I bought the Winstep Extreme package. There seems to be no "Customize Install"....so it installs NextStart which disables my task bar on main menu, and covers my taskbar on second monitor. This is no bueno. I use DisplayFusion to have my monitor span both screens but this package is screwing it all up.
I would like to know:

1)How to move NextStart to my MAIN monitor, and have the dock shelf on top of it, not under my tasbar on 2nd monitor.

OR

2) How to unstall the NextStart feature. Only Winstep is listed in Control Panel.

I might add, the trial worked PERFECTLY with DisplayFusion installed, the "Xtreme Package" seems to add a couple extra features that screw with my desktop, and can't be unistalled seperately?

Winstep Xtreme is modular, so you have LOTS of options here.

You can:

1. Disable NextSTART completely (not recommended): open the NextSTART menu, select 'Exit NextSTART', uncheck 'Run NextSTART at startup' on the confirmation box that pops up.

2. Prevent NextSTART from replacing the Windows taskbar (this way you can still take advantage of NextSTART hotspots and customized menus): open NextSTART Preferences, go to the Taskbar tab, unselect 'Allow NextSTART ro replace the Windows taskbar'.

3. Use both the Windows taskbar and the NextSTART taskbar: open NextSTART Preferences, go to the Taskbar tab, enable 'Keep the Windows taskbar visible'. Click on 'Taskbar Settings', change the monitor the NextSTART taskbar is attached to (if you want, of course).

Cool.

Will NextStart allow DisplayFusion to span it across 2 monitors? Or have the ability to span itself?

I ran into the problem with the NextStart task bar "hiding behind" the original taskbar, and the "shelf" only wanting to dock with primary monitor, even when deselected in menu. I hope this is not the case with NextStart.

Also on a side note, Winstep crashes my Windows gadgets, is a fix in the works? Gadgets have always worked with any other desktop inhancement I have tried in the past.

First, let me be clear that I am not familiar with DisplayFusion at all. NextSTART's taskbar replacement is designed to replace or enhance the normal Explorer taskbar, not a 3rd party taskbar. Don't expect either program to work properly with, or recognize, the other.

The NextSTART taskbar can span multiple monitors if you set it to do so (or you can even place it on a specific monitor), but unfortunately it will only reserve screen space (so maximized windows do not overlap it) on the primary monitor.

The Shelf will dock to whatever monitor you attach it to. It's not clear what the problem was in your case?

As for the Windows gadgets, NextSTART should not interfere with those *at all* (nor has anyone ever complained about that). Are you sure it's because of NextSTART and not something else? What exactly happens?

Please be as detailed as possible.

I don't think it is nextstart, but winstep itself that interferes with windows gadgets. When winstep is disabledled, gadgets work fine. When enabled, all I see is a little black box with the "close" x next to it. I installed the winstep trial on my media pc with same results. One machine with nVidia 9600, the other with Radeon HD 4870, both with updated drivers.

Hmmm... That rings a bell...

Could be because of the iconic window thumbnails for running applications, which tell the source windows to redraw - layered windows don't like WM_PAINT messages. However, this is only done under XP, not Vista and above.

What Windows version are you running? I just enabled some Windows 7 sidebar gadgets here and they run and display perfectly fine.

Either way, do me a favour, but I need your feedback ASAP (I'm in the middle of a new release!):

1. Download a Winstep Xtreme update from HERE.
2. Exit all running Winstep applications.
3. Unzip and run setup.
4. Report back if this update solves the issue with the window gadgets (you will have either reboot or close and open them again, though).

If that doesn't solve it, can you please provide some more details?

If you open a new gadget while Winstep is running, does it turn immediately black?

If you disable the iconic thumbnails (WorkShelf Preferences -> Tasks -> uncheck 'Show icons of running applications as window thumbnails) does this solve the problem?

If you exit Winstep Xtreme and then open a new gadget, does it still turn black or does it display without problems?

Downloaded the update, shut down winstep, applied, and rebooted.
Issue not solved. Although....a little different now, instead of a tiny black box with a "close" x, I now get a black or white box (depending on the gadget) the full size of the gadget. Yes, the gadgets opened are immediately black...they never show for even an instant.
I quickly uninstalled winstep....and all gadgets worked fine. Reinstalled, and reapplied update, and same issue....black box instead of Windows gadget.

I have ABSOLUTELY no programming knowledge, but is it possible that winstep is using a same file as the gadgets, and taking priority?

This is not a LARGE issue for me, I only use a couple gadgets anyway, and Winstep offers alternatives for the ones I DO use. Would be nice to mix and match tho....but not a deal breaker.
I appreciate the quick and helpful responses.

Forgot....disabling Iconic thumbnails does not help.

Also after this last install, Nextstart is enabled, even though unchecked for starting. Also noticed that my Win Explorer theme was jacked with....screen went to "fullscreen" by it self, and the top title and address bar was "auto-hiding" also my taskbar is now "auto hiding"....I have not touched ANY explorer settings. Theme for win explorer also looks "different....no gloss, almost like "basic" theme. Gonna unistall, reinstall again without update and see if it is still flakey.

Xtreme does not interfere with 3rd party programs.

Something that is not clear though: why uninstall Winstep? Doesn't simply exiting Winstep Xtreme fix the issue for any gadgets you open from then on? If it really is Winstep's 'fault', then simply exiting NextSTART and WorkShelf would solve the issue.

If not... then, more likely than not, you are running Windows 7 or Vista 64 bit (you never did answer my question about which Windows version you are running) and the real culprit is Logitech's Setpoint, which is known to cause this problem with layered windows. Disable Setpoint and see if the issue goes away.

Update:

A second reboot without unistall restored everything to "working normally" except the windows gadgets.

Sorry for filling page with replys, but just trying to keep ya posted.

That's because Setup always launches both NextSTART and WorkShelf. No other reason.



No idea what is happening in there, sorry.

I unistalled, because simply disabling Winstep did not fix the problem, but uninstalling did.
Yes, I am running Windows 7 64bit, and I do have setpoint installed.
I haven't tried disabling Workshelf, or Setpoint yet....will do so to see which is the culprit.

Ah-ah.

I'll bet anything you want Setpoint is the real culprit. Trust me, been there, done that, got the T-Shirt. Setpoint used to mess Winstep gadgets too, until I worked around it.

From what I read in the WC forums, it does the same thing to Stardock's ObjectDock tabbed docks.

Setpoint is a culprit for a few things.

I did a fresh re-install of Win 7 x64 due to putting my OS on an SSD. I must say it works much faster. Before the re-install I was getting a BSOD every couple days and sometimes a couple times a day. I had refreshed all my drivers with the exception of Setpoint. I never thought that the Logitech software would be the cause.

Anyways after the re-install I was slowly loading all my software. No BSODs... until I reloaded Setpoint.

Every regular here knows what I think about Logitech: mostly great hardware, software sucks absolutely. Reminds me of ATI.