Title bar

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. Can't recreate your issue on my system. Try this and see if it help.

1. Disable "Keep Fences spaced [ ]" or set it to "0"
2. And save layout snapshot when you have set that titlebar on top.
3. Reboot and see the toptitle Fences stick. If not load the saved layout snapshot and see if that help.

Thanks
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

Hello Basj,

Thanks for the prompt response.  I tried your suggestions, but unfortunately, they did not work. 

I have disabled the distance between fences. 

After placing the fences in a way I wanted them, I created a snapshot. After I noticed the menu bar is again on the bottom, I tried to restore the snapshot, but that did not work. The menu bar still stayed at the bottom of the fences instead of on top. So, perhaps the restoring part of the fences does not work properly?

I also noticed that not only after restarting but also when the laptop comes out of hibernation the menu bar drops to the bottom.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks for the effort!

Kindest regards,

Rob

I believe, it need to move away a little from the top border. Need some adjustment to make it stick at the top.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Hello Basj,

I have waited a few days to see what happens and if there is something I can find that triggers this behaviour. But I cannot. After restarting or hibernation, the titles are often (not always) at the bottom instead on top. The distance between the top of the screen and the fence seems top me large enough. See this screenshot: https://app.screencast.com/YXB4wWl0AKicn

Is there anything else I can do?

Kindest regards,

Rob 

Maybe something else is causing it, conflicting with Fences. Try cleanboot to test it: https://forums.stardock.com/486084/fences-support-faq#cleanboot. Try it and report back.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Hello Basj,

I have uninstalled version 4 and reinstalled version 3. Now the problem seems to be resolved. I rebooted and used hibernation a few times since reinstalling version 3 and the titles are still placed on top. I will try this week and report back, so I can test over a longer period of time.   When this is the solution, it appears that the issue is caused by changes in version 4 compared to version 3. Also, because I did not install any other software. 

Kindest regards,

Rob

Hello Basj,

Since the last week I have been 'testing' if the problem still occurs. Fortunately, the issue is gone and after repeatedly restarting and waking from hibernation, the location of the title bar stays on top. So, I am quite sure the bug has been introduced with version 4.

I bought version 4 because I believe that I have to support the companies because I know you put in significant effort developing the software.  However, it appears that by doing so I encountered a bug that you guys are not yet aware of. I do not know if this bug will be fixed in the near future.

Therefore, I would like to ask for a refund for version 4. Basj, would you be able and willing to refund the cost for upgrading to version 4?  I would like to upgrade at a later date when I am confident this bug is fixed. For now, this bug is preventing me to use Fences 4 as I would like to.

Thank you for considering this request.

If you need additional information in identifying the cause of the bug, please let me know.

Kindest regards,

Rob

Hello,

Sorry to hear that, I still can not reproduce your issue on my Windows 10 and Windows 11 system. Top titlebar for Fence still possible, pass multiple boot up. I still think there is something that conflicting with Fences.

All refunds are handled via the ticketing system. Use the link below for reference.

https://support.stardock.com/space/SHC/1339883584

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Hello Basj and Paul,

To save me some time, I will copy my reply. 

According to you, the problem is not caused by Fences but other software. The reason is that it cannot be reproduced, and it is not widely reported. To be honest, I am disappointed by the ridiculousness of this reply.

First, you not being able to reproduce the issue does not mean I do not encounter this issue. 

Second, I clearly explained that the issue occurs in version 4 and not in version 3. Nothing changed in between upgrading and downgrading Fences. So telling me the issue is other software is nonsensical.

Third, the method suggested identifying the root cause is absurd. I need to create a new account, then turn off half of all my software in a clean boot, then turn off the other half and in this way zoom in on the software that might cause the issue. The problem is occurring on my work laptop that I use for 8–10 hours a day. And the first suggestion of Bash took me days to test to see if it would stick. Do you really expect me to work with half my software for days? I can only conclude that the suggested troubleshooting method is impractical and too involved.

And what if I find software that interferes with Fences? Do you expect me to uninstall that software? If Fences 4 does not work well on laptops with certain software installed, it would have appreciated it when I was informed about this issue before I paid for the update.   

Even though Fences 4 has no significant additional functionality compared to version 3, I decided to upgrade my version of fences because I believe in supporting companies who make the software. Usually, I appreciate the help I get when I need to contact support. However, this time the upgrade resulted in a product that does not work. And when I contact support, the response I get is 'nope, not our fault, and it is somebody else's fault'. And according to Paul, he cannot issue a refund is that the system does not allow that. What kind of company does not allow refunds when the software turns out not to work as advertised? Especially after I have tried what I can to fix it.   

I'm not concerned about the money because it is not much, but my experience with customer case is definitively disappointing. It will also influence my decision to buy upgrades or software from Stardock. I will continue with version 3 which works, just too bad that I have wasted so much time. 

Regards,

Rob

Hello,

Sorry to hear that. I have been trying to help you from day one in timely manner.First, I never said the issue do not occur in your system. It is just something quite unique.

Second, what I suggested "Cleanboot" is something that I suggested for lots of time to others. Most people quite okay to do it. But, if you are not prepared to spent sometimes on it. You should have tell me. And I would have suggest something to move forward.

Anyway, I have forwarded your problem/question to Stardock Support Team for their assistance. Please keep an eye on this thread for any updates. We appreciate your feedback and patience.

Thanks

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

Hello,

Sorry to hear you are having trouble.

No one doubts you are seeing this issue, Rdwillemse, nor was it implied that we did.  What I can say is that in my nearly 11 years at Stardock, I have never seen a report like yours. There are literally 100s of thousands of installs of Fences 4, again, seemingly all without such an issue.

That does not mean that there is not something within Fences that does not need to be looked at, it just means that we need to know what very unique settings \ apps you have that are causing Fences to flip at random like that. That is what basj was doing, using the process of elimination to see if a cause could be found.  It's perfectly understandable that you would not want to participate in doing that, but it's also perfectly appropriate for him to ask.

Knowing what app may be causing this issue is the priority.  When identified, what direction you \ we take would be more clear, yes?

As for your issue....

I would like to start with a Purge \ Reinstall (different than just a regular uninstall):

https://support.stardock.com/space/SHC/1332477959/Fences+purging+and+re-installing

After, reinstall Fences 4 and see if you can reproduce it.

If you can reproduce...

As you surely know, what causes a Fences to flip is when it detects that its close to a top \ bottom of a monitor, example:

https://cdn.stardock.us/support/uploads/2023-02-28_09-07-53sdrohan.mp4

What you seem to be saying is that, randomly, they will just flip, yes?  Does that mean you don't even have to be moving them for it to do that, you will just see them flip in use or from a wake?

If there is any app that you can think of that alters monitor scale dynamically, that would be my 1st guess. 

Regardless of reproduction steps, does a restart of Windows Explorer work to resolve it?

I will end there for now as knowing that will dictate where we go from here.

Sean Drohan
Stardock Product Lifecycle Manager