WindowBlinds flashes on the screen for fraction of a second, then disappears

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. Need more information on your system.

1. Windows version, please use Winver.exe for full Windows version numbers.
2. Windowblinds version you're trying to use.
3. Information on your AntiVirus setup.
4. CPU maker, Intel, AMD or ARM.
5. Did you installed WB in its default directory?
6. Has WB ever worked before in this system. If yes, what changed? New Windows update? Driver update? New installed software?

Thanks
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

BTW, I found your another thread on similar issue. Is this on another system than that on listed on your other thread?

https://forums.stardock.com/505497/

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Indeed so. And when I saw just now your name "basj" I said that looks familiar. So glad you are still on the job so faithfully. Yes, it's back and the same difficulty it was a month or two before.  That "purge" item seemed to work, but no more. Since then my grandson reformatted the machine (it's Windows 10 x64 with Asus brand mother board and has a lot of ram, I think 32 units), I recently went back to the WindowBlinds, and back to sq. 1, will not open at all, except for an instant flash. I also tried it in "safe" mode, same thing. Very sad.

Intel Core i7 3930K @ 3.20GHz

Sandy Bridge-E 32nm Technology

Just the Windows Defender anti-virus, and have it disabled

Seem like something is blocking WB from running properly. Please try the Cleanboot steps and see if it help : https://forums.stardock.com/486023/windowblinds-support-faq#cleanboot. Try that and report back.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Other that doing that, which is complicated for me and also a bit frightening, is there any other possible way to fix this? Did running the machine in "safe" mode already eliminated conflicts, or is this setting up a new user account the only way to do that.

That step will see if you have conflicting application installed that is blocking WB from loading properly. But if you wish, I can forward your problem to Stardock Support Team for their assistance. Please keep an eye on this thread for any updates. Appreciate your feedback and patience.

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Yes, that would be swell, thanks. However, looks bad. I searched around and found posts

https://forums.stardock.com/483078/windowblinds-wont-load

other people having the same difficulty, and no solution to it.

Those were 2017 issues which went silent. Which usually they resolved it but did not report it back. BTW, I forwarded your issue to Support. Your patience and feedback is appreciated.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

That's excellent, thanks. If the support people are able to solve a problem for a customer, plain courtesy would dictate that the customer reports back on it; but I suppose goes against human nature.

At the very least, we would want you to create a new Windows admin account and try under it.  Its pretty straight forward - nothing too complicated:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-a-local-user-or-administrator-account-in-windows-10-20de74e0-ac7f-3502-a866-32915af2a34d

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

Thank you for getting back, Mr. Rohan. If I were able to do that, would it be possible later to delete the phantom account and go back to how it was before? And too, if the hopefully excellent WindowBlinds does work with the phantom account, do that mean it still will not work with the regular account and that I would always have to use the phantom account?

Same things is happening here, this in 2021.  The WindowBlinds flashes for an instant, then disappears. Have followed all installation instructions correctly. Mr. Rohan has stated it's necessary to create a phantom Windows user account, which am hesitant to do. And am guessing that even if the WindowBlinds does work with the phantom, I would only be able to use it there, not much purpose to that. Any other help or suggestion appreciated. Thanks and rgds..

Scratch that...

Go to:

C:\ProgramData\Stardock\WindowBlinds

Note that is ProgramData, not Program Files.

Delete the License.sig that is there and open WB again - it should prompt you to activate and then open.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

Yes.

Unknown - what it will tell us is that it's not something fundamentally broke in Windows.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

Thanks, Mr. Drohan. I deleted the licence.sig file from the appdata folder, but sadly didn't help. Still flashed for a fraction of a second and then disappeared. I did note this however: When I removed and reinstalled the WindowBlinds, it worked! Was amazed, and held my breath that it would STAY that way. But no, once I closed and re-opened, back to flash-gone. Have also tried running the WindowBlinds in various "compatibilities" going back to Windows 98. Also tried running the WindowBlinds in "Safe Mode." All with failure.

Further difficulty. Despairing at being frustrated at every turn, I went ahead and created that "phantom" account originally proposed. So I went to it...and the WindowBinds did not appear there, searched everywhere for it, but nothing. Worse, how do I now get rid of that account? The tell you how to create it, but not how to remove it. Wot a mess this has been.

While it should show in a search and \ or under Programs, you can unzip / run this file if the service is not starting:

http://sd.stardock.com/Support/Utilities/PurgeAndBats/WB/StartWB.zip

Also, are you installing WB in its default C drive location?  If not, please uninstall and ensure that you are allowing it to install where it initially wants to.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

Yes, thanks. I did install the WB on the C drive, the main one. By good fortune I was able to remove the phantom account. I restored the computer to an earlier version, and praise be, it went away. Am sorry to be such a difficult case, but is there any possible solution you can think of? If not, at least I thank you for having tried. I had hoped when I used "safe mode," with presumably any interfering programs disabled, the WB would work. But the demons would not allow it even then.

The only other thing I can think of is if you are using ESet for anti-virus - which gives WB a hard time.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Support Manager

Thanks Mr. Drohan. Plainly am out of luck. Only the Windows Defender that comes with the system, and have from the start disabled it when trying to get the WB to work. Very sad. Good luck to you and pls enjoy health.

Exactly one year later, same d--n thing happening again, the WindowBlinds will not open, flashes for a tenth of a second and then disappears. Tried reinstalling, same thing. Not sure what triggered this. Went back to an earlier "image," thinking that might help, but no.

Typically this means your .net installation is damaged.

You would have the same issue with most of the stardock software.

Thanks for getting back. I downloaded something called Net Repair Tool from the Microsoft web site and ran it. Whether it did something or not I don't know, but sadly the WindowBlinds still just flashes for an instant and disappears.   Later...I reformatted the computer from scratch, was getting ready to do it anyhow, fresh installation of Windows 10. With fond expectation then tried to open the WindowBlinds. Zip, zero, no! Plainly the problem is then not with the computer. Have noted also some other folks complained of the same thing. I give up.