windowblinds not loading skin /theme

from Stardock Forums

ok, been using windowblinds for 7 months now and recently had the nvidia divers issue whith W10 not detecting my card and drivers failing to install..so long story short i had to reinstall W10 and my apps..installed start 10 which works fine but windowblinds wont load my styles/skins.. it will get stuck in the styles spash creen for a bit then nothing..one more thing that i noticed was that its no longer in the systray ...this sucks i love this program and its not working...i have uninstalled and reinstalled but nothing...if anyone has had this issue please help! cant stand using plain old windows...thank you

23,761 views 25 replies
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Nope same issue...and won't run on startup..was hopeing the purge would work ...

 

Elemental: Reforged
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,

I have forwarded your report to the Stardock support team for their review and recommendations.

Please keep an eye on this thread for any updates.

We really do appreciate your feedback, thanks.

 

AzDude
Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,

Please try the following:

-For Win8/10 Users: Open the Start Screen, and type 'cmd'. Right-click on the search result and select 'Run as administrator' from below.

-For 7 Users: click Start, in the start search field type 'cmd'. Right-click on the search result and select 'Run as administrator'.

-Type: sfc /scannow

-Wait for the scan to complete (this can take several minutes)

 

Some help on how this looks should you need it:

 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929833/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system

If the SFC finds errors, but cannot fix them, please also run the following command in the same command prompt window:

dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

 

Some help on how this looks should you need it:

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-dism-command-line-utility-repair-windows-10-image

 

The above command should assist with replacing any damaged or problematic system files. Please note, however, since it may require restoring certain files, this process can take some time and you will need to be patient until it has completed.

 

Please let me know whether this resolves your problem or if you have any additional questions.

 

Thank you,

 

Basj,

Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

restored some damaged files but still nothing...same issue ... :-(

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top

Please try the purge and reinstall again. After the SFC do some files restore, it might work this time around.

Please make sure to download the latest version from your account. Reboot the system after install and load only theme that come along with WB for initial test.

And report back.

Thank you,

 

Basj,

Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top

I give up... guess ill go back to virtual customs do everything manually .. what a sad day 

 

Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,

I have forwarded your report to the Stardock support team for their review and recommendations.

Please keep an eye on this thread for any updates.

We really do appreciate your feedback, thanks.

AzDude
Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting robsmith4820, reply 11

I have the same exact problem.  I wish I knew how to fix it.
End of robsmith4820's quote

Please elaborate your problem. Btw, its better to open up a new thread so we can help you better.

Thank you,

 

Basj,

Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,

Sorry to hear you are having trouble.

I would also like to have confirmation that the 'clean boot' was fully done.  We get that its not fun but it really can expose other 3rd party apps / settings causing issues (especially if ESet is the antivirus app you use).

Also, it is crucial ( especially for any new install of Windows 10,) that one make certain that their video drivers are current:

Use the link(s) below for updating:

Intel:
http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect?iid=dc_iduu

Nvidia:
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Note: Please perform a "clean installation" if you have an Nvidia graphics card. The below screenshots will help with how to do that:

https://www.screencast.com/t/L4rVrm40

https://www.screencast.com/t/30rwsLL9S3c

ATI \ AMD:
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

For ATI \ AMD driver uninstalling:
http://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/GPU57RemoveOldGraphicsDrivers.aspx

----------------
Sean Drohan
Stardock Customer Service Manager

Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top

Yes, "clean boot" was performed correctly. Intel graphics drivers were up to date. NVIDIA drivers were updated. WB still won't apply skins and isn't showing in the systray.

Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting robsmith4820, reply 15

Yes, "clean boot" was performed correctly. Intel graphics drivers were up to date. NVIDIA drivers were updated. WB still won't apply skins and isn't showing in the systray.
End of robsmith4820's quote

If you open 'services' in Windows (a search will reveal it), and find WindowBlinds in the list (Stardock WindowBlinds I believe) - is the service running?  If not, start it and try again.

Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top

Yes, it is in the services list and it is running. It's not showing up in the systray and it's still not skinning anything.

