[Bug] (Windows 10 Home 64bit v 20H2 b 19042.746 Installed in C:\Users\me\Sync\PortableApps) When Start.exe runs, the menu displays improperly. The window is too short for the list. There's an extra space at the top and items run off the bottom edge and are not visible. The power and close buttons are shifted to the left. The PortableApps.com logo is missing. It stays like this unless I change the theme in the Options dialog. No matter what I change it to, and even if I leave the them unchanged, the menu then displays correctly. If I close the platform and restart, the problem reappears no matter what theme was selected. Problem has been going on through several updates of both the OS and the platform. Suggestions or solutions? Thanks.
New: Kanri (Oct 09, 2024), Platform 29.5.3 (Jun 27, 2024)
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Is that folder a synced folder? Issues like that can happen if some of the platform's files are unavailable to it as it is starting up.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Yes. It is a synced folder but everything in the folder is local on the C drive and just synced to the cloud. Also the folder is completely up to date and there is no sync activity going on when I launch Start.exe. Further, this has been happening since well before I decided to sync the folder to my cloud storage. I will try a few things to see if sync has anything to do with it and report back. Thanks.
Are there any screen resolution changes occurring during startup? Or a third party dock that changes the screen real estate around?
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No there is not. The WIn10 environment is fully loaded and idle. The platform is not set to start with windows. I manually invoke it from a shortcut in my taskbar and I only do that well after everything is done with the Win10 startup. The problem occurs each and every time I close the platform and re-launch it.
As for the Sync issue, I paused the syncing and quit the sync engine and then closed and opened the platform - no change. I did a new install of the platform and selected the 'cloud directory' option but put it in a new directory in my sync folder (alongside my original install) and with my sync engine still paused and quit. When the install finished, it started the platform and.... it also has the menu display problems.
I made a clean install to C:\PortApps (not visible to the Sync engine and that was paused and quit anyway). When the install finished and ran the platform.. the menu displayed improperly.
I rebooted, waited for all startup activity to finish and then tested all three installations one at a time - C:\PortApps (newest), C:\Users\Me\Sync\PortApps (recent) and C:\Users\Me\Sync\PortableApps (original), and all behave the same. The Sync engine would be running after the reboot but I let it catch up syncing before testing the platform installs in the Sync folder.
I also disabled my virus protection and retested all three, no change.
With your clue that it could be related to graphics settings, I decided to shut off my extended display (second monitor). When I am using only one monitor, the platform menu displays properly on startup. When I turn on my extended display again, the problem reoccurs. I'm not sure why that happens but at least it is a clue to where the issue lies.
If I use only one display or if I mirror to both displays, the menu displays properly on startup. Only if I am using the extended display mode does it fail to display properly on startup. It also doesn't matter which is the primary display.
So the issue is not related directly to using extended displays. It is related to the scale and layout settings. If I have the Win10 display setting to 125% scaling, the menu fails to display properly on startup. If it is set to 100%, it displays correctly on startup. As noted, if it is set to 125%, the menu fails to display properly on startup but if I change the theme in options (even if I don't change the actual theme), the menu then displays correctly. If I start at 100% and start the platform, it displays correctly and if I then change the scaling to 125%, the platform scales correctly.
I can't reproduce it here. I have dual monitors set in extended mode and set to 125% and it works without issue. Do you have all your monitors set to the same zoom? Some of one and some of the other? Have you restarted since altering the zoom?
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Set both to 125% and rebooted - good. Close platform, set primary display to 100%, no reboot, restart platform - fails but in a way that indicates platform menu is starting assuming 125% scaling. Rebooted (still at 100%) - good.
Problem seems to be caused if zoom is changed from what it was at last boot. When platform is closed and restarted, it uses the last boot setting, not the current setting. This is fixed by a reboot which causes last-boot zoom to match current zoom.
Note that if zoom is changed while platform is running, it adjusts but if it is closed and restarted, it reverts back to last-boot zoom which may not match current zoom.
Does it work properly if you don't change it?
Note that Windows warns you that apps may not display correctly until you log out and then back in when you change the zoom level. It looks like Delphi-based apps have this issue.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Yes. It's ok as long as the display matches the zoom setting at the time of last boot.
Actually, Windows says "Some apps won't respond to scaling changes until you close and reopen them" which doesn't imply rebooting, only closing and re-starting the app. In fact, the app does respond to the scaling change if it is running when the change happens but it doesn't keep the scaling through a close and reopen of the app, really almost the opposite of what Windows is saying.
Anyway, problem basically solved. It just means rebooting windows after a scaling change if you want to avoid the issue when starting the platform. It's a quirk but a manageable quirk. Thanks.
If I recall correctly, the language used to suggest that you log out and then back in after changing scaling options. Then Windows will properly tell all apps what scaling is as they are launched. It seems Microsoft changed the language on the page but didn't fix the issue.
A reboot shouldn't be required. Logging out and back in should address it, as Microsoft originally (and correctly) stated in the settings page where you adjust scaling settings.
UPDATE: I think this occurs when you turn off the option under Advanced to let Windows attempt to fix blurry apps for you. When I turn this on (which I believe is the default now), I don't experience the issue.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Logging in and out works but is a pain.
My blurry app setting was off. When it is on, the problem disappears. With this ON, the platform responds correctly even through close and reopen with the scaling changed from last boot/log-in.
That's a solid fix.Confusing language from MS (nothing is blurry) but ok. Thanks for your help!
When I use two monitors and set for Extended display, the menu screen is only partially displayed on Windows 10.