[clavicle]

Welcome to to world of colorful x64 platform.

Thanks once again for disclosing that switch option to install it on x64.

It certainly is great bit!

[no_one]

Umm...I have a log-on screen that is black and grey, a wee little green short-cut arrow on my short-cuts, the taskbar and start menu properties menu has turned to Zune and I have an embedded theme, I also have an Anolis folder in program files with a Xpize back-up folder in it.

1. How do I change the log-in screen theme back.

2. How do I remove the Xpize package.

I ask this as there is no Xpize anything that I can remove with Revo or similar, or is it that I can utilise the Anolis installer to re-install from the Xpize back-up folder...and if that is the case, can I also use the Anolis installer to install other non genuine themes, but most of all I want to change the log-on screen and the taskbar menu back.

Oh, and I find that the embedded theme is very hard on my eyes.

Regards.

Ps, if any icons apart from the short-cut arrow have been changed, then they are hiding from me.

[vartaxe]

downloading right now let's begin bug tracking

[Smiley89]

W3bbo, on Jun 29 2009, 09:42 PM, said:

I've found the reason why the condition check was failing on some systems: I programmed it to identify numbers using your local computer's number format. So if you're on mainland Europe or Russia then a decimal number looks like '5,1' rather than '5.1' which is why it doesn't recognise your system as being the right version.

I'll fix this in the next release.

After running the condition test, I can confirm that this is the problem.
Here's the test's result:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Symbols
		osversion	   5,1
		servicepack	 3
		architecture	32
		installlang	 1040

Expression
		ToString()	  ( osversion == 5.1 && servicepack == 3 && architecture == 32 )
		Tokenize		'(', 'osversion', '==', '5.1', '&&', 'servicepack', '==', '3', '&&', 'architecture', '==','32', ')'
Evaluate
Result:
		0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Symbols
		osversion	   5,1
		servicepack	 3
		architecture	32
		installlang	 1040

Expression
		ToString()	  ( osversion == 5.2 && servicepack == 2 && architecture == 32 )
		Tokenize		'(', 'osversion', '==', '5.2', '&&', 'servicepack', '==', '2', '&&', 'architecture', '==', '32', ')'
Evaluate
Result:
		0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Symbols
		osversion	   5,1
		servicepack	 3
		architecture	32
		installlang	 1040

Expression
		ToString()	  ( osversion == 5.2 && servicepack == 2 && architecture == 64 )
		Tokenize		'(', 'osversion', '==', '5.2', '&&', 'servicepack', '==', '2', '&&', 'architecture', '==', '64', ')'
Evaluate
Result:
		0

I found a temporary workaround: I changed the decimal symbol from "," to "." in "International and Language settings".

Now installed fine.
I found a couple of small issues too:
- Some elements in Internet Explorer 8 aren't patched (I suppose because IE8 isn't supported ATM);
- One really minor issue: after reboot, there was no visual style applied (Classic mode). I applied it manually and it worked (unsigned themes work, too).

This post has been edited by Smiley89: 30 June 2009 - 12:41 PM

[W3bbo]

I'm going to work on optimising the distribution for size at the cost of installation speed:

Since it includes the Blue, Black, MCE, Luna Element (and now Energy Blue) resource bitmaps which are pretty much identical spare for their background image, I've decided to get it so that the bitmaps are procedurally generated during installation. This will probably shave about 6MB from the total download size, getting it down to around 11MB. Then with further optimisations I'll get it even lower (maybe even down to below 10MB).

Furthermore, I'll add an installation option that prevents the addition of the 128x128 icon size for compatibility with localised Windows installations that became unstable with 128x128 icons.

And of course, first-class x64 support.

From the statistics front: various figures added together report about 12,000 attempts at downloading the software over the past 2 days, yet only about 2,000 were actually complete downloads, but only about 100 (if not less) seem to have been installed (because when you install it it'll try to download the package update info). So unless 1,900 people have skipped the update check (unlikely) don't trust any download figures you see.

[W3bbo]

no_one, on Jun 30 2009, 06:45 AM, said:

Umm...I have a log-on screen that is black and grey, a wee little green short-cut arrow on my short-cuts, the taskbar and start menu properties menu has turned to Zune and I have an embedded theme, I also have an Anolis folder in program files with a Xpize back-up folder in it.

That's what happens when you check all the options without considering what it does I'm thinking of a way to make the process more user-friendly, but it's difficult. Until then I think the treeview to select a colour scheme works... for now.

no_one, on Jun 30 2009, 06:45 AM, said:

1. How do I change the log-in screen theme back.

If you load the uninstallation package as an installation package then uncheck everything except logonui.exe, your Welcome Screen will be restored.

no_one, on Jun 30 2009, 06:45 AM, said:

2. How do I remove the Xpize package.

Run the xpize5B3.exe program again and choose the Uninstall/Undo option, then select the backup directory. Alternatively to have a more granular control over what's restored run the backup package as an installation package and choose the items to restore.

no_one, on Jun 30 2009, 06:45 AM, said:

I ask this as there is no Xpize anything that I can remove with Revo or similar

Revo won't help you.

no_one, on Jun 30 2009, 06:45 AM, said:

, or is it that I can utilise the Anolis installer to re-install from the Xpize back-up folder...

The backup folder is used to restore your system to the state it was in prior to installing the package. It pretty much does the same thing as System Restore, except it's slightly safer (since it checks if the files have been modified after installing xpize) and also covers all changes, not just those to Windows' system files.

no_one, on Jun 30 2009, 06:45 AM, said:

and if that is the case, can I also use the Anolis installer to install other non genuine themes

Only if you define an Anolis Package for it. Otherwise just drop any unsigned themes into your %windir%\Resources\Themes directory. Anolis Installer is not a theme manager, but a "transformation pack" system. Although I might expand its remit in future. Watch this space.

no_one, on Jun 30 2009, 06:45 AM, said:

but most of all I want to change the log-on screen and the taskbar menu back.

no_one, on Jun 30 2009, 06:45 AM, said:

Oh, and I find that the embedded theme is very hard on my eyes.

