PhotoImpact 11 will never reinstall!

[sailors07]

Hello everyone, I've had PhotoImpact 11 for more than a year and have been able to uninstall and reinstall it successfully, until a couple of weeks ago. I uninstalled it and tried reinstalling it about a half an hour later and an error message popped up. I can't show you the error message because it doesn't show up anymore. I will put the CD in and it will act normally, but when the screen comes up and I push "Install Ulead PhotoImpact 11", it will disappear and the CD will stop running. I've tried installing a 30 day trial with PhotoImpact 12, but after the 5th day, PI 12 stopped working too. I've tried erasing PI 11 from everywhere on my computer like the Ulead Support people tell me to, yet it still doesn't work. I am about to pull my hair out! I don't understand why it is so hard to work with. The CD is basically useless because it doesn't do a thing but put up the Welcome screen where it shows options (Download, Read me, etc.). I'm not very good with computers but I know one little thing I don't delete or download could mess everything up, so can anyone please think of what I should do? I hate not being able to edit photos for projects! I have the serial number and everything, I wonder if I should just call the Ulead Support. I guess what is stopping me is what I've heard (being on the phone for 30 minutes and still not getting anywhere). Well, I really hope someone on here can try and help.

Thank you very much.

[Ron P.]

Hi Sailors07, welcome to the forums,

First thing that comes to mind is that the CD has been damaged. Does it have any scratches, fingerprints on it? If you see fingerprints, smudges then try to clean the disc. I use Recoton® CD Cleaning Solution, and kit. The spray solution basically contains Isopropyl Alcohol, and you can use a soft, lint-free cloth in place of the disc shaped pad supplied with the kit. When you wipe a CD/DVD wipe from the center outward to the edges. Do not wipe in a circular motion as this could damage it.

When you are installing, are you shutting down all the applications running in the background, such as anti-virus, screen-savers? Do you have Administrative Privileges on the drive you are installing to? What has changed on your system since you were last able to run PI? Anytime software stops working, then one of the first things to consider is what has changed. Have you cleaned up your system, (Cleaned out the Temp folders, defragged).

To clear your Temp Folders:

1. You need to be able to see Hidden Files/Folders. Go to Windows Explorer, click on Tools>Folder Options then in the dialog window that opens click on the View tab, then scroll down to where it says Hidden Files and Folders. There are 2 radial buttons, select the one that says Show Hidden Files and Folders. Click OK.
2. Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\User Name Here\Local Settings\Temp. Inside the Temp folder select all the files (CTL +A), then delete.

Replace User Name Here above with the user name you use on your PC.

[sailors07]

Hi Sailors07, welcome to the forums,

First thing that comes to mind is that the CD has been damaged. Does it have any scratches, fingerprints on it? If you see fingerprints, smudges then try to clean the disc. I use Recoton?CD Cleaning Solution, and kit. The spray solution basically contains Isopropyl Alcohol, and you can use a soft, lint-free cloth in place of the disc shaped pad supplied with the kit. When you wipe a CD/DVD wipe from the center outward to the edges. Do not wipe in a circular motion as this could damage it.

When you are installing, are you shutting down all the applications running in the background, such as anti-virus, screen-savers? Do you have Administrative Privileges on the drive you are installing to? What has changed on your system since you were last able to run PI? Anytime software stops working, then one of the first things to consider is what has changed. Have you cleaned up your system, (Cleaned out the Temp folders, defragged).

To clear your Temp Folders:

1. You need to be able to see Hidden Files/Folders. Go to Windows Explorer, click on Tools>Folder Options then in the dialog window that opens click on the View tab, then scroll down to where it says Hidden Files and Folders. There are 2 radial buttons, select the one that says Show Hidden Files and Folders. Click OK.
   
2. Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\User Name Here\Local Settings\Temp. Inside the Temp folder select all the files (CTL +A), then delete.

Replace User Name Here above with the user name you use on your PC.

Thanks for replying. Well yes there are small but visible scratches on the CD (thanks for the cleaning solution). Yes all the anti virus systems are off, and I do have administrative privileges. I think I might have cleared cookies before uninstalling PI 11 but I'm not sure. Okay, I have set it to "Show Hidden Files and Folders" but how do I navigate to Temp folders? I apologize, I don't know a lot about computers. Also, if the CD is scratched badly enough, is there any hope that I will get PI 11 back?

[Ron P.]

To go to the Temp folder, just follow the path laid out above, by first double-clicking on My Computer, then you should see at least one drive (C:\) listed. Double-Click on it, then look for the Documents and Settings folder, double-click on it, then the "User Name" folder, open it, look for the Local Settings folder, open it. Now you should see a the Temp folder. Open it up. Now select all the files in this Temp folder and press delete. Do not delete the Temp folder, just the files inside.

I have several CDs that have several scratches on them. Generally if they are light, small scratches you should still be able to access the content. Fingerprints seem to pose the greater problem for me. However luckily it just takes cleaning them off.

[sailors07]

Okay, found it! I have more than one User Name on my computer, should I delete all the Temp files in each User Name or just the main one? After that, should I try reinstalling PI 11 again? I hope this solves the problem, I did see some PI files in the Temp folder.

[Ron P.]

Okay, found it! I have more than one User Name on my computer, should I delete all the Temp files in each User Name or just the main one? After that, should I try reinstalling PI 11 again? I hope this solves the problem, I did see some PI files in the Temp folder.

Yes you can, as they are just temporary files, placed there by programs to use while it is being ran. Then try reinstalling...

[heinz-oz]

One thing I would like to clarify. Why do you keep installing/uninstalling PI 11. Any particular reason?

[sailors07]

One thing I would like to clarify. Why do you keep installing/uninstalling PI 11. Any particular reason?

Well it was because things were disappearing and I couldn't find how to get them back. If I end up reinstalling it successfully, I'll just come on here! I had no idea there were forums for PI.

[sailors07]

Okay, found it! I have more than one User Name on my computer, should I delete all the Temp files in each User Name or just the main one? After that, should I try reinstalling PI 11 again? I hope this solves the problem, I did see some PI files in the Temp folder.

Yes you can, as they are just temporary files, placed there by programs to use while it is being ran. Then try reinstalling...

Something is telling me the CD is to blame. Maybe my CD is missing some files. Alright well I found something on the Read Me section about installing/uninstalling... "Insert the PhotoImpact disc into your disc drive. Windows should detect the disc and then automatically run the installation program. If it fails to do so or if the automatic detection feature is turned off, use Windows Explorer instead to run the SETUP.EXE program directly from your disc drive." So now my next question is, where can I find SETUP.EXE? I am so worried it is the disc because then there will be no way to get PI 11 back onto my computer

Thank you by the way for helping, I know this is hard to do especially when the problem is unknown.

[Keithmj]

Hi Sailor..let me know if you get this figured out..I still can't get the PI11 to run and can't find any reason why. Maybe your problem fix will take care of mine..Cheers..Keithmj

[Ron P.]

Sailors,
Right-click on the CD drive containing your install disk, and select Explore. It should be in the root of the CD. Generally the autorun.inf file and the executable (.exe) file that autorun points to are on the same directory, that has to be the root directory of the CD.

[sailors07]

Thanks for the help, I wonder if I should try installing PI 11 on another computer just to see if it really is the CD. Well thanks again, I'll try calling Support so they can work me through the steps given to me on this forum.