Multi user issue resolved

WindowBlinds 5 Beta has not yet been given official multi-user support, but there are known workarounds to give it this functionality. Thank you for sharing your method to achieve this feature.

-Mike
[Stardock Support]

> Of course giving everyone admin rights isn't a good thing
> so I changed them back to limited users and tried changing skins.
> This time WB worked just fine even on limited accounts.

Yes, at this time my WB works fine.
But after rebooting Windows, old classic theme is back and the 'apply changes' in WB is invalid.

Windows XP Professional SP2
1 administrator and 1 limited user accounts
WindowBlinds 5 Beta

Unfortunately this did not work for me either.

I still have the problem where the "other user" (the one the application was not installed under) can't use Windowblinds. The application will launch when the exe file is opened, but it can't find any loaded skins.

Oh well, c'est la vie.

godskin: Are you using beta2 by any chance?

Gave up, removed! It spent me too much time.
Thank you all.

I will take that as a yes.

Well unfortunately it hasn't stayed fixed. Whether it's the latest build (downloaded today) or something else, the above mentioned fix hasn't stuck. In fact, once I switched a user to classic skin to see what would happen and even the native XP skin won't load.

This is an issue that I really would like to see some progress on.

Do the other users have full access to the WindowBlinds directory?

Thanks Neil. Yeah they can access the directory but aren't allowed to open anything. If I run them as admin, they can access wbconfig. However, applying a skin gives me the loading dialogue for about the right amount of time but noting actually changes.

In the interm, I rolled back to 4.6. Limited users can change skins if they go through display properties but not using wbconfig. Something got screwed up in the rollback. sigh

Chef Garry: You ran wbconfig as a different user under their account, or granted their user admin rights?

I tried both. Initially, I tried a "run-as" in the limited account using my admin logon. Then I tried giving the limited user admin rights. In both cases the results were as described. Even rebooting with the user settings as admin didn't change the situation.

A runas would not have worked as Wbconfig would have been modifying your registry settings & probably changed the skin on your desktop if you were logged in!

It remains that other users cannot change skins, even when given admin rights to the machine. The run-as was only one attempt to make wbconfig work on their accounts.

just curious tjesterb posted this in may on one of the threads and i saved it to try later incase i needed to:

#4 by tjesterb Wed, May 18, 2005 8:33 PM Reply Quote Watch [tjesterb] Finally got it! FOr anyone else who may have the same problem, here is the fix. In the Windoblinds folder is a userpermissions text. Open a command line (Start>run>type cmd) change to your Windowblinds directory (cd C:\program files\stardock\object desktop\windowblinds) and type in the userpermissions text: CACLS.EXE . /E /T /G USERS:F This will run the batch file that give users in limited accounts access to install and change WB skins. The kids think I'm cool again......should last for about 10 minutes

does this work?

Thanks Bichur but unfortunately no. In the security tab for properties in my account, everyone has full permissions (except creator/owner which seems weird). However, in properties in the limited user accounts, they read permission only. It would seem this is connected to the problem.

Make sure to reset the permissions as well. First make sure you untick the "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" available from Explorer->Tools->Folder Options->Advanced. You may need to reboot.

Now, a new plethoria of permission options may be set per file, and folder. In the security tab for the WB folder set desiered permissions (Users should have "Modify" rights). Then use Advanced and check the "Replace permission on all child objects..."

I need to to this every time WB is updated. Stardock, do not reset file permissions when new files are copied, or make sure the coping do not conflict with permissions already set! An admin do not like to see their settings be replaced over and over... this should be an an easy fix

I'd forgotten about the simple file sharing thing. Thanks, I'll give it a go later. This problem hasn't occured before version 5. It's not good to hear this needs to be done with every update either. In fact, I'm thinking I'll just leave it at 4.6 for a bit. I agree that this shouldn't be necessary but it does explain why my previous fix didn't stick.

FWIW, I also got the explorer crash issue until I rolled back to 4.6. I have a lot of respect for Stardock and will continue to use ODNT but WB 5.0 has caused more issues for more people than any product they've put out in the 4 years I've been using them.

Ya every time I install WB5 i go to log on to another user account (admin account) and it loads so slow I have to hard reboot to get out of it. Cant do anything on the other desktops but wait for over a hour for it to load. Im just running 4.6 too now. Stardock emailed me back 5 days ago that they got my email about my problem and I have a ticket number and thats the last Ive heard from them....Bad customer service.

Zaphman - that appeared to do it. Thanks! I hope Stardock can fix this issue so it doesn't need to be reset each time.

Great. Glad to be able to help

Actually a see a `UserPermissions.txt' file in the WB folder when I look in my installation. I think Stardock tries to check for the appearance of this file. In my installation this file is dated 2004-09-27 (WB version prehistoric) so it may be that this ``check'' is not valid for WB5 . Anyway, it seams as somebody has done some thinking regarding permissions, even if it was ``yeasterday''.

So, again a I say to Stardock. The product is great! Just make our multi-user systems, where we don't want to be an Administator all the time, happy as well.

I hate to bring up an old thread but I'm having the same issue again with WB 5.49a[b].021 Doing all the things zaphman suggested gives the limited account user wbconfig and I do get the blurred effect when changing blinds but all I end up with is a colorized classic skin. I've tried it on a number of different skins with the same effect.   

Hey Chef Gary, I seem to recall a post loooong ago that metioned the "UserPermissions.txt" in #20 - something about using 'run' and plugging in the calc thing in the txt - but i don't have access to WC to look -

Thanks for the response Bichur. I followed the directions given but it didn't seem to do anything. I vaguely remember Stardock had a small excecutable or something like that that dealt with this issue but that would have been at least 2 or 3 years ago so I don't even remember what to look for.

well crap - I'll do a search later tonight after I get home (maybe, depending on how late I get home since I didn't wander in today until 11:00)

I haven't had a limited acoount set up since my computer crashed in Jan., and for the life of me I can't remember if WB was working on my kid's - I think it was - I know DTX was, cuz I used that for her desktop.

Thanks. I know I had it working on all accounts at one point. My daughter didn't tell me when it stopped working for here so I can only assume that it was due to one of the new beta's. Since she isn't complaining, I'll just leave it until the next update and see if there's any difference.