When Sensor-only mode is activated HWiNFO doesn't perform several hardware queries that are not used in this mode to speed up the hardware scan/startup.
So going from Sensor-only mode to full mode would require a new system rescan anyway.
I've silently wished for the easy ability to bring up System Info from Sensors Only mode as well. I've always just done the work-around described. My curiosity just got the better of me today and I started looking around to see if I was missing an improvement in the years since I last looked into it.
As an app and product developer, I find this response to be somewhat troubling. It indicates that technical complexity will always carry more weight over improving the User Experience, when the vision for the product doesn't align well enough with what's being asked. It seems the HWiNFO experience degrades a bit around certain areas calling for improvements. When these have subjectively trivial work arounds ("just change the setting and restart"), the opportunity for adding that finishing polish to the app is felt by all users who bump into it, regardless of whether they're impeded enough to take to the internet to either find out if its design intent or post somewhere about the unexpected behavior. Add years of time to the equation, and this gets compounded. Not changing the design is a valid position to take, after all it is your decision as to what the direction and limits of the product will be. However users are suggesting improvements to their experience, and they're being dismissed because "a new system rescan" would be required. As the (sole?) developer of this app, I'm sure a HUGE amount of effort goes into the user experience; the app is great and is an essential utility to countless folks out there, myself included. Devs of graphically intensive utilities like this, especially ones with such wide adoption, have to put a lot of effort into UX. It just seems like the value isn't there for this specific UX issue, as if to tell users "I know it's not perfect, but here's a perfectly good workaround that does what you want. Any other developed solution is really this with window dressing."
Having to wait a few extra seconds while a more intensive scan occurs isn't what your users, at least the ones posting on this thread--including myself--are concerned about. The concern is about the need to dig into settings, change the app startup behavior, which already has too many similar sounding, seemingly overlapping/conflicting descriptions, relaunch the app in the temporarily desired mode, dig out the information that's needed, revert the options in settings, and then relaunch again to return to the desired mode. I'm sure a proper change to address this is more complicated than was stated or seems. Users always think its easier to change something than it is. Only those with visibility into the software design would have the necessary context. It's just tough to see it from that perspective when the stated design challenge is that the system data needs to be rescanned. I assume the logic more realistically follows that which I've tried to get away with many times before: "nothing's broken, everything is working as designed and there are reasonable steps to work around the behavior." This will always conflict with user expectations, and not doing anything will make your users think their concerns aren't valid, aren't wanted, and will cause acceptance problems down the road.
I'm fine with the app needing to relaunch, but maybe others aren't and want to run sensors side-by-side with system info. I get that issue too. Maybe the decision not to change the design is that there's no way to please everyone. I get that perspective too. Maybe there just isn't enough demand to justify the effort (there are bigger challenges to handle with limited resources). Boy do I feel that one, but that extra polish is what separates good products from great ones in the subjective minds of users. However the whole elephant doesn't have to be eaten at once. This seems like a good opportunity for an "iterative design" approach where an improvement is rolled out in increments, only reaching the "ideal" solution if the situation requires. First step might be to add a "relaunch in System Info" mode from Sensors-Only mode to the tray-icon context menu. The change could stop there with an expectation that a relaunch would be needed to restore Sensors-Only. I can hear my old boss asking if the appearance of that context menu option could be controlled with a configuration setting, "just to make sure nobody is confused by seeing the option appear when their workflow would be overwhelmed by seeing it." Not that I'd actually expect that nonsense to be implemented, but wanted to illustrate how sensitive to UX I've had to become. Next iterative step might simply be to pop-up a dialog to warn users that they'll be expected to relaunch to return to Sensors-Only. Then if users are still wanting both modes simultaneously, then you weigh the cost/benefit of making that likely more drastic change. Could be more options depending on how you've architected the underlying app modes, so I'll stop there before making any more assumptions. It all really boils down, for me anyway, to not needing to change settings just to have to change them back, to access a different mode of operation for an already running app.
Since I am a contract dev, I'd be happy to give more direct, private, NDA-covered guidance, design review, or even dev help if you think another set of formally experienced hands and eyes could be helpful. So long as we agree on scope, my labor cost would just be the improved product. "Volunteer dev work" isn't an offer I don't make unless its for a project I actually use and want to help improve. PM me if that's appealing.
Otherwise I'm really only here to add some constructive feedback, and another professional perspective, experienced dev to experienced dev. I intend no disrespect, nor am I saying this must be changed, appologies if it comes off that way. If nothing else, consider me another user voice saying that I would value HWiNFO more if long-time rough spots got some attention. If nothing changes, it's fine with me; I'll just continue the HWiNFO restart dance the way the design has always required.