Blame Microsoft, they developed it

You'll find other visual styles installed besides Embedded. I'm personally quite partial to Royale Noir and Luna Element.

no_one, on Jun 30 2009, 06:45 AM, said:

Ps, if any icons apart from the short-cut arrow have been changed, then they are hiding from me.

You're not looking hard enough. There are 1139 icons updated in xpize 5 Beta 3, such as the icons that appear in the Internet Explorer control panel, or the tools in MSPaint. This is in addition to the 148 bitmaps that are updated to remove the Windows 2000 look.

This post has been edited by W3bbo: 01 July 2009 - 10:36 AM

[braian-k]

Hello, thank you very much for this beta, I've been trying XPize for a long time when I had XP x86, so since I changed to XP x64 I hadn't used XPize, but now I tried this one with XP x64 and it's working really good! Thank you very much! Waiting for the final release...

[MrBusty]

W3bbo, on Jul 1 2009, 06:35 PM, said:

That's what happens when you check all the options without considering what it does I'm thinking of a way to make the process more user-friendly, but it's difficult. Until then I think the treeview to select a colour scheme works... for now.

Pictures are always good in this case!
If there were an option to browse all resources of the selected package during the installation, users can see with just on quick look, what the package is going to change.
Maybe its even better to show the current system resource next to the new one from the package.

Do you think, that is possible?

[Mystiqq]

Installed the latest version on my new rig (XP SP3) and noticed this (image below, white pixel borders thing) when using "remote desktop". Seems like problem with transparency/alpha? Whatever it is, it ain't pretty.

Also mentioning the default backup location somewhere other than in the installer would be great, like in FAQ/Help. I spent sometime trying to find out where it actually made the backup. After restoring from backup the icons are working without problems when using remote desktop.

[beats]

Quote

xpize 5 Beta 3
Why are you still using Windows XP?

Lol, without Windows XP there would be no xpize for Windows XP.

[Corsair]

Hi all,

in my xp pro Spaniard SP3, after unzipping everything it says me that only "compatible in windows xp sp3"

really strange.

[Smiley89]

See the post above:

W3bbo, on Jun 29 2009, 09:42 PM, said:

I've found the reason why the condition check was failing on some systems: I programmed it to identify numbers using your local computer's number format. So if you're on mainland Europe or Russia then a decimal number looks like '5,1' rather than '5.1' which is why it doesn't recognise your system as being the right version.

I'll fix this in the next release.

Smiley89, on Jun 30 2009, 08:38 PM, said:

I found a temporary workaround: I changed the decimal symbol from "," to "." in "International and Language settings".

[Dumpy Dooby]

Anyone that's using Vista should seriously consider upgrading to Windows XP.

[W3bbo]

Beta 4 will introduce dynamically generated bitmap resources to drastically reduce the size of the xpize distribution, but these bitmap resources are 24-bit (earlier they were 256-color) which makes them much larger.

I'm not anticipating any problems, but some of you have reported issues with 128x128 icons which are double the size of earlier icons.

If anyone has had problems with 128x128 icons, or problems with xpize 5 in general let me know so I can resolve or prepare for them.

[MrBusty]

W3bbo: what do you think about my suggestion? - Is this something, what you could bring into being?

[W3bbo]

MrBusty, on Jul 4 2009, 08:55 PM, said:

W3bbo: what do you think about my suggestion? - Is this something, what you could bring into being?

I'm thinking about it.

[no_one]

W3bbo, thank you for your reply...and you are right about the extra icons and such.....actually, you are spot on with every answer to my uninformed and ill considered questions.

You effort with this Xpize is much appreciated and I for one am looking forward to further developments.

Regards.

[McStarfighter]

A little question: When will there be a Server 2003 edition of XPize available?

[vartaxe]

please add the windows embedded theme

[W3bbo]

no_one, on Jul 6 2009, 11:01 AM, said:

W3bbo, thank you for your reply...and you are right about the extra icons and such.....actually, you are spot on with every answer to my uninformed and ill considered questions.

You effort with this Xpize is much appreciated and I for one am looking forward to further developments.

Regards.

Is that sarcasm? I honestly can't tell.

W3bbo, on Jul 4 2009, 10:49 PM, said:

MrBusty, on Jul 4 2009, 08:55 PM, said:

W3bbo: what do you think about my suggestion? - Is this something, what you could bring into being?

I'm thinking about it.

I think I may have found a way to implement it, but there's no way I can get it done for the next (and hopefully final) xpize release. It's just that my "package" system is modelled on the idea of an "install and forget" paradigm, rather than the "theme chooser" system that others have gone down (e.g. StyleXP, Icon Packager, CandyBar).

Whilst my engine can be re-used in a "theme chooser"-type software, it remains to be seen if there's a case for it.

McStarfighter, on Jul 7 2009, 01:06 PM, said:

A little question: When will there be a Server 2003 edition of XPize available?

Windows Server 2003 (both x86 and x64) is supported in the next release by virtue of supporting Windows XP x64 (as they're all Windows NT5.2). You can install it on WS2003 right now by adding the /ignorePackageCondition switch when launching from the command-line.

vartaxe, on Jul 9 2009, 03:26 PM, said:

please add the windows embedded theme

The Embedded theme is already included in the latest Beta, it's installed by default but isn't set as the default style because it really isn't that attractive (it's just a hue-shifted version of Royale).