10 hours ago
Topic:
SyMenu 8.16
sl23Posts: 314
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ok, I need further information! lol
I'm totally confused! You keep mentioning "the plugin", what plugin is this? Do I need to create one specifically to manage this suite, or is that the part you have done in this update?
So I have to do the following:
1. Create a zip of all sps files contained in the suite. 2. Upload to say, github. 3. But whats the Master SPS you mention and where does this go? Where do I place this? does it become a part of the suite itself? Then I update that whenever theres an updated sps within the suite?
Could I create a SyMenu plugin that does this check automatically? ie, it performs the check online to see if the updated suite matches the latest installed version via a blank versioned file.ini then downloads and installs into the suite if newer.
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12 hours ago
Topic:
SyMenu 8.16
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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I confirm that SyMenu uses the notification icon status for custom suites too. But how does this work? What does a custom suite editor need to do in order to notify SyMenu about updates? Actually, nothing special is required. The mechanism is exactly the same as the one used by the main suite.
Let me explain. When SyMenu starts, it checks its endpoint for updated SPS definitions. If newer definitions are available, it downloads them into its _cache folder. In your scenario, these two tasks are delegated to the plugin. I agree that distributing the custom suite SPS files as a ZIP archive is the simplest solution. SPS files are very small and compress extremely well, so a ZIP archive grants a small download size and a single file to manage. The only difference between the main suite and a custom suite is that for the main suite SyMenu can read SPS files directly from the ZIP archive, while for the custom suite it needs the files to be extracted first. However, unzipping a file is trivial and the plugin can do that in secs.
Once the plugin has downloaded and extracted the updated SPS files inside the custom suite _cache folder, the situation becomes identical to the main suite. At that point, SyMenu can detect available updates in exactly the same way it does for the official suite.
How? Through the software version stored in each SPS file. Let's see the entire workflow. When a new version of AudioPluginABC is released, you would: - update the master SPS for AudioPluginABC, changing the version number and, if necessary, the download URL and any other metadata (file size, VirusTotal information, etc.); - package the updated SPS files into sl23CustomSuiteCollection.v345.zip; - upload the updated ZIP file to your endpoint; - let the plugin and SyMenu do the rest.
The plugin is responsible for checking whether a newer SPS collection is available, downloading it, and extracting it. SyMenu is responsible for determining whether any installed applications in the custom suite require updates by reading the downloaded SPS files.
I also suggest versioning the ZIP filename (for example, v345). This gives the plugin a simple reference point to determine whether the online definition package is newer than the locally downloaded package.
If you adopt this approach, remember to preserve a version marker that the plugin can compare against. This can be the previous ZIP file itself, an empty file named after the version (for example, v345), or a simple text file containing the current version number.
Another important point is the role of SPS Builder. You can use it for sure. What you can't do is upload custom suite SPS files to the UGMFree cloud. For a custom suite you can work with local files (SPS Builder does this easier), and upload the definitions manually to your endpoint.
If you need any other information, please ask.
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13 hours ago
Topic:
SyMenu 8.16
sl23Posts: 314
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I sent an email about this, but perhaps it may be better to post here, then users can see how this affects their own suites.
So the idea of this is that for personal/custom suites to notify SyMenu via the blue Get New Apps icon, by turning it green, is that right? Does it extend that far? But I see you have actually added per item in-menu update notification.
Is there anything an author of a custom suite needs to do? Or is this purely on SyMenu side? As already discussed via email, I plan on releasing a custom suite for AudioPlugins, will these need to be zipped, as the current two built-in suites are, or do I need to make these individual files?
I am just trying to figure out some things wrt how this will work. For example, for a zipped file that can be easily downloaded by users in one go, it becomes necessary for me to manually add new files however I receive these from others, into the suite. For individual sps files, I don't need to do this, but then how do others download all of the separate files as a suite? Its a bit of a problem either way. I am trying to think of how this could literally be done automatically, I realise checks need to be performed on sps files to avoid spam and malicious sps files, but how do you do this? What is your process?
Essentially, we need to understand the process for creating, sharing, updating custom suites.
Thanks for the update, it is indeed a great thing you've done! 
edited by sl23 on 08/10/2026
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1 days ago
Topic:
SyMenu 8.16
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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Dear all, A new version has just been released. The most important changes are:
- A new interface for the plugin system (whatever that means!).
- SyMenu now highlights in the context menu the updates availability in any SPS suite, including custom suites, through a dedicated icon and special text in the context menu.
Let's take a closer look at these two features.
Plugin startup notifications The new plugin interface allows a plugin to be notified whenever SyMenu starts. A more consistent implementation might have been to leverage SyMenu's native Autoexec on Start feature. However, that would have required users to enable Autoexec just to execute a plugin during startup. It seemed preferable to let the plugin itself declare its intention to run at that stage. For those interested in the technical details, the new interface is called ISyPluginNotificationStartup and, as usual, it is exposed through SyMenu.Plugin.Resources.dll. If you need further information, you know who to contact.
