Can't see Notification messages

Hello and thanks for your help!

Windows Vista Home Premium SP2, 64-bit
NOD32 AV 5.0.94.0
(Installed modules listed at bottom)


I've got a seemingly small but essentially important issue I'm hoping someone can help me solve. The notification messaging that pops up on the lower right portion of my screen is almost entirely "blacked" out, I see absolutely nothing but black. Only the topmost portion shows normally (a section just big enough to see appropriately so I can at least hit the X icon to close the pop-up).

Now I can no longer see exactly what my AV is warning me about. I should add that this was not an issue with my previous NOD32 AV 4.x version.

Thanks in advance for any assistance. HAL.


NOD32 AV installed modules:
Virus signature database: 6666 (2011112
Update module: 1037 (20110921)
Antivirus and antispyware scanner module: 1329 (20111031)
Advanced heuristics module: 1118 (20110419)
Archive support module: 1136 (2011081
Cleaner module: 1051 (20110420)
Anti-Stealth support module: 1026 (2011062
ESET SysInspector module: 1221B (20110623)
Self-defense support module: 1018 (20100812)
Real-time file system protection module: 1006 (20110921)
Translation support module: 1031 (20111003)
HIPS support module: 1026 (20110725)
Internet protection module: 1025 (20110929)
Database module: 1016 (20110726)

 

What desktop theme are you using? It may help to try changing the theme to Windows Vista or Windows Classic to see if this helps at all. Also wondering if it helps to use the GUI in text only mode (in the window, hit CTRL+G).

 

Thanks for the reply dwomack!

(Edited: see below for why)

 

could you post a screen shot of what you see?
www.ehow.com/how_2258440_post-screen-shot-forum.html

also see on themes
www.windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-vista/Change-desktop-theme

 

Thanks for your reply Cudni. I have attached the screenshot of what I see, or rather what I don't see.




Regarding themes, as I've mentioned the only changes to my personal confuser was updating to ESET's latest 5.X version of their AV.

I'm using a space theme and feeling a bit like that astronaut. Help. Actually he's in more control than I am lol.

(Edited out all the whining)

 

That doesn't look like a default Windows theme (far from it). Could you try switching to a default windows theme and see what happens then?

 

Will do. Gotta get to my personal confuser later on to try then.

I'm hoping my AV won't require me to use M$'s default background though...does merely changing the background alter ESET's AV notification messaging? Dang.

Thanks for helping!

 

Are you using some kind of windowsblind software?

 

My sincere and humble apologies! It turns out I have some "Stardock" software on my system, put on by my dear loving girlfriend (unbeknownst to me some time ago). She tells me she made some changes but can't for the life of her remember exactly what since it was over a year ago or longer.

Now that I've assessed blame I did change the theme to both Windows Vista and Classic, unfortunately the same blacked out result as you see below.

Process Explorer also shows a WindowBinds process active. Boy you people are good.

We're hoping there's a way to get both programs, ESET AV and WindowBlinds, to play well together.

Thanks again for helping a clearly slow and deteriorated HAL.

 

This is caused by a bug in WindowBlinds. See if updating to the latest version of WindowBlinds resolves the issue (supposedly the latest version fixes some problems with menus displaying incorrectly on Vista/Win 7x64), otherwise you'll need to disable every component of WindowBlinds from starting, or uninstall it.

 

A bug in WindowBlinds? WindowBlinds was installed and playing well with others -- including ESET's AV 4.X versions -- for a long time now, 3 years long it would seem.

Only after installing ESET AV 5.X did the above blackening of ESET AV Notification messaging occur.

Seems to be a fairly straight causation there.

Guess I'll be uninstalling something, I'll have to uninstall ESET AV 5.X.

If ESET AV 5.X cannot display it's own Notification messaging correctly, it's seems like a flawed product to me. Who knows what else it's doing poorly if something as simple as proper messaging is flawed. Am I not correct in thinking this?

I appreciate your help stackz but that's not an answer a paying customer wants to have in the product they're purchasing.

I can't update WindowBlinds since that product was apparently purchased and installed 3 years ago. Besides, as I've mentioned, I've not had any issues with things not displaying correctly, until now with ESET AV 5.X.

What a headache. I really feel like I'm getting taken advantage of here. Shouldn't ESET care enough to try and fix a customers issue with their product? ESET is incapable of ensuring their own Notification messages are displayed properly? Wow. Massive failure on ESET's part I woud think.

