Fences won't enable » Forum Post by howard28956

Quoting sceasary,

The IT department has a script to plant a support-icon (connects to the support website) once it is missing from the desktop. Each time I remove it and reboot, this icons reappers out of the folder.

I'm not sure that this is the issue that blocks Fences (I had this icon for ages), but if it does - where do we go from here?

Hi sceasary

It might we worth checking with your IT department and see if they have a solution for you. I'm not sure if that is the issue, but would be best to eliminate that being the cause or not

Paul Scroggins
Associate Technical Support Analyst

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sdrohan

Join Date 10/2012

+674

Quoting sceasary,

reply 72

Hi Everyone,

I have the same problem (enable fences does not work). I've tried moving all icons to a folder...but:

The IT department has a script to plant a support-icon (connects to the support website) once it is missing from the desktop. Each time I remove it and reboot, this icons reappers out of the folder.

I'm not sure that this is the issue that blocks Fences (I had this icon for ages), but if it does - where do we go from here?

In Windows Event viewer, do you see 'Fences Settings' crashing?

Quoting sceasary,

reply 74

Hi Basj and everyone.
Alas, the problem persists on version 4.1.0.2-J104

In Windows Event Viewer, do you see Fences crashing?

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

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I should of come here first. 4 pages of people with the same issue.

Where are older versions of fences4, please? If that fails, how do I get a refund?

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Quoting sdRohan,

reply 31

To be frank, Fences 3 is not Fences 4 and Window10 is not Windows 11. Those are big variables, Alexxie.

To be even franker. Fences3 worked on Win 10, Fences4 worked on windows 10. BUT after a fresh install of windows 10 22H2 Build 19045.2913, Fences4 wont work and constantly says "Enable Fences" at the top of a right click Context menu.

No, it doesn't help to load Fences3 first. Not one thing on the advice pages or threads works.
Having to jump through hoops isn't helping either.
No, I am not new to Stardock Software. I have;

1 x Decor8
1 x active Start8
4 x active Start10
1 x active Start11
2 x active Fences3
... and, if it were a physical product, 1 x dead brick, Fences4

You say thousands of installs, thousands isn't everyone.
SO.. personally, my last resort is to get an older version prior to v4.10.06 before sending in a refund request. Please.

Thanks for reading.

P.s.
As a precaution, before my fresh install, I backed up Fences registry keys. And as a LAST resort, even tried merging them back, that didn't help either.
I'm on my 3rd install of Win10 in two days, because here I was thinking it was me, it isn't.

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I'm having the same issue; newly built PC, fresh Windows 11 installation, the right-click options aren't doing anything. I've tried purging and reinstalling, no change. I can't be bothered to sandbox. I can get into the Fences app itself by opening the app from the Start menu so no biggie there but I want to lock the fences and can't figure out how to do that without the right-click menu... how can I lock the fences outside of that right-click option? Registry setting I can manually set or something else?

One note that I haven't seen mentioned; one of the first things I did was to create the registry entry to enable the full right-click menu instead of the brain-dead stupid cut-down menu that Windows 11 defaults to. I've now tried to revert that change to see if that might be related to this issue but deleting the key has no effect... unsure why, that's apparently how reversion is accomplished. That's the only thing I can think of that might be non-standard for my config that hasn't been done by the majority of users who aren't having issues.

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Quoting Ray-Smith,

reply 80

I'm having the same issue; newly built PC, fresh Windows 11 installation, the right-click options aren't doing anything. I've tried purging and reinstalling, no change. I can't be bothered to sandbox. I can get into the Fences app itself by opening the app from the Start menu so no biggie there but I want to lock the fences and can't figure out how to do that without the right-click menu... how can I lock the fences outside of that right-click option? Registry setting I can manually set or something else?

One note that I haven't seen mentioned; one of the first things I did was to create the registry entry to enable the full right-click menu instead of the brain-dead stupid cut-down menu that Windows 11 defaults to. I've now tried to revert that change to see if that might be related to this issue but deleting the key has no effect... unsure why, that's apparently how reversion is accomplished. That's the only thing I can think of that might be non-standard for my config that hasn't been done by the majority of users who aren't having issues.

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. I believe your issue is directly link to that mod you've done on Windows 11 context menu. Try undo it and see if it resolve your issue.

Quoting ulysses001,

reply 79

To be even franker. Fences3 worked on Win 10, Fences4 worked on windows 10. BUT after a fresh install of windows 10 22H2 Build 19045.2913, Fences4 wont work and constantly says "Enable Fences" at the top of a right click Context menu.