Update notifications for secondary and custom suites This is a long-awaited feature. SyMenu can now show update notifications not only for the main suite, but also for the secondary suite (NirSoft) and even for custom suites created by users. When updates are available, the corresponding context menu entry is highlighted with a dedicated icon and text, making it much easier to spot pending updates.
As always, if you have questions or need additional details, feel free to ask.
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7 days ago
Topic:
Symenu 8.XX refuses to update
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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Okay, after checking the dll timestamps, I'm pretty sure I've figured out what happened.
It looks like SyMenu.Libraries.dll was copied or moved to the SyMenu root folder some time ago. Since SyMenu probes the root folder before looking in the Lib folder, it found the dll there and loaded it successfully. This worked fine until the latest update. The new version requires a newer SyMenu.Libraries.dll, but the probing process still found the old dll in the root folder and attempted to load it from there. Once loaded, SyMenu checked the assembly metadata, detected that it was not the required version, and crashed. Deleting the DLL from the root folder solved the issue because the probing process was then able to resolve the correct dependency from the Lib folder.
Lesson learned. Next time, I should remember to ask the reporter for a complete file listing of the SyMenu core folders right away.
Thanks, this has been really useful.
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7 days ago
Topic:
Symenu 8.XX refuses to update
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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Frustrated wrote:
Fixed the problem. Renamed the SyMenu.Libraries.dll in the Symenu folder and Symenu found the dll in its Lib folder. Really? Any idea how SyMenu.Libraries.dll ended up in the root SyMenu folder? The updater preserves the original package structure, and in both the zip and exe distributions that dll is located in the Lib folder. Could it have been copied there manually at some point?
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7 days ago
Topic:
Symenu 8.XX refuses to update
FrustratedPosts: 20
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I downloiaded the Zip and checked the blocking option and there was none. I unzipped the files and replaced the existing files in the folder. Same result. When I ran SyMenu.exe nothing happens. No Symenu splash screen nor Symenu in the systray in W11
Faulting application name: SyMenu.exe, version: 8.15.9738.16613, time stamp: 0x6a620000 Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 10.0.26100.9444, time stamp: 0xf5847879 Exception code: 0xe0434352 Fault offset: 0x0016aed4 Faulting process id: 0x89A4 Faulting application start time: 0x1DD515443FBE555 Faulting application path: D:\_Drive_E\Downloads\Nasty Fixes\SyMenu\SyMenu.exe Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\System32\KERNELBASE.dll Report Id: c5d5abe6-091e-4c8e-8913-117b0aae2a6a Faulting package full name: Faulting package-relative application ID:
---------------------------------
Application: SyMenu.exe CoreCLR Version: 10.0.1126.37416 .NET Version: 10.0.11 Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception. Exception Info: System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'SyMenu.Libraries, Version=8.15.9738.16612, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null'. The system cannot find the file specified. File name: 'SyMenu.Libraries, Version=8.15.9738.16612, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null' at SyMenu.Program.Main(String[] args)

Fixed the problem. Renamed the SyMenu.Libraries.dll in the Symenu folder and Symenu found the dll in its Lib folder.
edited by Frustrated on 01/10/2026
edited by Frustrated on 01/10/2026
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8 days ago
Topic:
Symenu 8.XX refuses to update
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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Interesting. If you don't mind, I'll use this thread as a sort of collector for SyMenu update issues, so I've slightly changed the thread title. I'm particularly interested in this case because you're the first person to report a problem with the updater. Hopefully you'll also be the last... but experience suggests you might just be the first of a larger group.
At the moment I have no clear idea what is happening on your system. To investigate properly, I'd probably have to ask you to dig through Windows Event Logs and collect diagnostics for me... but I'm not that evil. What I can suggest instead is a workaround to solve that quickly and easily. It's useful both for failed updates and for installations that may have become corrupted over time:- Download the latest SyMenu package from the website. The EXE package is the easiest option, but the ZIP package works as well.
- Unblock the downloaded package using the same procedure described for SyMenu plugins here: https://www.ugmfree.it/manual#SyMenuPluginBlocked
- Run the EXE or extract the ZIP into the exact same folder where SyMenu is currently installed.
For example, if SyMenu is located in D:\CoolApp\SyMenu, make sure the installer or ZIP extraction target is D:\CoolApp\SyMenu. - If Windows asks whether existing files should be overwritten, answer Yes to All.
This procedure effectively performs a "reinstallation" of SyMenu while leaving your configuration, profiles, program entries, and personal settings untouched.
As I mentioned, I'm trying to collect both failed update cases and their successful resolutions. So, whatever the outcome, please let me know how it goes. Every piece of feedback helps me understand whether this is an isolated incident or the beginning of a new adventure with the updater.
Thanks for your help and patience!
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8 days ago
Topic:
Symenu 8.XX refuses to update
FrustratedPosts: 20
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Tried twice to update from 8.13.9578 and the result is always the same. The app notifies me on launch that there is an update. I tell it to update. The update window briefly shows up then disappears. From then on Symenu refuses to run. I can not even see it in the Windows task manager. I have to restore the entire directory from a backup.
