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MallyMcGinnis
MallyMcGinnis
Join Date 04/2011
+29

Did I corrupt something in the Blind I was skinning

Saved my skin, start button stopped working, explorer crashes

June 27, 2011 3:04:19 PM from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Hello all,

I have a different sort of issue from what I've been writing about elsewhere.  I had made some simple changes to my blind in SKS.  I'm still fairly early in the process of working on the start menu, and have not ventured far from there.  After importing my start menu sections having made some changes to them, I found I couldn't open my start menu to view the changes "live".  In fact, doing so left an image of the software that was behind it where the start menu should be.  I used my task manager to restart; same thing. 

The next time, I changed to a windows XP theme, then to others I had been playing with and studying.  There was no problem with the start menu in any of those skins.  I tried my skin again; back to the same problem I was having earlier.  I restarted, tried saving my skin this time; same thing.  How might go about further diagnosing this so I can solve it?

peace

Mally

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MallyMcGinnis
LightStar
Join Date 12/2002
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Reply #1 June 27, 2011 4:25:42 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Make sure you check all the settings on all the images in the area you were working on before the problem started Mally.  Image sizes, margins, etc.  If they are all correct then I would say that yes, your skin is corrupt unfortunately.  You might find someone though that would have enough knowledge to fix it here in the forums though by going into to coding and stuff. Those type things are a little beyond me.

I save a .wba file as backup after each session in SkinStudio of making changes, that way if a problem occurs I can go back to it. May be too late for now I know, but a good practice to start.

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MallyMcGinnis
neone6
Join Date 12/2010
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Reply #2 June 27, 2011 4:39:24 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Quoting LightStar,
reply 1
I save a .wba file as backup after each session in SkinStudio of making changes, that way if a problem occurs I can go back to it. May be too late for now I know, but a good practice to start.

So true

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MallyMcGinnis
jazzymjr
Join Date 03/2004
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Reply #3 June 27, 2011 5:01:18 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Malley, I know that can be such a pain in the butt!  Do you have a .wba file of your skin?  If you do, I would be willing to take a look-see at it, as long as it is a Windows 7 skin.  I just got rid of my XP system a few weeks ago, so I wouldn't be able to check the bind if it is an XP skin.  Sometimes it is just a small goof that messes things up.  You can email me at mjr45rn at gmail dot com.

MJ

 

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MallyMcGinnis
MallyMcGinnis
Join Date 04/2011
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Reply #4 June 27, 2011 9:36:25 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

[quote who="LightStar" reply="1" id="2957836"]Make sure you check all the settings on all the images in the area you were working on before the problem started Mally.  Image sizes, margins, etc. 

Here was the problem, and I knew what it was as soon as you mentioned this as a possible place to look.  My start menu is, with Xenia's help, a two layer plan.  Before I made this change, there was nothing in the top bar, so I didn't upload one, neither did I have any settings to set for an image that didn't exist.  When I made the change, the upper layer of the start menu did contain content, but nothing had been changed in settings when I uploaded it.  While I was at it, I re-made all 10 (5 for each of 2 layers) images, and uploaded them via force image re-import.  I double checked all sizes, settings, and margins, while I was under the hood, applied the skin again, and no more corruption.  You nailed it, LightStar; Thankn you!

I save a .wba file as backup after each session in SkinStudio of making changes, that way if a problem occurs I can go back to it. May be too late for now I know, but a good practice to start.

You all three mention saving a .wba file as a backup somewhere.  Is there an easy way to do that, or should I do it manually?  I have the tendency to work until I fall asleep in my chair, and don't get back to something critical like that until I have to use the loo a couple of hours later, just to start the process all over again.

Thanks so much!

peace,

Mally

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MallyMcGinnis
MallyMcGinnis
Join Date 04/2011
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Reply #5 June 27, 2011 9:45:54 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Quoting neone6,
reply 2

Quoting LightStar, reply 1I save a .wba file as backup after each session in SkinStudio of making changes, that way if a problem occurs I can go back to it. May be too late for now I know, but a good practice to start.


So true

Thanks, neone6; I gotta learn how to do that.  As it turns out, it wasn't too late; next time, I could have been much deeper in my building process, and this sort of thing would hurt much more if I couldn't have recovered from it.

peace,

Mally

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MallyMcGinnis
Xiandi
Join Date 07/2007
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Reply #6 June 27, 2011 9:48:12 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

File/Make WBA package. I usually copy it after it's made and put it in My Documents, but anywhere is good. Glad you got it sorted out!

