Recommended Posts

hello.

all over the web ive herd differnt stories on this software. It is 100X more advanced then styleXp will ever be. StyleXP is just an extension of the built in features of xp. windowsblinds5 totally give ur pc a new look and feel.

the only thing differnt about style xp is that it takes virtually no ram, but WB is a monster! eats up everything.

HOWEVER, i herd that the new WindowsBlinds5Enhanced does not take any ram because it integregates itself into the os setup files or something...ican recall the xaact feature...but they stated on different forums that the new one takes no or very minimal ram. somewhere else i herd that since this is v5 it would take more because of added features.

what is the ACTUAL story here? i was hoping some of the ppl here who use this would answer my question.

thx everyone! cheers, statix1

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/425936-windows-blinds-5-enhanced/
Share on other sites

I actually use the program, very useful. It actually used up less memory than the defualt xp theme or with custom visual styles, since you can take off the themes service with WindowBlinds and still have it running. WindowBlinds 5, after you disable the themes service and enable Hyperpaint takes up less ram then StyleXP or the Uxtheme.dll hack ever will.

Your right. It is a monster compared to StyleXP. But doesn't eat up memory at all. It's very good overall. I also have an old video card (Geforce2 MX400) and everything runs pretty smooth on glass themes. The only problem I noticed was when I'm playing a video (WMP) and move another window at the same. It totally kills whatever I'm watching. Maybe that's cuz of my low system specs.

I like more how WB4 loads. I dont like the idea that WB loads at the boot (hanging with winlogon process, etc). It lags sometimes, sometimes slowdown my whole system, sometimes the transparencies works really bad or doesnt work at all, sometimes the engine 'hangs', when you have a lot of windows open everythings slow down a lot and you have to unload WB5, after an intense use WB5 cant handle correctly the themes, etc, etc.

I think with WB4 and WindowFX you can have (somehow) WB5.

Looks great when the only thing you do is browse and chat, but nothing more (aka just a few process running). When you are at work, you really, really note the difference, work with it and with WB5 unloaded. It uses memory (despite that the developers (?) and many users say the oppocite), a lot of memory (check how many dll are open on every process or just check how many memory (virtual and real) a process uses with and without WB loaded).

Trust me, its a nightmare when you are working...

And yes, I pay for it, and I dont regret. Its just for screening only. Nothing more

Style XP takes more ram than Windowblinds. It not only uses the windows engine but it runs itself because it patches uxtheme.dll in ram. Use the uxtheme.dll patcher to patch the file on your disk instead of Style XP. Windowblinds uses less ram than the windows engine and you can disable the windows engine if you're using windowblinds.

I have used a patched uxtheme.dll for years and I now I use Windowblinds. After using Windowblinds for a few months I can safely say that I cannot tell the difference between it and patched uxtheme.dll, except the great skin i'm using (foton). Even with an alpha blended skin like vistaxp I cannot notice any difference in performance.

I used it for about 3 weeks, then got fed up at the limited amount of quality themes, and changed back to UxTheme.

Sure, the tansparent themes are great, but there are only about 2 worth looking at. And most of the themes available do not suit my tastes. So yeah, I do believe it works much better than windows built-in theme app (and uxtheme), but there's not enough content for me

thx everyone for the great responses.

but i noticed somethign different. i used to use WindowsBlinds4 and i thought it took more ram and resoruces. is this an improvement in WB5?

and second. I use StyleXp just to organize my themes and stuff i dont have the service or the actual theme running in the background. would this still take up ram ? if so how can i remove it? just uninstall.

thx everyone for the great responses.

but i noticed somethign different. i used to use WindowsBlinds4 and i thought it took more ram and resoruces. is this an improvement in WB5?

and second. I use StyleXp just to organize my themes and stuff i dont have the service or the actual theme running in the background. would this still take up ram ? if so how can i remove it? just uninstall.

WB5 doesn't always have wbload.exe running in background, only when you apply a theme, so of course it uses less RAM.