Win11 Pro 25H2
edited by Gianluca on 30/09/2026
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30/08/2026
Topic:
SyMenu 8.15
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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The new version is finally out! The biggest update in this release is a complete rewrite of the tooltip system. Most importantly, you can now customize the tooltip delay directly from the GUI. Check out the full changelog here: https://www.ugmfree.it/symenudownload#changelog
If you have any feedback, bug reports, or ideas, feel free to get in touch.
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23/08/2026
Topic:
A crazy new adventure!
sl23Posts: 314
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oh well, I can't use it anyway! No GPU!
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16/08/2026
Topic:
Unhandled Exception - X=0 Y=0
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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Hi PhredE,
From what I’m seeing, the issue is related to how the menu is drawn. You mentioned that with the default white theme there’s no border, but the Border thickness selector cannot be set to 0 because the minimum value is 1. What I suspect is a combination of particular SyMenu’s drawing custom settings and some Windows graphical configuration (typically display scaling), because I’m unable to reproduce the issue on my systems in anyway.
So I need your help to investigate further.
First I need to know how your Windows scaling is set? (100%? 75%? 125%? Other?)
Then please send me a private message through the website or the contact form. This way I can get your configuration file ([SyMenu]\Config\SyMenuConfig.zip), run it on my machine, and check whether the problem is simply a misconfiguration. Otherwise, if you don’t have a particularly complex setup, you can also try this yourself: - quit SyMenu - delete [SyMenu]\Config\SyMenuConfig.zip - run SyMenu again and reconfigure it Your configured programs will remain untouched, but your SyMenu configuration will be reset. Hopefully, this will allow you to change the theme and save the new settings correctly.
Let me know which option you prefer to follow.
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16/08/2026
Topic:
Unhandled Exception - X=0 Y=0
PhredEPosts: 1
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I'm not getting SyMenu to update its Options window. Cancel Continue Quit is all I can get out of it. I'm trying to alter the extremely puzzling default theme (white windows on white windows with no borders. wha?) but even though I now have achieved perceptible green borders, there's little else I'm able to do. I can't escape/update Options. Latest; no updates available. Any reason sighted? Thx. Crash report attached.
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07/08/2026
Topic:
VS Code Update Process Fails to Migrate Data Dir
QwPosts: 12
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Thank you, its been restored to the normal directory structure
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07/08/2026
Topic:
VS Code Update Process Fails to Migrate Data Dir
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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WTF!
It was a regression bug when publishing the SPS definitions! I accidentally published an old version of VSCode instead of the newest one. Sorry for the inconvenience!
I have just updated the program definition, so please proceed this way: - Open SyMenu - Go to SPS Manager - Refresh the program definitions using the force button (if you can't find it, check the manual here: https://www.ugmfree.it/manual#SPSForm and look for "you can force it pressing the special button") - Search for Visual Studio Code Portable (x64) - Right-click on the grid item and choose Force update from web site
Everything will be fixed... provided you haven't moved the Data folder from its original location (it must be located in .\data).
Please let me know the outcome!
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07/08/2026
Topic:
VS Code Update Process Fails to Migrate Data Dir
QwPosts: 12
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The Visual Studio Code portable installation broke during the last two updates. The updater installs new versions into different directory trees. Consequently, the Data folder from the previous installation is no longer visible to the new version. Analysis of the local directory structure indicates that the Data folder contains the application extensions, such as anthropic.claude-code, github.vscode-pull-request-github, and ms-python.black-formatter. When the new version is extracted to an isolated directory path without migrating this Data folder, the application loses access to all previously installed extensions and user configurations. Attach is the tree of the new VScode after updating from SyManu and old tree before updating.
I request a fix to the SyMenu update configuration for Visual Studio Code. The update process must ensure the Data directory is preserved and correctly linked to the active installation path.
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08/07/2026
Topic:
SyMenu 8.14
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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The SyMenu summer version is finally out! Great news (at least from a technical point of view): SyMenu has been migrated to .NET 10 to improve performance, security, and stability. Unfortunately, major upgrades like this can sometimes introduce unexpected bugs or graphical glitches. Please report any unusual behavior you might notice. For all the other updates, please check the changelog on the download page.
Bye!
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26/06/2026
Topic:
Problem updating Speccy
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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What a pity! They've changed a lot the package and it would have been interesting to test a real update with the new SPS (I personally don't use speccy so it was difficult to test it by myself). Anyway problem solved!
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25/06/2026
Topic:
Problem updating Speccy
ronen1nPosts: 24
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I already installed it in vm and transferred the files, but thinking about it now maybe the reinstall with symenu makes more sense like you suggested
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25/06/2026
Topic:
Problem updating Speccy
GianlucaAdministrator Posts: 1395
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I've just tested and it works well for me. Can you report the entire error message please? You can even delete the old one and reinstall the new one because it could be a problem only with the update process.
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