Attention Frogboy!!

I am continuing to have an enormous problem with many of your software programs.

Skinbrowser
Vanishes when I try and use this program, Mostly in viewing and trying to apply skins from the browser with these categories, Logon and Windowblinds, I reinstalled the older version of windowblinds and the problem stopped. Now when I click on the Logon category it immediately vanishes....Also cannot download logon screens, from browser get error code 5 message

Windowblinds
Version 3.31h Uses too many resourses, after about 10 minutes using browser online, could no longer switch sites, enormous slow down, deleted 3.31h version and downloaded older version. Works Great, no slow down. I have a broadband system.

Weblinds
Cannot use weblinds, browser will not come up when I click on IExplorer Icon. Finally figured out it was weblinds, disabled program and browser not works fine, checked to see if popup control was checked it was not. By the way the popup does not work.

I am letting you know this because it gets very frustrating, to keep running into problems, Everytime you folks change something or come out with a new version, it works worse then the older ones. The fact that the older ones eventually expire and we are forced to use the new ones is not good, I am asking that this practice be stopped, and that if I want to use an older version I should be allowed to. Also if I choose not to renew the OD next year, and the programs expire then my purchase of windowblinds and other programs as a stand alone product will be useless....Thank you for having a terrific site, I think WC is great, but the software is what we are here for, it is like an artist who tries to be so perfect that the more he improves upon his creation the worse it becomes....

Thanks
Gregory J Nashif (WC level 4 user)



12,938 views 30 replies
Reply #1 Top
Gregory,

Keep in mind almost all of these programs are under constant development. WebBlinds is a little flaky, I'll give you that! However the 3.3h is a Alpha build and the browser is only at 0.98 in beta. We test it and let the programmers know our issues usually on the News Groups. Usually the milestone releases are very stable after extensive beta testing. I would stick with those if you don't want to deal the bugs.
Reply #2 Top
Also, remember that this message board is not an official Stardock support channel. While it is perfect for soliciting help from your fellow users, you should email support@stardock.com if you wish to have an issue addressed directly. Just a tip.
Reply #3 Top
Gregory, please keep in mind that Wincustomize is not a Stardock tech support site.
There are newsgroups and tech support email addresses for product issues.
Reply #4 Top
Thank you for responding, however, when I do write support for stardock, I have said this before, but rarely, do they answer back, I just wanted you to know what was going on, I am a single dad, and when I pay money for something, it is not only very special, but important to me that it is enjoyable, and that things work up to their expectations, I know that nothing is perfect, especially in the computer world.

This is the best site that I belong to, and is well worth the price, the citizens here are very friendly, I went to Diviantart, and they wanted 3.50 a month, I hated the site, 50% of everything that I tried to download, was a 404 error. So I really appreciate WC, but for me to pay for this site, is a real sacrifice. I have to wait until payday to get CusrsoXP plus, I just want you to know that it is a great place to come, and a special place to be.

People complain because they like the product and want to continue to subscribe to the great services you offer. What a real shame it is when people don't complain and never come back again.

I apologize if you guys took me wrong, I just wanted you to know what was happening, I downloaded the older versions of WB and it works great.

Have a great day
Peace
Citizen Gregory
Reply #5 Top
Gregory....I Dl'd a version of Windowblinds in my eternal updating and it had 'issues' that an earlier version didn't, so I simply loaded that back up instead. If you don't want the dramas of alphas and betas you don't necessarily have to have them.....just back up versions that do work for you.....just in case...
Reply #6 Top
I'm wondering what kind of system you have? And drivers? I haven't had any major problems with the programs.Just minor bugs that tend to be forgivable. I just started emailing them because I want the system to be more stable. You should keep emailing them about what is going on with the product.

I am personally looking foward to Version 5 of WindowBlinds, DesktopX 3, Icon Packager 3, CursorXP 2, Object Bar 4, WindowsFX 4. I do not know what will be on it but at the rate they are going it should be so stable and useable that..... lets just say it will be great.
Reply #7 Top
I have a fairly decent system, I An AMD Athlon Duran, 750mhz, Nvida G-force, Windows XP and 256mbram, 20 gb hard drive.

The problems I have are just different but they annoy because I paid for it.

The biggest thing that annoys me now is this disappearance act the Skin Browser seems to be doing, it has gotten to the point that it is unusable, so I have been downloading from WC by the way have you seen the new logons, called "Docking Station?" they are the best I have ever seen, I tried to download all of the them, but only half would appear in the Logon program...anyway thanks for all the advise. I will use the link above and email stardock about this vanishing program....Logon because it is free has no support...
Reply #8 Top
Skin Browser? Do you mean WindowBlinds?

