Upper section kinda funky.

[Mally]

Hello, all;

Hope this hasn’t been discussed before, but I did try a couple of searches, none of which gave me any results.

I’m using version 12.00.41 with Mike Bryant’s awesome steampunk/futuristic Colony skin, but this happens with other skins, too. It doesn’t happen with the default classic skin, however, nor with some of the other skins packaged with PA.

When I wear MyPA or Colony, however, the upper section of the application sort of captures whatever is behind it. It’s not transparent really, because when I move the window, the stuff it captured stays put. It makes for reading the menu buttons up there pretty difficult for this old feller to read. :eek:

Does this funky phenomenon sound familiar to anyone, or might someone give me some direction in which to look for a solution? Rebooting doesn’t help. Both AVG and Avast say no viruses, malware, trojans, or etc.

Peace,

Mally

[TBGBe]

A lot has changed in PA 2011. You don’t mention which license you have, but I suspect the skins may need updating - especially for Toolbox registration (and therefore unregistered/trial versions as well).

[spwolf]

What OS please?

[Mally]

Thanks, both of you for having taken the time to respond. First, spywolf, I’m using WinXP SP3, and dreading the day I’ll no longer be able to do that.

TBGBe; currently, I’m using a registered copy of 2011 v12.00.41 having just upgraded from 12.00.28, I believe. I didn’t have this issue with that slightly earlier version. I haven’t started looking yet for an updated version of Bryant’s Colony skin; that comes next.

Googled for “WinXP aston2 toolbox”, and found no relevant results. Is that a 2+2 over there emerging on the horizon, or is that a separate download I haven’t found yet?

Peace,

Mally

PS; hope the image I added to my original post yesterday helps illustrate better than my words what’s happening.

[spwolf]

i do not remember any difference in skins between RC1 and RC3, i dont think we changed anything.

Did you try re-installing RC3?

[TBGBe]

@Mally:

…
TBGBe; currently, I’m using a registered copy of 2011 v12.00.41 having just upgraded from 12.00.28, I believe. I didn’t have this issue with that slightly earlier version. I haven’t started looking yet for an updated version of Bryant’s Colony skin; that comes next.

Googled for “WinXP aston2 toolbox”, and found no relevant results. Is that a 2+2 over there emerging on the horizon, or is that a separate download I haven’t found yet?

I don’t think the skins have been updated (or if they ever will be) - they have been untouched since 2006!

The Toolbox I referred to was PowerArchiver Toolbox, introduced with PA 2011 (Bitdefender et al).

Although, as spwolf says, if the skins worked with 12.00.28 then they should still be OK.

I’ve just tried with both Colony and MyPA skins and both work fine for me. Although, now I can’t remember if this was an upgrade (via Patchbeam) or a “clean install” :(

[Mally]

Thanks again for your response, spywolf. I hadn’t before, but I did just a bit ago grab the freshest copy from your website: “PowerArchiver 2011, 12.00 RC3
English”. No difference in that weird upper section yet though.

I had saved what few config changes I’d made when I uninstalled and reinstalled this fresh copy. Tr reinstall failing to make a change, I wondered if I’d made a wrong decision somewhere in my configuration. I went back to “Set Installation Defaults”. No difference. Now, I really am going to set out to find a hopefully newer version of that skin than the one I have. You’ve been very helpful; thanks again.

Peace,

Mally

[Mally]

Patchbeam had some problem and tells me still, after the clean install, that “PatchBeam 2011 has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.” Doing it manually was no problem, though.

I still can’t find the Toolbox, or how to access it. When I hit “help > contents” in hopes that would give me a clue, I got “Cannot find PowerArchiver help. Please reinstall PowerArchiver”. Any idea what might be getting in the way of completing this installation?

[spwolf]

Uninstall this version and install RC1:
http://dl.powerarchiver.com/2011/powarc1200rc1.exe

See if it still works.

We use skinning engine (Direct Skin) for the skinning support, and we updated it for version 12.00 but I dont think we had changes between RC1 and RC3. Trying out RC1 will make sure it is not due to that.

thanks!

[Mally]

Heh :) When I tried to uninstall that last version via the “add & remove programs” screen, I got, “There is a problem with this Windows installer package. A program needed for this install to complete could not be run. Contact your support personnel, or package vendor.”

I’m in no particular hurry to fix this, but I sure appreciate the speedy replies from both of you.

[spwolf]

Here is Windows Instaeller uninstaller:
http://majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=4459&file=15&evp=fe1c76da3437592326a3d668d72bf8f5

Install it and run, file PowerArchiver and uninstall. They you will be able to properly install new version.

Something was definitively wrong with your installation.

[Mally]

Well, I started poking around in my system registry, first to get rid of anything I could find from the first instal of PA I made, but as I did so, I found references to dozens of apps that were long ago removed from my system…I thought. I started removing those, only to find dozens if not hundreds more. Bought a registry clean-up utility, and got rid of well over 1,000 useless keys, and updated some outdated drivers while I was at it. Plus, it does a much more thorough and speedy defrag than the one I had been using. PC Health Adviser v3.1 if anyone reading this later is interested.

Even after all of that, it tells me still that “A more recent version of PowerArchiver 2011 is already installed on this computer”.

Did a search for “powarc”, all four were installation related, and deleted 'em. Downloaded again the RC3 version, and still have the same issue as described in the first post.

Long as you have any ideas to try, I’ll try 'em. I wish I could have been able to test the RC1 version. I’d like to have known what that would have told me.

[spwolf]

You can uninstall RC3 and install RC1… It will work fine :-).

[Mally]

I was getting kind of tired of this project. So, when I read your last post, I decided just to wait a day or two, and then come back to it.

Besides, I thought, I wanted to dig into SkinStudio, WindowBlinds, and Aston2 and start learning their relationship, and how to use them. I was reading the Aston2 FAQ, and about 2/3 the way down, quite by happen chance, found this:

"Q: I use Windows Blinds and my Main Menu is displayed incorrectly in Aston. Any way to fix it?

A: Please try the following solution: 1. open WindowsBlinds settings 2. select ‘Per Application’ option 3. press ‘Add per application setting’ button 4. find aston.exe 5. Mark in “ignore this application and do not skin it” checkbox"

So, I tried that with PowerArchiver, and that fixed my problem. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” holds true, but boy howdy, it sure is handy to have the internet.

Thank you again so much for all your help. Problem solved!Sure hope all this typing helps to serve someone else with a similar issue someday.

Peace,

Mally

[spwolf]

I didnt realize you were using WindowsBlinds, at all… I thought you used our skins?

[Mally]

I am. My ultimate goal is to make my own theme. When you start a project like this from the ground up, there are a lot of new file extensions and software applications that are unfamiliar.

You see a theme or skin that you like, realize that the words aren’t exactly interchangeable, and begin pouring through all the reading material you can find on each of them.

I haven’t settled in my own mind what extension I’ll use in the end, but I want to be familiar enough with each of them that I can make a considered decision. I’m still not certain of a lot of things. I’m even too much of a noob to be asking very many questions yet.

Am I mistaken in having concluded that PA skins only itself, and not the Windows shell?

Peace,

Mally

[TBGBe]

Yes, you are mistaken. Although associated filetype icons (Zip, RAR, Tar etc) can also be “skinned” by PA skins when displayed in explorer (and clones).