Object Desktop 2009 Official Support Thread

Post your thoughts, questions, issues with Object Desktop 2009 here.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 by Zargon | Discussion: Object Desktop

When Object Desktop 2009 is released, this is where the known issues will be posted.  Please post your findings here as well.  Thank you!

Notes and Known Issues: (all issues are being worked on at this time)

Theme Manager 3.0 (Published at 11am)

  • Aero Midnight theme included as a .suite file for Object Desktop customers.
  • My Desktop / Save My Desktop: Dreams, skins and cursors sometimes do apply when saved as part of a suite.  Please apply through the Applications tab as a workaround at this time.
  • Applications / Cursors: Sometimes cursors take two applies before applying.
  • My Desktop / Create New Theme: The Download URL function is not working at this time.
  • Please update SoundPackager before applying sounds through Theme Manager 3.0.
  • Users will need to open SoundPackager one time to have sound packages show up in Theme Manager 3.0.
  • Fixed - On systems that do not have MyColors installed, an error about the StardockWeather.ocx file not being registered will display when applying weather gadgets.
  • The Aero Midnight skin does not extract and apply 100% of the time on faster hardware.

Deskscapes 2.5 (with XP support published at 1pm)

  • With a Dream file applied dragging and dropping icons from the desktop to a folder does not work at this time.
  • Please visit this web site to review video card requirement details.  In short, AGP Video cards are not supported at this time.  Future driver updates from NVIDIA/ATI will add support later this year.  At that time only AGP 8x will be supported (4x/2x/1x bus speeds are not adequate to support dream functionality at low CPU).
  • The Watercolor Dream may exhibit some distortion on Windows XP.

Bootskin Pro 1.0 (published at 6:30pm)

  • There is a new WinCustomize gallery for Windows Vista bootskins.  Boot skins created for XP will not work with Bootskin Pro.
  • Bootskin Pro allows users to create boot skins for Windows Vista, so boot skins created for XP can be re-generated and uploaded to WinCustomize.
  • Bootskin Pro Create boot skin tab will attempt to read your Object Desktop Ultimate serial from the registry.  If the serial number field is blank, paste in your Object Desktop Ultimate serial number to create a boot skin.
  • There may be an issue with .bootskin file associations on some systems.

WindowBlinds 6.3 (published on 11/18/2008)

  • Windows Vista 64-bit users may need to reboot after install if skins do not apply correctly.
First Previous Page 14 of 17 Next Last
starkers
Reply #261 Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:10 PM

Have I ever led you down teh wrong path?

It's a bit hard to tell sometimes.... Zubish can get quite confusing at times.

PuterDudeJim
Reply #262 Thursday, November 27, 2008 1:20 AM

Have I ever led you down teh wrong path?

Well, er....., ummm..    I guess not....lol.  Thanx!

Neil Banfield
Reply #263 Thursday, November 27, 2008 5:55 AM

Excalpius

How many of those also work with transparency over them and also blend icons against the live video?

The WinAmp milkdrop plugin handles transparency (when it exists) in XP, as tested with the ClearOne Winamp skin and WindowBlinds, and flawlessly with all transparency enabled applications in Vista.  My AGP 8x machine was the one I ran XP32 on when I used to do this.


In Vista, for example, I am using Winamp/Milkdrop on the desktop right now on my third monitor (adapter 2) at the same time that DeskScapes is playing Photo Dream on my monitors 1 and 2 (adapter 1).  I've tweaked the visualization to run on Pixel Shader 3 at 1680x1050, with all internal settings maximized, playing at 30 fps and reacting to the music playing in WinAmp, of course.  Here is a screenshot.



Reduced 20%

Original 3000 x 682

As far as Icons go, XP wouldn't antialias/blend the edges over the milkdrop background.

In Vista the icons flash on monitor 3 when "show desktop icons" is turned on in the visualization plugin, but I'm not sure if that is an issue with my unique setup (which also has Fences running, though I've hidden the icons in the screenshot).  They don't affect my monitor 1 & 2 (adapter 1) icons, etc.  Windows, gadgets, programs, etc. all behave as expected.

