NoelC

Nope, still nothing. I've done the above and no debug window opens at all. There is no change to the modern frame. One of the things I do is turn off short file name support in NTFS whenever I initially set up a system. Perhaps I've closed off the possibility for me to load AppInit_DLLs by making that change, even though I've set the Aero Glass folder to be no more than 8 characters at the root of drive C:, and shortened the name of the DLL file. I welcome any other suggestions. -Noel

There is no secure boot capability in a VMware VM that I know of. However, too much time has passed since the early days of Aero Glass injection, and I had forgotten the RequireSignedAppInit_DLLs value in the same registry key as LoadAppInit_DLLs and AppInit_DLLs. Also as I recall one needs to use short folder/file names to specify the DLL. It's coming back to me... I'll report back if I can get it to work. -Noel

That's the second time you've made that kind of statement. I listed the exact steps and verified that it is injected ("custom dynamic link libraries are being loaded for every application") via the Event Log (I even provided screen grabs). If not by the detailed steps I listed above, what do you suggest as an alternative for injecting it? Is there some other tool or setting I'm just supposed to know about? The only thing I can think of is a setting I ran across once that's something like "RequireSignedAppInit_DLLs" = 0. I'm off to research that now... -Noel

Ah well, even with the symbols loaded manually it's not working. -Noel

It does not work here either - automatically. I have a Win 10 x64 setup running build 9926 in a VM. Here are the steps I followed. 1. Download ModernFrame.7z from Big Muscle's link, as provided in post 192 above. 2. Use 7-Zip to extract ModernFrame.dll and save it into the C:\AeroGlass folder. 3. Open RegEdit and navigate into: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows 4. Add C:\AeroGlass\ModernFrame.dll into the AppInit_DLLs value. In my case it was empty to start with. 5. Change the LoadAppInit_DLLs value to: 0x00000001 6. Reboot. 7. Start a Modern App that had been set to run in a window before. In my case the Weather App. I can confirm that the AppInit_DLLs value is being referenced, as the Event viewer reports Custom DLLs are being loaded. As you can see above, there is no static change to the default flat title bar on the Weather App. The problem seems to be that no symbols are automatically downloaded for ApplicationFrame.dll. Whether that's because the auto-download for this particular DLL is faulty, or because the symbol server failed to respond is anyone's guess. I don't see anything in the dwm.exe debug window to do with ApplicationFrame.dll. Next I'm going to go fool with the debugger and get the symbols to see what happens after... -Noel

No, I have Win 7 x64 Ultimate. But note that I have not accepted KB3021917, and I have not seen the Win 10 "Update" show up here. -Noel

Interesting. So "missing modules" are to be expected. I did not know that. Of course there could be highly coordinated dynamic loading of DLLs, inline in the code, depending on run-time decisions, and the ability for the software to disable / limit certain features depending on the availability of said DLLs. Or it could just be sloppy work. Just a data point: Windows subfolder relative sizes for a mature Win 8.1 x64 MCE system, noting the gigabytes of WinSxS... -Noel

Ah, sorry, I understand now. I haven't tested virtual desktops here yet. I'm sure you've already done so, but make sure to use the Feedback App and let Microsoft know you'd like the virtual desktops to be persistent. -Noel

Incredible as it sounds, people are starting to report that a Windows Update to install Windows 10 has been automatically showing up on their Windows 7 systems. See also: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/insider_wintp-insider_install/how-do-i-block-automatic-upgrade-of-my-windows-7/0d0c01b8-2e30-4452-8dd6-ac43b0d7d83a When updating my Windows 7 x64 test system, I personally did NOT see such an update offered, BUT... I did see this one, which was unchecked by default: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3021917 It's titled "Update to Windows 7 SP1 for performance improvements". Who wouldn't want that, based on the title? Who wouldn't select that one for installation? But read more carefully... Hm, so it sounds like they're drop-loading software into Windows 7 systems to gauge whether the system is ready for Windows 10. I can only guess that once such software has run, and the system has been deemed capable of running Windows 10 TP, Microsoft feels comfortable in offering a Windows 10 "upgrade" to be delivered via Windows Update. Is it just me, or is this kind of a new level of "foot in the door" for them? -Noel

For what it's worth: I researched all of this month's updates then installed them all on my test virtual machine. No major failures occurred. Notably no "rollup" of bugfixes (outside of specific security patches) is part of the February package. It seems rather light, actually. I did see that besides security fixes it looks like Microsoft has included something to make activation management more aggressive. With what testing I've done I haven't noticed any specific problems or slowdowns, but it's impossible to subject a Windows system to thorough testing in just a short time, and it's a bit difficult to sense specific performance issues in a VM. If you have experiences with this month's updates, please share them. -Noel