I"m still going to hold out hope that someone from ESET will want to fix this.

 

I've been unable to reproduce this issue with the current version of WindowBlinds downloadable from the vendor's official website. However, Stardock's products seem to be the common denominator in all the graphical issues so far.
The reason why the issue hadn't manifested before could be that programs develop in time and may start using new functions to display graphics. Theoretically if WindowBlinds had problems with the newly used functions, the problem wouldn't have manifested until you installed v5.

 

Thanks for the reply.

You've not been able to reproduce this issue with the current version of WindowBlinds? Marcos, was I not clear in stating I"m using an older version?

I suppose it's great you were unable to reproduce the issue, but you did so with something that's not even in the equation since I'm not using the current version of WindowBlinds. Additonally you've not only downloaded a current TRIAL version but may I suggest trying to reproduce any issues in a couple weeks after that TRIAL version has expired. If you would be so kind as to send me 20 USD I will gladly download the latest WindowBlinds version and try to reproduce this issue myself both now and in a months time.

Until such time as I receive that money, would you please try reproducing this issue with the correct WindowBlinds version v7.01.028., the one your current customer, me, has installed.

Maybe I"m wrong to think that if ESET AV has a "common denominator" with another application "manifesting" itself, that ESET would try to ensure not letting that program or any other program manifest itself over ESET.

Like viruses. ESET AV isn't going to allow viruses to manifest themselves, is it?

Please help me, thank you!

 

You can't update your version to 7.3 ?

 

Didn't think I could be any clearer about that. Does anyone actually read these?

 

funny, I thought I was clear too. Being curious I found out they only give a year worth of free updates after which user can renew for a price. So you would like Eset to support software that is not supported by the creators.

 

I'm far more frustrated than mad but replies like the above one really have me shaking my head. Cudni, clearly you're not an ESET employee, but you do realize that anyone purchasing ESET AV only gets free updates/upgrades for every year they continue to pay ESET for that privilege? ESET has the exact same model as the company you tried to disparage.

I would like ESET to support their own software and their own customers.

It seems it's more important to assign blame here than it is to correct the situation.

ESET AV employees, your software is not working properly because of a bug or a virus or any other program, do you not correct this?

Please tell me ESET isn't allowing even one company to hijack ESET's AV process and that ESET cares enough when a customer pays $50.99 to give them a working product.

I know the ESET team can do better than that. Please, please fix this so I can use the product I've paid for.

 

Why not uninstall Eset temporarily and then try a different AV to see whether that helps? If you have a similar problem with a different AV and your Stardock software, you know that either you will have to pay for the update to WindowBlinds or uninstall WindowBlinds. I don't see why a $20.00 piece of software should hold a $51.00 program hostage, either.

 

Yes that is how I understood it too. Do you think Eset should make sure its software works with all previous versions of some other software or just last previous version? On the other hand from what you are saying it seems that both previous version of each software work well with each other.

 

No problems with ESET AV 4.X, problems with ESET AV 5.X.

 

To the question in bold, pretty obviously, yes. Ensuring your software works should be considered extremely important.

Your second sentence? I can't even understand its meaning.

So let's be clear about ESET's stance: ESET won't ensure their Notification messaging works properly. Instead, they tell its customers to use another AV and that ESET doesn't care if its Anti-Virus software is taken over by other programs.

Seriously?

Cudni has apparently determined beyond all doubt that the blame lays at the feet of another company and to hell with the customer and to hell with trying to fix their compromised ESET AV software.

ESET, would you please fix your AV program so it displays the Notification messaging for this paying customer!

 

Well, I don't have problems with version 4.2.71.2, but I do have problems with version 5.x. That's why I'm running version 4.2.71.2, at least until my subscription runs out this year. I wouldn't hold my breath on a fix for the conflict with your old version of WindowBlinds.

 

Not sure if there's a relation with this case but I'd strongly suggest checking for the presence of SetPoint by Logitech. If you have it installed, upgrade it to the latest version 6.2.

 

Is this for the OP or for me? I don't have any Logitech software installed. I have a Microsoft mouse.

 

Version 4 works fine with which is for you current but otherwise obsolete windowsblind version. Version 5 works fine the latest windowsblind version. Very simple.