Rumors even say that it is more efficient than uxtheme (msstyles)

Also, StyleXP always loads the UXtheme hack in background, under a different name, so even if you only use it to organize your themes, it eats memory.

yeah but i disabled it from running at startup.

if i dont want it to run in the backround at all, secretly...and i if i uninstall it would it solve the problem.

also what if i USE a WB Theme and run WB5 inteh background. i want to know what effects will it have on my pc.

thx :)

I used it for about 3 weeks, then got fed up at the limited amount of quality themes, and changed back to UxTheme.

Sure, the tansparent themes are great, but there are only about 2 worth looking at. And most of the themes available do not suit my tastes. So yeah, I do believe it works much better than windows built-in theme app (and uxtheme), but there's not enough content for me

You do know that you can convert msstyle to Windowblinds themes right?

Just get the shareware version of SkinStudio and it will import themes on the fly.

I'm using an imported version of Luna Element 4 and it's flawless. I even used SkinStudio to import the scroll bars from Luna Elemnet 5 to make my own mod. You don't need to be a skinner to mess with SkinStudio, you can import individual parts of themes and mix and match them.

I don't work for Stardock, but I'm a loyal customer and Object Desktop subscriber.

yeah but i disabled it from running at startup.

if i dont want it to run in the backround at all, secretly...and i if i uninstall it would it solve the problem.

also what if i USE a WB Theme and run WB5 inteh background. i want to know what effects will it have on my pc.

thx

If you have a halfway decent computer you won't notice the Windowblinds running. As many people have said before, Windowblinds is more efficient than MS's own themeing engine. So if you use Windowblinds and disable MS theme service, your comp will run faster.

You do realize, though, that if you disable the Windows Theme Service, you won't be able to use msstyles/StyleXP. (duh)

Themes are going to take up more RAM than no-Themes because an extra program is needed to run and use the theme! Trying to use themes and then disable/delete the process that themes Windows is like installing your graphics card drives when you first set it up and then deleting them because you don't want them running in the background.

You do realize, though, that if you disable the Windows Theme Service, you won't be able to use msstyles/StyleXP. (duh)

Themes are going to take up more RAM than no-Themes because an extra program is needed to run and use the theme! Trying to use themes and then disable/delete the process that themes Windows is like installing your graphics card drives when you first set it up and then deleting them because you don't want them running in the background.

Whats the use of using msstyles with WindowBlinds 5? You just need to pick up the free copy of SkinStudio and you can port them in two seconds.

Whats the use of using msstyles with WindowBlinds 5? You just need to pick up the free copy of SkinStudio and you can port them in two seconds.

I can never get a msstyle to look good in WB....actually, haven't tried since early 4.x, not even sure if I can remember how to do it...

I can never get a msstyle to look good in WB....actually, haven't tried since early 4.x, not even sure if I can remember how to do it...

you can just double click on the msstyle file if you have skin studio installed and it should start importing. and btw, most msstyle files look fine, atleast to me.

Oh yeah, @ statix1, yup, it will definetely be a lot lighter.

Here's a question:

Does WindowFX's option "Accelerate alpha blending" cause trouble with window blinds 5? (i'm not actively using it)

Because, when dragging larger windows, they tend to slow down, and then snap about 50 pixels after... same happens when using glass2k or winroll's transparency...

What's bugging me is that my CPU doesnt go above 50% the whole time...

I am using 9800pro with the latest omega drivers, barton2800+, 512 ddr, and from background services im using RKlauncher, konfabulator, and winroll...