Reply #18 from Stardock Forums Top

If you search winver.exe, and run it, what is the version number?  Also, what AntiVirus app are you using?

----------------
Sean Drohan
Stardock Customer Service Manager

Reply #19 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting sdRohan, reply 18

If you search winver.exe, and run it, what is the full version number of Win10?  Also, what AntiVirus app are you using?

----------------
Sean Drohan
Stardock Customer Service Manager
End of sdRohan's quote

Reply #20 from Stardock Forums Top

I use F-Secure Security Suite provided by my internet provider, Spectrum. The windows version is Windows 10 Home 1809 (OS Build 17763.1)

I am a member of the Windows insider program. I am running a pre-release version of the Fall Update, also known as Redstone. This is the third 1809 build I have installed. Windowblinds hasn't worked on any of them, not since Build 1803.

Windows 10 Home (17763.rs5_release.180914-1434)

WindowBlinds 10.65 (048 - Windows 10 Edition) - 64 bit OS

 

Window titlebar blur features are enabled on this operating system

 

        Wblind.dll                2017/09/05 10:42:33

        Wblind64.dll              2017/09/05 10:42:00

        Wbsrv.dll                2017/03/28 09:53:46

        WB10Config.exe            2017/09/05 10:42:09

        Wbload.dll                2017/09/14 16:51:13

        Screen10.exe              2017/03/28 09:53:17

Reply #21 from Stardock Forums Top

Please see my last response here:

https://forums.stardock.com/491313/page/1/#3728717

That is with the pending 10.71

----------------
Sean Drohan
Stardock Customer Service Manager

Reply #22 from Stardock Forums Top

Uh-Huh, 10.7 beta doesn't work either.

Windows 10 Home (17763.rs5_release.180914-1434)

WindowBlinds 10.7 BETA (050 - Windows 10 Edition) - 64 bit OS

Window titlebar blur features are enabled on this operating system

        Wblind.dll                        2018/07/08 12:45:50

        Wblind64.dll              2018/07/08 12:45:29

        Wbsrv.dll                        2017/03/28 09:53:46

        WB10Config.exe            2018/07/07 18:31:18

        Wbload.dll                2018/07/09 11:52:37

        Screen10.exe              2017/03/28 09:53:17

But since you don't see anything wrong with it, it must just be me. So I'll just uninstall it and go search the internet for more useless programs I can waste my money on.

Thanks a lot.

 

Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Gosh,how many times people has to understand that WB is only man band doing all the codes whereas MS has tons of. Not to mentioned Win 10 is progressive OS,it not to going slowing down whereas Wb has to accommodate the system gradually as best it could. :rolleyes:  

Reply #24 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting robsmith4820, reply 22

But since you don't see anything wrong with it, it must just be me.
End of robsmith4820's quote

If multiple others are not seeing the issue (I had many try - including the lead dev), but you are, what other conclusion (this early) is there left to draw?

Rob, I am totally open to suggestions here, and willing to work with you on any released version of Windows, but pre-release, along with the omnipresent obstacle of other 3rd party software / settings you may have, makes troubleshooting any issue that 1 person is seeing extremely difficult (and ultimately futile if it is indeed an issue with the pre-released OS).

----------------
Sean Drohan
Stardock Customer Service Manager

Reply #25 from Stardock Forums Top

Actually there are at least 2 of us having this problem since dragulax98 was the one who started this thread, but who's counting? Anyway, I figured out why WB wasn't working on my laptop with the help of a friend of mine. He has practically the same model laptop as me and he's running the same Windows 10 pre-release build as me. We started comparing WB files, folders and registry entries to see if there were any differences and as it turned out there was. Two registry keys had different string values on my computer. I changed the values, rebooted and now WB works fine. No idea why those string values were different, but they were. But hey, problem now solved.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\WbaFile\shell\open\command       "C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\WindowBlinds\wbload.exe" mine didn't have "%1" on the end

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WbaFile\shell\open\command     same problem