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MallyMcGinnis
MallyMcGinnis
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Reply #7 June 27, 2011 9:56:19 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Quoting jazzymjr,
reply 3
Malley, I know that can be such a pain in the butt!  Do you have a .wba file of your skin?  If you do, I would be willing to take a look-see at it, as long as it is a Windows 7 skin.  I just got rid of my XP system a few weeks ago, so I wouldn't be able to check the bind if it is an XP skin.  Sometimes it is just a small goof that messes things up.  You can email me at mjr45rn at gmail dot com.

MJ

 

I think I must have a .wba file because I can open my skin in WB with an image of it as far along as it is, but have never gone looking for it.  Thanks a heap for your generous offer, but I do have access only to XP at the moment.  And you're right, it was just that small goof that made the big problem for me.  Since you bring up my .wba file, how would I access that?  Also, when I restart SKS, my blind is displayed as having been "created by Stardock.com, Inc. (put your name here), but I've yet to figure out where here is? 

peace,

Mally

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MallyMcGinnis
MallyMcGinnis
Join Date 04/2011
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Reply #8 June 27, 2011 9:58:46 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Quoting Xiandi,
reply 6
File/Make WBA package. I usually copy it after it's made and put it in My Documents, but anywhere is good. Glad you got it sorted out!

Ohhh, well then, I don't have one...I never did that.  Thanks for bailing me out yet again, Xenia!  Will go do that immediately.

peace,

Mally

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MallyMcGinnis
Vampothika
Join Date 07/2006
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Reply #9 June 27, 2011 10:50:01 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Quoting MallyMcGinnis,
reply 7
created by Stardock.com, Inc. (put your name here), but I've yet to figure out where here is?

File/skin properties

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MallyMcGinnis
MallyMcGinnis
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Reply #10 June 28, 2011 12:45:00 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

I did find a file called ProfMcGinnisSteamLab.wba in the path C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds\Skinstudio7\WBA already there, so I didn't do anything new.  Vampothika's path led me to where I could add the personal details I wanted to add.  Thanks again to you both!

peace,

Mally

 

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MallyMcGinnis
jazzymjr
Join Date 03/2004
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Reply #11 June 28, 2011 5:57:26 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Quoting MallyMcGinnis,
reply 10
I did find a file called ProfMcGinnisSteamLab.wba in the path C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds\Skinstudio7\WBA already there, so I didn't do anything new. 

Malley, I would suggest you keep the .wba files of your skins in another directory from the one above.  I keep all my .wba files on another partition of my hard drive along with all of my images for the blind.  This way you can have backups, in case something gets messed up.  I generally make .wba files at the end of the day when I am ready to close out SKS.  I usually make my .wba file right after I start the blind, then will make additional .wba files as  I go along.

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MallyMcGinnis
gmc2
Join Date 11/2003
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Reply #12 June 28, 2011 7:38:43 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Mally, being able to apply a skin that you're working on doesn't mean that a wba files has been created. you would need to manually make that file. (see reply #6)

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MallyMcGinnis
MallyMcGinnis
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Reply #13 June 30, 2011 9:04:47 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Quoting jazzymjr,
reply 11
Malley, I would suggest you keep the .wba files of your skins in another directory from the one above.  I keep all my .wba files on another partition of my hard drive along with all of my images for the blind.  This way you can have backups, in case something gets messed up.  I generally make .wba files at the end of the day when I am ready to close out SKS.  I usually make my .wba file right after I start the blind, then will make additional .wba files as  I go along.

Excellent advice, jazzymir.  I save all my data to my D drive which I back up daily.  I hadn't realized the importance of this file, and I think it's only still dawning on me..

peace,

Dave

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MallyMcGinnis
MallyMcGinnis
Join Date 04/2011
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Reply #14 June 30, 2011 9:09:27 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Quoting gmc2,
reply 12
Mally, being able to apply a skin that you're working on doesn't mean that a wba files has been created. you would need to manually make that file. (see reply #6)

Interesting.  Early on, I tried to open other skins, but WB would ask me if I were sure it was really a WB, that it couldn't find the WBA file.

On the subject, sort of; can I save a blind I make in SKS with WB as a theme?

peace,

Dave

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MallyMcGinnis
LightStar
Join Date 12/2002
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Reply #15 June 30, 2011 9:49:04 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

You can only save SKS skins as .wba Dave.

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MallyMcGinnis
MallyMcGinnis
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Reply #16 June 30, 2011 10:16:05 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Quoting LightStar,
reply 15
You can only save SKS skins as .wba Dave.

Thanks, I kinda thought as much,

peace,

Dave

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