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Disabling open on hover, great! That was so stupid! They need to do a fix, where if a network share is disconnected, it doesn't hang when opening "This PC" for 20 seconds.
    • Microsoft releases major feature updates for stock Windows 11 apps by Taras Buria In addition to releasing new Windows 11 preview builds, Microsoft announced that inbox Windows apps now have dedicated release notes in the official documentation. At long last, users have access to all the release notes for each app, with changes listed in chronological order. Microsoft used to announce feature updates for stock apps with each build. Now, with Windows Insider release notes hosted on the Microsoft Learn website, each app has a dedicated space for its changelog, which is very useful for those who want to track new features and improvements. Alongside that, Microsoft dropped massive feature updates for six stock apps: Clock, Media Player, Calculator, Voice Recorder, Photos, and Paint. Each app packs quite a lot of changes and new capabilities, so here are the release notes. Here are quick notes so that you can jump to the app you are interested in the most: Calculator Camera Clock Media Player Paint Photos Sound Recorder Here is what is new for the Calculator in version 11.2605.9.0: More accurate square-root results — Fixed rare cases where a calculation that should equal zero (like sqrt(2.25) - 1.5) returned a tiny leftover value instead. Readable text in High Contrast themes — Settings text now shows the correct colors in the High Contrast Aquatic and Desert themes. Fixed layout for right-to-left languages — For languages like Arabic and Hebrew, the graph, number pad, equation fields, and scroll buttons now appear correctly oriented. Reliable launch after upgrading — Fixed an issue where upgrading from much older versions could leave outdated settings that stopped the app from opening. Here is what is new for the Camera app (version 2026.2605.7.0): Zoom slider works on more cameras — The zoom slider now works on the latest cameras, respects your system zoom settings, and updates instantly when you change those settings. Full range of zoom levels — Fixed an issue where the zoom slider only showed three steps on some devices that zoom in finer increments. Front camera works on more devices — Resolved a problem that blocked the front-facing camera on certain wide-angle devices. More video resolution choices — You can now pick video resolutions that were previously hidden; the app shows a heads-up warning instead of removing them. QR links you can still use — When a scanned QR code points to something with no matching app, the link is now copied to your clipboard (with a notification) while still offering a Store search. Smarter default settings — When you haven't set a preference, the app now follows your system settings by default. The Clock app has a massive changelog with the following improvements in version 11.2605.9.0: Timers keep counting after they hit zero — When a timer runs out, it now keeps counting up (for example, -00:27:31) so you can see how far past the time you've gone. You can turn off the daily goal — Focus Sessions now include an "Off" option so you can skip setting a daily goal entirely. New 15-minute snooze option — Alarms now offer a 15-minute snooze interval. Run up to 3 countdowns at once — The Countdown Widget now supports three simultaneous countdowns, up from two. Timer Widget notifications now appear — Fixed an issue where the "timer finished" notification didn't show when the timer was started from the widget. Less clutter in Focus Sessions — Tasks you've already completed no longer show up in the Focus Session task list. More accurate focus progress — Fixed a rounding issue that could show your daily focus progress as a minute short (for example, 49 minutes instead of 50). Smoother World Clock comparisons — The World Clock compare page now loads dates as you scroll, so it feels more responsive. Up-to-date World Clock locations — Refreshed country and city names to match their current names. Correct sun and moon icons during midnight sun — Fixed an icon that wrongly showed a moon during all-day daylight in polar regions. Fixed back-button behavior in clock comparisons — Pressing back once now takes you back as expected, instead of jumping the date to 1926. Corrected the Newfoundland time zone — Newfoundland now uses the right time zone (St. John's). Disabled alarms stay looking disabled — Editing a turned-off alarm no longer makes it appear turned on. Cleaner timer cards — The expand button is now turned off on timer cards that have no time set, preventing actions that wouldn't do anything. Clearer theme setting — Updated the wording to "Choose your preferred app theme." Smoother Settings links — The "About" links in Settings no longer trigger an unexpected "switch apps" prompt. Fixed spacing in Spotify settings — Corrected uneven spacing in the Spotify settings card. Better focus visibility in High Contrast — The focus highlight in World Clock is now clearly visible in the High Contrast Aquatic and Desert themes. No more double announcements — Screen readers no longer read the timer value twice. Countdown names read correctly — Screen readers now properly announce the name of each countdown. Keyboard focus stays put — Focus no longer disappears after you press the Timer Reset button. Clearer alarm