And while your emailing them ask them if they test there componants on AMD chips. It shouldn't matter but then again I was told to get a pentium because Auto CAD (drafting program) was not tested on AMD so you might be getting a compatability issue.

Maybe. It is worth a shot. And the news groups help.
Reply #9 Top
I am talking about the Wincustomize Skinbrowser that we subscribe to for 19.95 per year.

Evertime I click on a category, the whole thing just vanishes, disappears, is just simply gone, poof!!!! No more does not exist, etc.....

any suggestions....?
Reply #10 Top
Whoa... I was just playing with the SB to see what you are talking about and poof it went. No idea why yet but hey it'll give me something to do tonight.
Reply #11 Top
wierd..... I gues that would be my only suggestion.

I do not have the wincustomize subscription so I do not know the features. sometimes it is as simple as turning on a feature or selecting a box that causes the melt down.

wierd..... never heard of that.... check the microsoft explorer settings (since skin browser uses the internet) and see if a wierd thing is turned on.


wierd.......
Reply #12 Top
There was a suggestion on the newsgroup (sorry, I don't remember who made it) that a clean reinstall of SB should fix the problem. So far, it's worked for me.

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Reply #13 Top
It happened to me while I was watching the 13 Ghosts. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I am just glad that it happened to someone else now maybe somone will believe me.
Reply #14 Top
Gregory - Do you also have an IE window open to WC?
Reply #15 Top
It was a clean install, I have done that twice, I think it is with the programs, for instance it happened with WB 3.31h so I took that off, and downloaded the older version and it does not happen on WB. It happens on Logon, and beatnick...but not on Wallpapers....The older version of Logon has expired, so there is no using it at all. Even if you saved a download file, when you open it it says expired!!!!!
Reply #17 Top
Maybe it is haunted!



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Reply #18 Top
I emailed Stardock, and told them the problem in a story format..

"The Strange Case of the 13 Ghosts and the Vanishing Skinbrowser."

Hey you know Skinbrowser sounds like some kind of user friendly program that you can get from an Adult Site....??? just joking of course. Could not resist the urge to pun....
Reply #19 Top
ohhhh I get it Skin Browser... Skin..... lol

I noticed that when you post you do not have that skin browser icon, what gives? Other subscribers have it...

I think I am instigating.

we ned spell check....
Reply #20 Top
OK, The only time I can get the browser to crash, completely disappear without a trace, is when hovering over a skin's name. When you hover over a skin using the browser a display box opens showing you what is written in the skins description. First I thought it only had to with web or email links but nope. It seems if there large amount of text in the description, more than say the box can handle, you get the poof, browser gone. Some examples are GreenReaper's Norn Logons or The Skins Factory Xbox for WMP. Both cause the poof each time you hover over them and both have large text descriptions. As to the why I don't know, let's hope Brian can take a look and let us know.

Do you get anything different?
Reply #21 Top
the reason why I do not have the skinbrowser logo or other icons is that I do not know how to put them on, I just use what is available.....and that is see, it is just the easy stuff....
Reply #22 Top
The skinbrowser icon should be showing automatically when you post from SB. It doesn't show when posting from WC

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Reply #23 Top
Just so you all know, there was a problem with WindowBlinds 3.31g. Stardock was trying to fix some Unicode problems, but there were lots of problems, including SkinBrowser vanishing mysteriously. When WindowBlinds 3.31h came out to fix the fix, some people were still having problems with SkinBrowser vanishing; some settings getting stuck somewhere in the vast recesses of the registry. A total uninstall, reboot, clean install of SkinBrowser seems to fix the problem.

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Reply #24 Top
I am also expierencing the SB disappearing trick. I first noticed it roughly 4 days ago. I don't think it was present when .98 first came out. Maybe there was a change to the Wincustomize backend that is causing this. I can reproduce on demand. There is a Nextart skin called "Work While Bent". When I hover over the title to view the comments, SB crashes (dissapears) and I must relaunch.

Check it out and see if it happens to you......

John

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Reply #25 Top
Interesting. I just performed a search for "Work while bent" and found it in the search results. I was able to view the skin without error. SB did not crash. When I opened the Nextstart library and scrolled to the skin and hovered, SB crashed.

For me it looks to happen only when I hover over the specifice library (to include the "all updates" pop-up.

The skin search window works fine.

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