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How to evaluate for Vista before purchase if I can't download it?

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How to evaluate for Vista before purchase if I can't download it?

from Stardock Forums
I am running Windows Vista full time. Contrary to what Stardock states, there are a great deal of people that are running it full time. I want to evaluate OD and specifically WB to see how it will run on Vista before I commit to a purchase (which I have no problem purchasing it whatsoever - I was registered back in 03 but my registration has lapsed).

So tell me this........How am I to evaluate WB on Vista if I can't install it? WB 5.1 refuses to install. Does Stardock expect me to spend $50 just to download it to see how it works on Vista? It's not like there is a trial version of OD.

Please advise how this is being handled........I'd like to see how it works on Vista but won't spend $50 just to evaluate it.

Thanks in advance.......
windowblinds
10,703 views 33 replies
Reply #26 from WinCustomize Forums Top
If you have a comment or suggestion about command prompt skinning, then feel free to start another thread to address it.


JRSCCivic98 has a number of rude posts already on what he thinks are the problems with WB, Neil and Stardock.

I usually post a link to JRSCCivic98's spam right away so everyone knows what a putz he is. But I thought I'd not this time because he seemed to be on an even keel. I was wrong. Still rude.   

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Fences - Organize your desktop icons today!
Reply #28 from Stardock Forums Top
Just calm, down behave civil, and you might get some answers.


I'm sorry, I must have missed the posts I made where everything is in CAPS. Or maybe not. Seems to me that you guys seem to be thinking I'm here bouncing off the walls and yelling at my PC as I post. In reality... wth is up with you guys? You have very active imaginations.

Anyhoo, Orion, my post above about your quote was no firing back at you. Maybe you misunderstood it. I appreciate your suggestion about the 3rd party program and while I "already" knew about it my original comment still stands. Thanks, but no thanks. I don't want to implement another 3rd party program to do what a "Skinning" application should already do.

Look at it this way guys, if this "console skinning" capability wasn't ever available (which it was in 4.xx) then I wouldn't be bitching about it much. After all, I didn't mind it much when StyleXP couldn't do it. But give the users WB4.xx which skins the command prompt and then take it away in 5.xx and it's kind of a kick in the ass if you ask me. Program development should be in the process of "improve upon current features and designs" not "take stuff out if you can't make it work with a new feature you wanted to put in". In my eyes it's just a slight step backwards.
Reply #29 from WinCustomize Forums Top

So....

It looks like the trade-off for per-pixel skinning in WB5 is the perhaps temporary loss of cmd skinning that did make it into WB4.

When asked what would be the consensus of preferred ability I think you'd find per-pixel skinning would win out.

Since WB5 and subsequently 5.5 is to progress into WB for Vista, that'd be seen as progression, not regression.

If there IS an insurmountable issue with Vista compatibility AND getting CMD skinned at the same time then like it or not people will just HAVE to resort to Econsole and the like.

This isn't rocket science....but the implimentation of WB functionality within the MS OS is.

How hard is it to do?  Considering it is currently NOT done I'd say "too effing hard, bordering on impossible", but then again, ask Neil.

To eternally harp on the loss of a 'feature' as if it's the end of humanity/skinning is a bit OTT.

IF it's do-able it'll be done.  If not, it won't....

Now, time to move on...

Reply #30 from Stardock Forums Top
This isn't rocket science....but the implimentation of WB functionality within the MS OS is.


Hummm, seems to me that WB's main swing into fame is that it uses full MS APIs that are built into the OS to do what it does. Your quote above makes it seem like that statement from Stardock is incorrect and that WB's changes to Windows is being done in a non-native way.

So which is it?... or are you just talking out of something...?

Take another example of something in Windows (well, IE anyway) that WB couldn't skin properly. The Favorites in IE. Well, it seems that even in WB5.1 this wasn't done right. But wait, now we no longer have to worry about it... because MS released IE7 which displays the Favorites a little differently... so hence, Stardock got a free fix here.... sort of.

But like we've said, this has gotten way off topic.
Reply #31 from Stardock Forums Top
Reply #32 from Stardock Forums Top
I am running Vista RTM on two machines... On one box, Windowblinds changes nothing but the desktop backround. Upon reeboot, the entire screen flashes every 1 second. I had to go to safe mode to uninstall. The other maching did take a partial theme change, but left a black square box around everything... My advise, don't purchase the beta yet... wait for final.

Reply #33 from WinCustomize Forums Top

huge321: If you have the entire screen flashing you have enabled both WB and Aero glass & you will need to unload WB & then reapply the theme.

If you have a black square around things, do you have WDDM drivers for your video card?  You must have a Windows Experience score of 2.0 or higher to use the beta.