toggle for screen readers — Tidied up how the alarm on/off switch is announced. The Media Player app received plenty of changes as well (version 11.2605.14.0): Custom captions — You can now personalize how closed captions appear, with caption styling tied to your Windows caption settings, plus a quick link to open those settings directly. "Indexing" banner in the play queue — When your media library is still being scanned, a banner now explains why some items may not appear yet. Fixed the look of selected items — Corrected a layout glitch with selected items in lists. Fewer playback failures — Improved how the app recognizes supported file types, so more files play without issues. Playlists need a name — You can no longer accidentally save a playlist with a blank name. Cleaner look for empty playlists — Improved how a playlist appears when it has no items yet. More stable play queue edits — Fixed a crash that could happen when changing the play queue while the app was switching between sessions. Clearer "missing codec" message — Improved the dialog that appears when a file needs a codec you don't have, with clearer guidance on what to do. A big update is also available for Paint in version 11.2605.61.0: Adjustable eraser transparency — You can now control how transparent the eraser is. Cleaner stamp brush strokes — Fixed visible color shifts and artifacts when using stamp-style brushes. JPEG photos save in place — Opening a rotated JPEG and pressing Save now overwrites the original instead of unexpectedly prompting "Save As." No more crash on bad image files — Opening a damaged or invalid image, from within the app, by double click, or commandline, now shows a clear error message instead of closing the app. Classic selection behavior restored — The selection outline now hides while you move, resize, or rotate a selection, just like in classic Paint. Tidier AI image panel — Fixed missing spacing at the bottom of the AI image generation panel for a cleaner layout. Visible button hover in light theme — Toolbar split buttons now show a clear hover highlight in the light theme. Snappier toolbar — Streamlined how the ribbon lays out, giving a small speed boost at startup. Fewer background crashes — Fixed a crash that could happen while background tasks were finishing up. Stable app shutdown — Prevented rare crashes when closing the app. Fixed layer removal glitch — Deleting the active layer no longer leaves the layers list in an inconsistent state. Here is what is new in the Photos app (version 2026.11060.2004.0): AI watermarking — AI-generated or edited images can now carry a visible Copilot watermark. You choose Never, Always, or Ask Every Time in Settings, with a confirmation when saving. The watermarking is off by default in settings. Better viewing of small images and pixel art — Tiny images (like 16×16 pixel art) now zoom in far more to fill the screen and stay crisp instead of looking blurry. Select scanned text with the keyboard — When text is detected in an image, you can now navigate and select it using the arrow keys, Shift+Arrow, Home/End, and Ctrl+A, with a clear focus highlight. Fixed a crash in text recognition — Resolved a crash that could close Photos while detecting text in images; the app now recovers gracefully. Easier keyboard navigation — Tabbing through the navigation bar no longer stops on hidden controls, so it takes a single Tab to move past it instead of three. And finally, here is the Sound Recorder (version 11.2605.1.0): Waveform shows with Bluetooth mics — The live waveform now displays correctly when you record using a Bluetooth audio device. No more stray scrollbar — A non-working horizontal scrollbar no longer appears at the bottom of the waveform unless you've zoomed in. Mark button ready right away — The Mark button no longer looks grayed out until you hover over it after opening the app. Markers hidden for WAV files — Markers are now turned off for WAV recordings, since that format can't store them — so they're no longer lost silently. Smoother deleting — Quickly pressing Delete and Enter to remove several recordings in a row no longer triggers a "file doesn't exist" error. Fixed a memory issue — Resolved a memory leak that occurred each time a recording started. You can find all these changelogs in the official documentation here.
    • again, an article about Microsoft Edge and ridicules hater's comments
    • From this very same article: "For organizations that prefer a “more deliberate pace”, the Extended Stable channel remains an option."
    • Or every other browser, because they all behave the same, at least the mainstream ones. Firefox does exactly the same: background updates, restart to install them. Haters gotta hate, I guess.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Very Popular
      AndrewSteel earned a badge
      Very Popular
    • Veteran
      Taliseian went up a rank
      Veteran
    • One Month Later
      Clizby earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Month Later
      Timaximus earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Timaximus earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      504
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      170
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      162
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      85
    5. 5
      ATLien_0
      77
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!