When you say "reorganize desktop", you're speaking of your icons? If so, you're saying they don't stay where you left them after a shutdown and restart? That doesn't sound typical, nor would I consider that acceptable. Mine seem to stay put. If Windows senses a change in monitor resolution during a transition, I can imagine that could screw up the layout. Or another possibility is that it doesn't successfully save your desktop info in your profile during shutdown. Are you seeing any failures around the time of shutdown or startup in your Event Logs? If you just log off then on again, do you see the desktop get scrambled? Run the executable logoff.exe, if you don't have the option in any menu. If the desktop is retained across a logoff / logon, see if shutting it down after logoff works around the issue. -Noel

Thanks, guys. I thought I had depends.exe somewhere, and it turns out I do already have 2.2.9600 as part of the WDK. Apparently I misspoke earlier. R4D3 I can now confirm that I see the same things as you, where 7 different modules come up "Error opening file. The system cannot find the file specified (2)." Please pardon my ignorance, but I haven't spent time running down things in the operating system itself... Are these missing modules assumed to be part of remnant code no longer used? Options not yet installed? Things that would be in a different edition? Work in progress? As I mentioned, I don't see usability problems with Explorer (beyond what's always been expected of it). One of the missing modules, for example, is API-MS-WIN-CORE-SHUTDOWN-L1-1-1.DLL. Clearly Explorer offers the ability to shut down, and it does work. And I DO have a file with a very similar name, differing only in version? C:\Windows\System32\api-ms-win-core-shutdown-l1-1-0.dll -Noel

-Noel

I'm not sure what Dependency Walker might say. I was speaking to not having usability problems. Where do you suggest getting the latest version of Dependency Walker? -Noel

I guess it's possible the extra blur adds enough overhead that the GPU just can't do everything it needs to do, including blurring the Taskbar, in 1/144 of a second. For a long time the holy grail amongst graphics designers has been 16.7 milliseconds (i.e., 1/60 of a second). You'll have to look to Big Muscle to comment specifically on how various combinations of displayed elements might affect Aero Glass's rendering. -Noel Edit:typo

Just as a (possibly distantly related) data point. I don't use the command line tool, but rather have Classic Shell disable Taskbar transparency, which has the effect of restoring the Aero Glass attribute and blurring the taskbar, which is normally auto-hidden. I have 3 monitors. Though I don't normally use Firefox, I do have it installed... I tried maximizing Firefox on my central monitor and running the test on the site you mentioned. For me with or without the Taskbar showing it shows a green-backed VALID at 60 fps, which is what my central monitor runs at. Something to do with your particular display driver, maybe? -Noel

1. You can clear out the registry entry in the DWM key for specifying the theme atlas. That will cause Aero Glass not to load a theme atlas. See his guide on his site for registry specifics. 2. You can use Big Muscle's GUI tool to uncheck the [ ] Theme atlas image box, which has the same effect as item 1 above. -Noel

Out of the box, Explorer doesn't seem to be missing any components on any of my installations. What observed problem led you to try to resolve dependencies? Regarding what to do if Win 10 "fails"... Define "fails". Up to now I have worked out "To Work" options and 3rd party software for every version of Windows so far. I'm as productive as I've ever been running Win 8.1 x64 MCE on my workstation, and I'm typing this in a Win 10 virtual machine that I'm using for development and testing. If Microsoft were to screw up nothing more, I can say with confidence that Win 10 right now can be a productive desktop-centric system. It can even be made to look halfway decent, with tools such as Aero Glass for Win 8+. With Vista and Win 8.1 I waited to adopt the OS until I was able to develop a full set of such customizations (and in some cases until 3rd party developers created software to augment broken features). But it WAS (and IS) possible. Since Microsoft themselves ultimately do use their new operating systems to do their own further development, I imagine they won't delete all the "To Work" features of the system, and so I don't anticipate technical "failure" per se, though business failure is another story. I don't honestly expect Win 10 to be embraced any more warmly by the public than Win 8 was. Microsoft may ultimately end, but probably not in the next few years. The real question is what is the value N in the mathematical statement "Too Big To Fail N Times"? -Noel

Remember, Andre chews through crash dumps as a fun hobby. :-) My hero. :-) However, not everyone has the mind for that. -Noel

