Help & FAQ

XPize 4.x Guide

Note this guide is for XPize 4.x and does not apply to the recently released xpize 5.

The xpize Guide holds all the information for people experienced in XPize as well as for people who want to know what it is and how it works.

The Guide is available in a number of languages:

Known Issues

XPize 4.x is not compatible with Windows XP SP3 nor any x64 operating system. Use xpize 5 instead.

Known xpize 5 Issues

Error "The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000135). Click on OK to terminate the application."
This message is received when attempting to install xpize 5 on a system that lacks the .NET Framework. You can download the 32-bit .NET Framework 2.0 from Microsoft.com. A 64-bit version is also available.
Error "xpize has detected that a previous installation has made changes to your computer that will take effect after restarting. You must restart your computer before you can run xpize setup."
xpize checks for the Windows Automatic Update "RebootRequired" key as well as the PendingFileRenameOperations table ("PFRO") to see if any changes are due to be made to your system. If either of these registry keys suggest changes are pending then setup will refuse to run. Ordinarily rebooting your system will clear these keys, however some background programs may add entries to the PFRO table every time they run thus preventing xpize from running at all.
You can workaround this by adding the /ignoreCondition switch to the command-line for the installer. You can do this via Start > Run or in a cmd.exe session.
Windows XP SP2 is not supported
xpize 5 requires Service Pack 3 for 32-bit Windows XP and Service Pack 2 for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP x64
You can force an install on Service Pack 2 by running the installer with the /ignoreCondition switch as described above. Proced at your own risk.

xpize 5 - Release 3, 4, and 5 Issues

Note these issues have no-longer been reported with xpize 5 Release 6.

Problems with installing xpize to a Windows XP x64 CD
Files under the I386 directory are not patched and extras such as visual styles and wallpapers are not copied to the $OEM$ directory. This will be fixed in xpize 5 Release 5.
Shell32.dll grows to 23MB (or larger) and causes problems with some programs
This is only an issue on certain non-English versions of Windows. You can opt to not patch shell32.dll during setup (under Icons > Windows System). xpize 5 Release 5 will offer a "Lite" installation that reduces file size growth.
XFire, Steam, and Source-engine games
It has been reported that xpize 5's patching of urlmon.dll may cause crashes of XFire, and various Steam games, especially those built on the Source engine (e.g. Team Fortress 2).

Known XPize 4.x Issues

Windows XP SP3

This recently released service-pack for Windows XP introduces some compatibility isues with xpize 4.7 and earlier. We recommend using xpize 5 on SP3 systems rather than XPize 4.7

XPize 4.x only includes UxTheme.dll patches for Windows XP SP2 and earlier. xpize 5 includes a UxTheme patch compatible with SP3. If you install XPize 4.7 on SP3 you may encounter issues with MMC (Microsoft Common Console, i.e. Computer Management) and you will not be able to load third-party visual styles.

Cyberlink PowerDVD
The file msxml3.dll is responsible of crashing it. Dont select for installation or uninstall it if you have it installed.
Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2002 and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003
The command line colors mod included in XPize 3.x may cause errors in the Visual Studio console.
Windows' Explorer.exe
Electing to patch the files ntdll.dll and shlwapi.dll during installation may cause explorer.exe crashes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please read this FAQ before posting to the forums. Thank You.

After installing XPize I suffer memory allocation problems, what's wrong?
This happens when you are running certain non-English versions of Windows and your shell32.dll weights more than 15MB. Uninstall xpize and then re-install either xpize 5 (ensure the "Lite" option is selected under "Advanced Installation Options") or XPize 4.7 Lite.
My antivirus founds a virus/keylogger inside xpize. Does xpize contain any spyware?
No. xpize does not contain any malware of any description. Since xpize works with system files some antivirus software may detect that as dangerous, but they can be safely ignored as false positives.
What's the difference between Full and Lite? (XPize 4.7 only)
The Lite version does not install the 128x128 icon sub-images for compatibility with Windows language operating systems which would normally not work when shell32.dll grows beyond its usual size.
What's "XPize uAE" about?
XPize uAE is a (now obsolete) release of XPize 4 that supported unattended installations.
Why is xpize free? What's the catch?

On the Internet there are a lot of people with too much free time on their hands and need something to burn away ther time. We're doing this to stroke our own ego and get us positive attention, and not much else.

In early 2009 we were approached by a few companies who wanted us to bundle their browser toolbar software (spyware/adware) with xpize, we politely told them where they could place their toolbars.

xpize Discussion Forums

xpize has its own board on the MSFN Forums. Please be courteous when asking questions or posting suggestions.

Contact Us

If you have an urgent enquiry please email the team at our Contact page.