I haven't run XP in a while, but I do remember that VLC desktop wallpaper worked under XP.  I'm pretty sure WindowBlinds transparency did work with it as well. 

In Vista, VLC will turn off Aero acceleration in Vista to play in the background.  However, I have been able to play multiple instances of HD video simultaneously on this machine.  Though, if it's all software accelerated (as noted above) that might make sense.

I will try and boot into XP again later today and see if I can give you guys better answers on that front.
 

Vista is very different to XP when it comes to this kind of thing as it has the DWM so what happens on Vista isn't going to help here.

On XP video on the desktop is typically either an overlay (which tend to work on monitor 1 only) and will show black where transparency overlaps them, or they use the region mode on the desktop icons in which case the icons do not blend against it and this looks especially bad with the more modern 32 bit icons with alpha channels.

 

BeLGaRaTh67
Reply #264 Thursday, November 27, 2008 7:39 AM

So any news as to when Bootskin will work for those who dont live in usa

Neil Banfield
Reply #265 Thursday, November 27, 2008 8:06 AM

BeLGaRaTh67
So any news as to when Bootskin will work for those who dont live in usa

It is thanksgiving in the US this week so I would say it would be next week at the earliest.

bartofborg
Reply #266 Thursday, November 27, 2008 9:57 PM

mickeko

Quoting Zargon0225, reply 17
Can everyone please do us a favor and post what version of Windows Vista is running that has Bootskin fail to apply?

Absolutely!

Windows Vista Home Premium x64 (swedish)

 

I too am having this issue - bootskin fails to apply...

Windows Vista Ultimate X64

Wizard1956
Reply #267 Friday, November 28, 2008 11:27 AM

I have some weirdness going on with the Theme Manager.Upon launch it only shows my MyColors themes and no suites from the old TM.If I go to my files and load a .suite or download a new one,TM then shows all my suites but no MyColors themes except for Quest.When I close TM and reopen it,it's back to MyColors again. I would like to have them all show when opening the program,Any suggestions?

EDIT:This issue has been tracked down to user error.

gtrz
Reply #268 Friday, November 28, 2008 11:35 AM

About needing a driver update, it's kind of bad news for me. With the system I have anyway, I use an All In Wonder 9600xt and I'm stuck with the past for a driver if I want decent tv. Cat 5.10 or 5.11 with matching wdm using analog sound before they changed everything to be inter-dependent with a digital sound only/tv on demand only drivers. Just thought I'd throw that out there.. unless the driver update could be a patch applied where in I could still use the previous driver?

Snowman
Reply #269 Sunday, November 30, 2008 1:57 PM

Ran into a problem when trying to set up a new suite with TM3. When adding an IP (Download URL) I get this message:

"There has been an error loading the 'skins' icon package
Please re-install the package and try again
."

Then TM spits a dummy and crashes, with this errormessage:

Problem Event Name:    APPCRASH
  Application Name:    ThemeMgr.exe
  Application Version:    3.0.0.0
  Application Timestamp:    492522c8
  Fault Module Name:    msvcrt.dll
  Fault Module Version:    7.0.6001.18000
  Fault Module Timestamp:    4791a727
  Exception Code:    c0000005
  Exception Offset:    00024e25
  OS Version:    6.0.6001.2.1.0.256.1
  Locale ID:    1030
  Additional Information 1:    fd00
  Additional Information 2:    ea6f5fe8924aaa756324d57f87834160
  Additional Information 3:    fd00
  Additional Information 4:    ea6f5fe8924aaa756324d57f87834160

IP version: latest from Impulse
OS: Vista Ultimate (32bit)

ZubaZ
Reply #270 Sunday, November 30, 2008 2:50 PM

Theme manager bug report:

XP

Creating a suite.

Screensaver section.  Download URL.  No search.