In my world, not interesting. The way my head is organized... I like being able to see all the stuff I need to support what I'm doing "at a glance". On another desktop somewhere is not "at a glance", it's hidden. So I have multiple monitors. Problem solved. I'm also a positional thinker. When I'm working out what to do to accomplish whatever, a primitive part of my mind remembers its position and I go there to start it. Thus, icons on the desktop (ooh, how quaint) work great for me. No, I don't have 16 columns of them, randomly accumulated, but rather they are carefully placed in key locations across the top and bottom. When I need to start Visual Studio my muscle memory just takes my mouse hand to its position. I don't break my concentration. It's a way to do very complex work and not lose the plot. For me, having multiple desktops, each set up differently, would evoke a confusing, "I know it's over there somewhere" (when it's not, at least not on the current desktop), not unlike that "fish out of water" feeling of using someone else's system. This is not just an idle preference, but an active rejection: The LAST thing I want is for my desktop to be replaced with another, different one. Back when I was involved with music as a musician I became proficient with one woodwind instrument. I saw others able to pick up multiple instruments and do passably well with each of them. That was not me. For me it was - and is - more about quality, not quantity. -Noel

Thing is, I've always followed the philosophy: There's some (if somewhat intangible) value in keeping current. Choosing to accept Windows Updates is tantamount to continuing a partnership with Microsoft. It can be a Very Good thing - assuming Microsoft's motives are aligned with our own. But you see, the thing is, we have entered a new era, where Microsoft is becoming openly predatory. For example, they're actively hobbling the desktop in order to make people crave Metro/Modern more and more. I'm a bit surprised the Justice Department hasn't taken notice. Perhaps all their old apps still run okay. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that Microsoft could use Windows Update to subtly change older, existing installations into something that works worse and worse, and without question. Inasmuch as we all work very hard to keep malware from auto-installing itself, Windows Update ensures Microsoft has all their body parts already in the door. Astounding things could be done in the name of "security", for example... Imagine, for a moment, that terrible exploits might happen to be reported against "legacy" Windows systems right around the time Microsoft wants people to move on to a new system. Doom and gloom will be predicted for those not moving on. And, what's worse, Microsoft can be heroes by releasing a fix that's already fixed by the new version by a change to the design, yet requires an extensive patch of the "legacy" system that of course degrades its performance but makes it (un)comfortably safe to use... I wonder whether the only thing holding them back from pulling stuff like this off (assuming they haven't already) is their own lack of competence. I know full well who's the system admin and responsible for keeping my system functional. That would be me. I'm thinking ahead on that score, as I do every month - hence this thread. Thing is, we've already seen a significant degradation of the Windows Direct2D display subsystem, delivered in a recent Windows Update. I know this because I do benchmarks after every update. Thankfully I really don't use Direct2D for anything. But what will degrade next? Remember when Windows 8 was supposed to be faster than 7? Did you notice that, with the release of 8.1, it's now a fair bit slower by comparison? Do some comparative file system testing if you don't believe me. I have. I will certainly test the forthcoming updates on a virtual machine, and perhaps if I don't find trouble or see overt performance degradation maybe I'll stay on the bandwagon for another cycle. Of course, the software degradation routines could have a timer... We may already be screwed. But it's okay, Windows 10 will be a free upgrade, right? -Noel

Of course, that's the strategy I have been following, which has led me to having a good system but... The Microsoft today is not the Microsoft of yesteryear. If you put your computing life completely in the hands of people with nefarious motives, not to mention butterfingers, is that being smart? I haven't seen much from Microsoft to make me increase my respect for them lately. What have you seen? -Noel

I have the feeling that the (young?) (inexperienced?) engineers at Microsoft can't even conceive of the difference. My question is this: Why did ANY executives at Microsoft survive Windows 8? And the phrase comes to mind: Too big to fail... Twice? -Noel

Looking at my Task Manager, I see my Win 8.1 x64 MCE system has been running stably for 24 days, 14 hours, 13 minutes. Makes me wonder... Should I just stop applying updates? Maybe this is as good as it's ever going to get. Win 10 is not better. Different maybe, not better. Doesn't really look like it's going to GET better either. Win 7 and earlier are dead and gone, having achieved "as good as they're ever going to get". And I do have them all in virtual machines if I want a walk down memory lane (or find something I can only do with them). Nothing's wrong with my Win 8.1 setup (well, nothing that's not designed to be wrong). I'm productive, it's functional. It's not being improved, nor will it be. Further Windows Updates will serve only to.. a ) (optimistically) solve bugs I don't know I have and haven't encountered in my daily work, and b ) (realistically) SLOW and DESTABILIZE my system. Microsoft at this point only has an incentive to make existing installations worse, in the name of "security" or whatever. With tomorrow being February "update Tuesday", I'm wondering: Has the day come to just ignore all further Windows Updates? -Noel

I'll bet the very first person to think that up really imagined (re-imagined for short) that Microsoft would have coded something better by 2019. -Noel