OK, I bought the ESD ... Help!

[Iria]

now can someone explain to me why I had to download 15 files? Why isn't it in one big installer?

And what are PhotoImpact 12 Components?! Do all 15 installers have to be run to get the full product?

[Megat193]

All the components would be on the CD if you bought the boxed version. To download all the components at one time on a dial-up or slow connection would take an age, so they have been split up into smaller downloads, albeit at least one is 31Mb. That way you can download which ones you feel you need first. Smart Download is very much hit-and-miss so using http://www.ulead.com/pi/esd1.htm is the better option.

Mind you, actually getting into ulead's web sites is easier said than done. Sometimes they just time out!

[Megat193]

Sorry, for PI12 the link should be http://www.ulead.com/pi/esd.htm (the top of the page gives links for each version of PI)

[Iria]

I guess I'm also interested as to what I SHOULD install and what is fairly useless dross.

For example, I noted that Cool 360 has a copyright date of 1999 so I figure it's pretty useless.

[Megat193]

For the full program features you do need the 'FREE Content for Download' bits. I also use Gif Animator, find Photo Explorer troublesome, and find no real need to indulge in Cool 360.

Despite all that, I started with PI4 and have progressed up the versions. It may not be as powerful as Adobe Photoshop but is easy to use and in my opinion is better than PaintShop Pro. However, I have been using the product for a long time and having read the various tutorials by a number of different authors, have got a good idea of what I am doing with it.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have, and do, albeit I detect a fair bit of suspicion in your posts!

[heinz-oz]

There is hardly any useless dross, as you call it, if you want to do everything with PI. It's also impossible to know which way the split the installer file. I downloded 2 files, the installer for PI (upi12_esd_(e).exe) and the extra content (pi12(E)extra_content.zip). The installer is a whopping 90.1MB and the extra content 442MB. The extra content holds all you standard EasyPalette items, GifAnimator 5, PhotoExplorer 8.6 and the Album installer as well. The files you have are zipped up I guess and need to be unpacked first. If you don't want the GifAnimator or any of the other bundled programs, don't install these.

[heinz-oz]

I guess I'm also interested as to what I SHOULD install and what is fairly useless dross.

For example, I noted that Cool 360 has a copyright date of 1999 so I figure it's pretty useless.

Cool360 hasn't been updated for a long time and as far as I'm concerned can be omitted.