IconPackager."there has been an error loading the 'download' icon Package.  Please reinstall the package and try again"  I doi not have teh IP installed at all.  I get that message after applying any subsequent component.

Bootskin search not finding content (searched for Birthday)

DreamScapes search not finding content (searched for Birthday)

SoundPackager search not finding content (searched for Birthday)

Include RightClick

Include Rainlender

Include Xion

 

Requests:

Multiple DesktopX Objects (like the widget section). 

Multiple docks (vertical, h0rizontal, zoomer, dock icons). 

Multiple everything an the option to apply noe or the other of a given skin (like logons).

 

 

 

ZubaZ
Reply #271 Sunday, November 30, 2008 3:56 PM

I went to apply the suite I just created (https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=610&libid=22)

I was unable to apply until I turned on the advanced config (perhaps because I didn't have all apps installed??)  Then, when I was able to the advanced config had an odd couple of entries:

Name? Author? Size?

 

Also, right clicking on the suite and choosing Theme Info opens a window with no content.

Lastly . . the DX widgets weren't loaded

ZubaZ
Reply #272 Sunday, November 30, 2008 4:07 PM

Theme Manager Question.

Is there a way to edit a suite using the GUI??

BeLGaRaTh67
Reply #273 Monday, December 1, 2008 1:16 PM

I went to apply the suite I just created (https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=610&libid=22)

I was unable to apply until I turned on the advanced config (perhaps because I didn't have all apps installed??)  Then, when I was able to the advanced config had an odd couple of entries:



Name? Author? Size?

 

Also, right clicking on the suite and choosing Theme Info opens a window with no content.

Lastly . . the DX widgets weren't loaded

I got exactly the same thing with the birthday suite, things are definitely FUBAR with the last app releases. I cannot even apply the Winter Wonderland suite anymore as it complains that I need to activate it in MyColours, when it isnt even a MyColours suite.

Congrats to the testers of the recent apps, did you transfer over from Sony?

ZubaZ
Reply #274 Monday, December 1, 2008 1:20 PM

Congrats to the testers of the recent apps, did you transfer over from Sony?
Not helping at all and attitude may just hinder.

Zargon
Reply #275 Monday, December 1, 2008 3:24 PM

I just went to the Explore tab in the latest Impulse beta and selected the Free programs. There lies LogonStudio Vista. I hit the "Add to account" button and it asked for my e-mail address. Then I hit the "Register" button. The response was a screen informing me that "The product you are requesting is not available for free registration." Something seems amiss. Magus

We will look into this today.

 

Zargon
Reply #276 Monday, December 1, 2008 3:27 PM

DX9 is installed, and I have a number of codecs installed using that Decoder Checkup Utility. My perfered codec is the Intervideo Video Decoder. After selecting that and restarting my PC, still nothing.

Is there anything else I can try? Thank you for the help!

La Forge,

Please try selecting the Microsoft MPEG Decoder instead of your Intervideo.

 

Zargon
Reply #277 Monday, December 1, 2008 3:28 PM

So any news as to when Bootskin will work for those who dont live in usa

We are working on this today and will hopefully have a fix soon.

 

Zargon
Reply #278 Monday, December 1, 2008 3:30 PM

ohh i see now blahhh that sucks thanks anyways i was really hoping it was going to be a free version too

There will be a Bootskin (non-Pro, i.e. Free version) out in the near future.  Currently it is available to our Object Desktop customers.

Zargon
Reply #279 Monday, December 1, 2008 3:31 PM

And on a sidenote, why is the icon for email the same as the one for the controlpanel in the aero midnight iconset? Doesn't really make sense.

We know about this and will update it in the future.

 

Zargon
Reply #280 Monday, December 1, 2008 3:39 PM

So no word on when those of us who do not live in the centre of the universe called the us, are going to be able to use Bootskin?

Mind you what can you expect when we have been waiting 18mths plus for a fix for an purchased app. that has yet to materialise, why do we even bother giving you our money.

What fix are you referring to?

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