use the "Previous Drivers and Software" listing to locate 5.9 or 5.10 if you wish > download the driver package of your choice and save to your desktop (Note - since I am not a 'gamer', I use just the "Display Driver Only" download).

Left pane - Expand "Utilities" tree > Various > CATALYST - ATI Maintenance Utilities > download the CATALYST Uninstaller (cat-uninstaller.exe) and save to your desktop

Save your skin folders to a temporary folder > unload all programs and return Windows to the default theme - including all icons - using the 'Display Properties\Themes tab\select Windows XP in the drop-down Theme list\click "Apply" method > uninstall WindowBlinds > reboot computer > delete any leftover "WindowBlinds" folder found in "C:\Program Files\Stardock\Object Desktop" folder.

Run the "cat-uninstaller.exe" program, and reboot > install downloaded display drivers > reboot > reinstall WB5 > test program with pre-packaged skins.

If all is well, replace the saved skin folders from the temporary folder.

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A good-news performance note: Just noticed a drop in phys. memory usage from avg. 78% (of 512 RAMBUS RAM) to 35% using WB5 after using WB4.6. P4 1.4GHz running same as b4, about30%. Also 2-yr-old system, homebuilt in school So WB5 does use less resources, as stated. Nice work, all!

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In Reply to #103:

sure. but there's no point. it won't meet your standards. maybe you could create and upload an example for others to follow?

So what you're saying is there isn't any 100% stable skin out there. When you say it won't meet my standards, you are saying they all have bugs and graphics glitches.

Is that because all of the skins are done badly, or because WB just has too many bugs to work around?

I mean, if none of the hundreds of authors out there have managed to make a good skin with WB, I certainly have no reason to think it will be worth my while trying? Better to save my money and stick to the other skinning methods.

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Corky_O

Join Date 04/2004

wrecklass,

I do not know if there is a 100% stable skin anywhere, including the default "Luna" theme included with Windows, but if you want a 'stable' skin example that will work correctly with the explorer shell - start with StealthOS. It works fine.

Note - font issues can be caused by the choice of the artist of font type, as well as by your monitor and graphic adapters ability to display 2D text. The color of the background also plays into this issue, due to the ability of some colors to hide imperfections in the diplaying of fonts.

If you are used to another skinning program, it may simply be your preference.

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Corky_O

Join Date 04/2004

Sorry for the typo's

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Dear Nakor, I want to thank-you for the help you gave me last night. I had to go to bed before I could try your advice so I just got home from work and installed the new stardock central and that did the trick for me in getting WB5 installed and working for me. I really appreciate it man!! I think they did a great job updateing this. Love the new interface for applying skins very very cool. This new aura skin is SO cool with the glass effect. I only have one problem now and its that I dont have my stardock central icon in my tasktray anymore..? I always used that as a quick way to get to all of the programs I changed from object desktop. You know of a quick way to get it back?

Thanks again for all of your help, Mark

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opps Im a idiot..lol I found what I was looking for.

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SD central crashes half way thru the download. And I only have the 2nd beta

help please

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SD central crashes half way thru the download. And I only have the 2nd beta

help please

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Hey Tominated.

Go back up to comment #65 and see if that helps.

current version should be 2.20.357 build 103

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Chasbo

Join Date 01/2005

+1048

Stardock got it right! THIS IS DA BOMB!!!! What I always wanted it to be! Apple: Watch Out! Can't touch this! Beautiful and it works!!!!!! Using Cyclops and I love it. Microsoft should learn from you Brad! This is the best 15 bucks I ever spent!

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I have installed the program, but when I attempt to apply a skin or change anything... nothing happens at all

Any help is appreciated...

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I still have not received the link to download version 5

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it suks about the shareware and no tranoarency (especially for skins like windows vista)
nice job on 5 tho
and i've tried loading and reinstalling WB again and again (shareware) and it keeps not loading the skins . i get about to when it changes to classic (right b4 the final skins are on) and then stops and now i can only change from classic to XP. any ideas?

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Excellent product! Just out of curiosity, is the per-pixel-borders implemented by HLSL shaders? I assume so considering the HSL color support. If that is the case, the next way to go is to give skincreators the ability to change/replace that shader. Blurred borders might just be a possibility?
Thanks for the hard work!

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Join Date 10/2001

+21

WB is getting faster and faster and faster ... wondering where will we stop ...

Great work put together ... welldone

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You think all the per pixel transparency is done using cpu only?

Why not?
Just asking.

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WB5 f****d up my computer

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About guys with graphics cards/drivers problem: I get an (now) fairly old graphic card, based on NVIDIA geforce2 MX/MMX 400 with AGP 4X and 32 Mo. Even with the originals drivers (about 3 years old i think) WB5 is (for now and what i could saw with the different apps i launched ...) running without trouble. Just a little buggy when surfing with IE6 french, the "Favorites" menu is not skinned the same way ("File" "Editing" "Display" or "Tools") it's not alpha-blended and not transparent as the others

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As far as I know, there won't be any skin that will be able to skin the Favourites menu in IE6 (or any IE)
The reason for this is that Favourites is partly a folder (from the seperator down)
Or, if it is a driver issue, I have it too.

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[Reply to post #100
Most of the heavy lifting (as I understand it) is done by the video card in this build of WB. And you indicate that you have a Radeon 9800 which should be fine according to Stardock. [I have a Radeon 9200se with no problems seeing glass effects.]

Have you updated your drivers yet? There should be no harm even if it doesn't help.

And if you are not trying to offend skinners, you might want to find better adjectives than "sucks".]

I'm not good with words maybe i need a dictionary to find words that mean what i want.
I updated the drives on my radeon 9800 pro 256mb but it still isn't giving me the glass effect.

reply to post #101: i know for broadband users (fast connection) the update drivers are large 1 files like 30mb but for dial up it's split in 3, about 10mb each and i know how long it takes for 10mb to download on 56k dial up, takes like 25-40 minutes.

reply to #102: i did all you have said but i'm not getting the glass effect (i know it's nothing special) but just wat to see what it looks like, but the themes that come with WB5 aren't working, just a solid window. i have no idea what it is. Might be a dud card.

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It was skinned like the others on my system with WB 4.60 (with same card and same drivers)

Euh, well, perhaps i see the same, as the others were not transparent

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Can someone tell me where I can find the nice skin used in screenshot number 3? Thanks a lot for your help!

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Can someone tell me where I can find the nice skin used in screenshot number 3? Thanks a lot for your help!

It's called Cartoon2 by Pixtudio coming with the Toon XP updated suite https://www.stardock.com/products/themes/toon-xp/

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