WINDOWSBLINDS

INCOMPATIBILITY

from Stardock Forums

Dear Stardock. 

I've used WindowBlinds for years, I love it and it's essential to me as I'm light sensitive and often use my computers during evenings and nights. However, most applications and software and sites have now caught up and offer som form of dark mode. Even browsers, with or without the use of extensions. 

Except Microsoft OS that is. They still think we all need a flashlight in our faces and refuse to offer a working dark mode as an accessibility option. 

Unfortunately, the list of software and apps that behaves weirdly, or even crashes, with WindowBlinds active is steadily increasing. From MS Office versions to VLC, Mumble, Reflect, Telegram, Discord and many others. Also many games and launchers. Assassins creed, Battlefield and most recently, every recent Call of Duty game. 

Realizing it's WindowBlinds and then finding the right EXE file to exclude it, is getting tedious, and doesn't always work. The blacklist grows ever larger, and can't even be saved or exported to other PC's. 

So, I'm asking for a version, or an option, to limit all skinning to the OS only, ie EXPLORER.EXE. Or a whitelist instead of a blacklist, where we the users manually choose what applications Windowblinds should apply a skin to. 

Sincerely. 
PA

other stardock software windowblinds
10,682 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. I believe there is no whitelist option for Windowblinds. However, I have forward your request 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

Thanks
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

What OS are you using Aggeman.

Galactic Civilizations III
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top

WB10 should work fine with Win 10. I also have VLC Player and it causes no issues for me with WB10 and Win 10.

WB 11 is "Cooking In The Oven " as we speak, we do have a Windowblinds 11 Planning Topic, leave some comments and suggestion in that topic as the Devs/SD Staff do read those comments. Be as clear as possible to what you want or need as limited skinning can be done, just can not check that as i am on my Win 11 SSD right now.

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

It should work fine, but it doesn't. Incompatibilities have been increasing steadily over the years, and also seem to depend on the selected skin. The first issue I noticed was some 5-7 years ago, as an older version of MS Office PowerPoint got weird display issues. Took me a good while to determine that it was caused by WB and the skin I used. Exclusion did not solve it, but "unloading" WB did. 

I asked for a similar change about 2 years ago, it was also "forwarded to DEV team" but nothing has happened. Hoping it does this time. :-)

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Haven't played Call of Duty Warzone for a few months.

So I updated the game yesterday, started it, got to a loading screen, crashed to desktop. Every time. 

Ok, rechecked game files. CTD. 

Checked and reinstalled the latest GPU driver. CTD. 

Uninstalled and reinstalled game. CTD

Uninstalled, removed all files from drive and reinstalled game. CTD. 

Uninstalled, removed all files from drive again, cleared and reset all settings, and reinstalled game. CTD. 

Uninstalled, removed all files from drive again, cleared and reset all settings,
went medieval on all relevant hidden files under AppData, and reinstalled game. CTD. 

Wait a minute. "Unload Windowblinds". Bam, game works fine. 

Exclude game EXE. Works every time now. 

But still took a few hours to figure that out. 

Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Sorry as i can not replicate what you are going through. I do not play War Games (Was A Private Military Contractor so have seen too much of the real thing)

Not even sure if WB10 will receive any more updates but could be wrong, so i think your best shot at getting those issues sorted will be to add your comments to the Windowblinds Planning Topic for the next WB11. Lots of members and Masterskinners  are looking forward to the next stage in Skinning our Desktops. I like you use windowblinds as my go to Program as i spend many hours at my work station for my own forum and my Online Job in IT, so for me it can not come too soon.

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

I can also confirm it does not work with VLC or Qtorrent either. You get painting errors when resizing. Client area is offset as if it isnt changed when processing WM_NCCALCSIZE. Note: it "looks" to do this that doesn't mean it is.

Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Quoting Aggeman, reply 5

MS Office PowerPoint
End of Aggeman's quote

 

WindowBlinds and MS Office have always had issues, probably always will. Blame Microsoft, not Stardock.  :thumbsup:  

Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top

Probably a good idea for the next main version... I do blame Microsoft, but StarDock are already "patching" (or implementing) what MS refuse to do, so... :-)