Now I use Nero 7 Ultra for most burning/authoring needs, along with VideoRedo for fixing/editing, and Roxio 7 solely for the Drag-to-Disc rewriteable application (CDRW/DVD-RW).
Nero 7's Vision 4 authoring element has been frustrating because it wants to re-encode if it finds something in the MPEG-2 video file it doesn't like. This of course takes HOURS! Vision 4 also does not tell you what it doesn't "like", so you have to do lots of research and testing. Therefore, I was in the market for an alternative and decided to give the latest Ulead Movie Factory a try.
From the Ulead free trial webpage: "You will be trying a 30-day, fully functional trial edition of Ulead DVD MovieFactory 6 Plus."
Moderator's or Ulead CS correct me if I am wrong, but this "trial version" is definitely _NOT_ a trial. Unless you meant a "trial by fire"?
After installing the program I didn't notice the new desktop link, so instead clicked on the -main program- icon in the Start menu (not the "launcher"). I was presented with this message: "Limit users can not try this product."
Excuse me!?!
Then I found the new desktop link and tried that. This time the program opened to the "start page". I was not presented with any "trial dialog", message of days remaining, "click here to continue", steps to activate trial copy, etc.. MF6 simply opened to the first display as depicted in the webpage info. So, it seemed to be working.
Then I tried to actually _try_ something. I attempted to start a new project to see how MF6 would handle processing a MPEG-2 compliant file to DVD. And... I got the same "Limit users can not try this product" message.
A mere handful of functions on the start page worked. The drive info application did not correctly identify all the capabilities of my Sony DVD burner, so not even that was working 100%.
Therefore, I had no further use for this "trial" and proceeded to remove all traces of it per the instructions referenced elsewhere on this board.
When I returned to work with my standby DVD programs, I found Roxio Drag-to-Disc no longer recognized a disc and gave "No disc in drive" error.
Nero Vision4 when opened, displayed no DVD authoring choices on its menu and the Disc Tools functions were all "grayed-out".
There is a fix for the Roxio "No disc in drive". Details are cut & pasted below for others who may encounter similar failure(s) brought on by uninstalling a "major burning program suite"(such as MF6+?). To my great relief, this fix also brought back all functionality to Nero Vision4.
Okay... so now I know what a -MF-6 is.
P.S.: Nero Vision4 now "SmartEncodes"(no re-encoding). I found the problem was GOP size greater than -18- in MPEG-2 files generated by my capture devices. By reducing GOP length with VideoRedo file processing, this annoyance has been solved.
Roxio "No disc" FIX:
NOTE: Use "pxengine1_08_34a.exe" to avoid driver mismatch!
2nd NOTE: Roxio Drag-to-Disc needs the UpperFilters key, to work. Otherwise, you get "No disc in the recorder" error message. Also, the "Disc & Device Utility" accessed from Roxio Home will not recognize the DVD drive.
3rd NOTE: The LowerFilters key is installed by pxengine1_08_34a.exe. It does not install the UpperFilters key. If needed, do web search for "pwd_2k" driver.
LowerFilters REG_MULTI_SZ PxHelp20
UpperFilters REG_MULTI_SZ pwd_2k
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...about Upper and Lower filters. As was explained to me the pxengine update does this same thing. Plus it updates the engine.
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http://patches.sonic.com/PX/pxengine1_08_34a.exe
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...same problem only mine happened after I removed EMC9. If you go to "Microsoft Knowledge Base", Article 314060, "CD-ROM Access is Missing and Messages Cite Error Code 31, Code 32, Code 19, or Code 39 After You Remove Easy CD Creator in Windows XP (Q314060)." It requires removing upper and lower filters from the Registry Editor. Before you start make sure you make a backup copy of the registry files prior to executing any changes to the files.
Here's what I did that fixed mine:
1. Click the Start button, click Run.
2. In the Open box, type Regedit, and then click OK.
3. Click the plus sign (+) next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Note: When youi click the plus sign (+) next to a folder, it will expand displaying the folders it contains in the left-hand pane of the Registry Editor. When a folder is highlighted, its contents will be displayed in the right-hand pane of the Registry Editor.
4. Click the plus (+) sign next to SYSTEM.
5. Click the plus (+) sign next to CurrentControlSet.
6. Click the plus (+) sign next to Control.
7. Click the plus (+) sign next to Class.
8. Click {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
9. On the right side of the window, click UpperFilters. (Mine had UpperFilters.Bak)
10. Click Edit on the menu bar.
11. Click Delete, and then click OK.
12. On the right side of the window, click LowerFilters.
13. Click Edit on the menu bar.
14. Click Delete, and then click OK.
15. Click File, and then click Exit.
16. Restart the computer normally.
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