Please Read this if your UI is black and painting slowly

Published on December 17, 2005 By Neil Banfield In WindowBlinds

If you have installed a pirate copy (AKA cracked) version of WindowBlinds 5, please be aware that the crack is faulty and WindowBlinds will cease to function correctly on your computer.

To fix this you just need to uninstall WB and if you wish install a purchased copy of WB, or the trial.

To uninstall, you can either wait for your computer to login, unload WB (either using wbconfig, display properties, or from a command prompt calling WBLOAD UNLOAD) and then uninstall WB. Or you can boot into safe mode & uninstall WB from there.

Your computer has not been harmed in anyway. Whoever made the crack did a poor job and patched out code that causes WindowBlinds to no longer be able to paint bitmaps (so title bars, borders, everything will be black).

Comments (Page 3)

LittleBearJason

on Dec 19, 2005

"so why can't everyone pay for HIS?".....

Sorry if I was gramatically incorrect ....

Jafo

on Dec 19, 2005

Sorry if I was gramatically incorrect ....

Hehe....was trying for levity...in the face of idiocy [from others]....

Studibaker

on Dec 19, 2005

It just goes to show how many people will do anything to have windowblinds and other stardock software.To Stardocks credit its good reliable software.Ive been using stardock software for 2 years with out a problem.Its just a pitty people dont realise that cracked software isnt reliable like the paid software.

nobodyspecial91

on Dec 19, 2005

Off subject.. but anyidea what happend to skincast?

Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central

CerebroJD

on Dec 19, 2005

There will always be people trying, banruptcy. Its not like its unexpected.

Bichur

on Dec 19, 2005

it's just sad

scorpio-logic

on Dec 20, 2005

scorpio-logic

on Dec 20, 2005

Un-f**king-believable...

NightTrainthedark

on Dec 20, 2005

Next spring I will be doing some work for a FBI agent does web related inmvestigations. I can't wait. Maybe I will offer a 25% discount if he hunts these fools down.

eep1667

on Dec 20, 2005

Well as i see it, Stardock (or the person who wrote WB5 with these 20 odd checks) know what will happen to a system when using cracked software, are willingly and knowingly sabotaging ppls systems??? Protecting your software is 1 thing, but taking revenge is another!

And, with this quote of Frogboy:

I think the question of whether copy protection works has been solved. WindowBlinds 5 sales had its best day ever in the 24 hour period that the crack failed. It was an even better sales day than the day it was first released.

So your analogy, which has lots of other issues, fails the basic premise -- people DO buy stuff if they can't get it for free.

you even get rewarded for breaking others persons computers???

Well cheers mate, ain't Amerika a great country! I think they even have a patent on morals.

FYI, ive been funding you for several years writing this shit. I don't think im very much inclined to do so again. But then again, that probably doesnt scare you after these record sales the day after the WB5 version of 9-11.

And youre wrong too (in my case anyway). I did buy object desktop even when I could get it for free. No I did renew last year (other priorities), and I dont think I will, if you dont simply admit what is going on.

cleverclogs

on Dec 20, 2005

weeeeeee I bought it! YAY for WB - pitty there seems to be a lack of decent themes...and omg Vista theme by Kol dissapeared - lucky i downloaded it a few weeks back! phew - else i may just have well have stuck with a cracked version that didn't work!

lovely jubley

merry xmas all!

eep1667

on Dec 20, 2005

oops, i mean i did NoT renew. So ill just stick w WB4.

WB5 has other issues with transparency anyway. Like extra buttons from Powerdesk in explorerwindows showing up under the transparent titlebar where they should be, and thus not working/accesible. And thats slightly more important to me than some transparency eyecandy. It slows down the system too in my/my wifes opinion.

I just wanted to see what WB5 was about, and if its worth its money. Obviously not. And certainly not the trouble I had with getting that piece of shit out of my system (and I don't mean the 'crack', and I'm certainly not constipated).

So, i'm wondering what i'll get; a sales pitch, an apology or some handsome remark about a door and getting hit 'n stuff.

scorpio-logic

on Dec 20, 2005

Every one has their opinion. Yours stinks, but it's yours.

Chef Garry

on Dec 20, 2005

For my part, I vote for the door suggestion Jeep.

There seems to be the misunderstanding that SD built WB5 so that cracked copies would screw up your machine. As I'm understanding it, it's the crack that's screwing up. Not SD's doing. Of course no one posting here complaining of a problem because of their use of a cracked copy is getting much sympathy from those of us who've paid for ours.

Again (wasting my breath I know), Stardock hasn't screwed up your machines. The official, buy-it-if-you-use-it version works fine. The trial version works fine. The twit that cracked WB 5 is the one who screwed up your machines. Not that we care.

Bichur

on Dec 20, 2005

Well as i see it, Stardock (or the person who wrote WB5 with these 20 odd checks) know what will happen to a system when using cracked software, are willingly and knowingly sabotaging ppls systems???

bull. all a matter of opinion. far as i see it, the only people willingly sabotaging systems are crackers and the people stupid enough to install the cracks.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!