No, it doesn't help to load Fences3 first. Not one thing on the advice pages or threads works.
Having to jump through hoops isn't helping either.
No, I am not new to Stardock Software. I have;

1 x Decor8
1 x active Start8
4 x active Start10
1 x active Start11
2 x active Fences3
... and, if it were a physical product, 1 x dead brick, Fences4

You say thousands of installs, thousands isn't everyone.
SO.. personally, my last resort is to get an older version prior to v4.10.06 before sending in a refund request. Please.

Thanks for reading.

P.s.
As a precaution, before my fresh install, I backed up Fences registry keys. And as a LAST resort, even tried merging them back, that didn't help either.
I'm on my 3rd install of Win10 in two days, because here I was thinking it was me, it isn't.

Hello,

Please try this workaround: https://forums.stardock.com/518015/get;3886477. Try it and report back.

Thanks
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

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Believe it or not. [and at your own discretion]

Pre-word: I still use certain OLDER software that requires specific windows files to be installed, pre install of the older software. After experiencing failure trying to install Fences4 on a fresh operating system install of windows 10 22H2 Build 19045.2913, this is what I found;

[The long version]

Nothing in this forum thread worked for me (thank you, regardless ) so I followed the same rule that I have to follow for some older software that I use:

I Installed: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1

Fixed /the end

Cheers, bye.

P.S. 1: - I always encourage people to create a Backup & restore (Windows 7 style) before trying new options.
P.S. 2: - Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 may tell you it needs further files, let it do what it needs to do.
P.s. 3 - .Net 3.5x86 & or 3.5sp1 is needed for some "older" software in my experience, regardless of any other .net pre installs or .net updates (e.x .net 4.5 or .net 7.) & REGARDLESS if your OS is x64 bit.

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sdrohan

Join Date 10/2012

+674

Quoting ulysses001,

reply 78

Where are older versions of fences4, please? If that fails, how do I get a refund?

Quoting ulysses001,

reply 82

I Installed: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1

Fixed /the end

Pleased to hear it. So you no longer require a refund, ulysses001?

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

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yes all in drive c

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Quoting sdRohan,

reply 83

Quoting ulysses001,

reply 78

Where are older versions of fences4, please? If that fails, how do I get a refund?

Quoting ulysses001,

reply 82

I Installed: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1

Fixed /the end

Pleased to hear it. So you no longer require a refund, ulysses001?

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

No thank you. But thank you for checking.
I would however like to know why it was .net 3.5 that got fences4 working. Is it supposed to be installed? Did I miss something in the documentation?

Cheers.

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sdrohan

Join Date 10/2012

+674

Quoting ulysses001,

reply 85

No thank you. But thank you for checking.
I would however like to know why it was .net 3.5 that got fences4 working. Is it supposed to be installed? Did I miss something in the documentation?
Cheers.

Its hard to say but .net 3.5 was initially released in 2007. I suspect there are a number of apps that expect it to be installed.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager

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Quoting basj,

reply 81

Quoting Ray-Smith,

reply 80

I'm having the same issue; newly built PC, fresh Windows 11 installation, the right-click options aren't doing anything. I've tried purging and reinstalling, no change. I can't be bothered to sandbox. I can get into the Fences app itself by opening the app from the Start menu so no biggie there but I want to lock the fences and can't figure out how to do that without the right-click menu... how can I lock the fences outside of that right-click option? Registry setting I can manually set or something else?

One note that I haven't seen mentioned; one of the first things I did was to create the registry entry to enable the full right-click menu instead of the brain-dead stupid cut-down menu that Windows 11 defaults to. I've now tried to revert that change to see if that might be related to this issue but deleting the key has no effect... unsure why, that's apparently how reversion is accomplished. That's the only thing I can think of that might be non-standard for my config that hasn't been done by the majority of users who aren't having issues.

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. I believe your issue is directly link to that mod you've done on Windows 11 context menu. Try undo it and see if it resolve your issue.

Thanks
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

I offered that information since it might be useful diagnostic information if that's a common element for those of us who are having issues; I wasn't intending it to be the end of the discussion.

As I mentioned, reversing the change, which is supposed to work, isn't... so I need some sort of a workaround, I'm not reinstalling Windows for this. I'm looking for whatever Fences does when you select the Lock Fences option in the right-click menu so I can't do it manually since the right-click options aren't working; is there a registry entry that changes to lock the fences that I can do manually or something else that I can do? I don't care about the right-click menu items working, not really, it's the functionality that I care about that I currently don't have.

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Quoting Ray-Smith,

reply 87

right-click options aren't working; is there a registry entry that changes to lock the fences that I can do manually or something else that I can do? I don't care about the right-click menu items working, not really, it's the functionality that I care about that I currently don't have.

I just had a look and tested. You know how to create a DWORD?

If it isn't already there:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Stardock\Fences\Settings
DWORD (32-bit) LockedNew Value 1 (Hexadecimal)

Value 1 = locked
Value 0 = unlocked

Reg key

Cheers

+1

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