On-line Help File not loading

[BumbleBee]

I installed PaintShop Photo Pro X3 yesterday, I registered the program and then downloaded and installed the small update taking it from version 13.0 to version 13.0.0.253

All appeared to go without a hitch, until I tried to access the Help files, which are now on-line ..

I have tried accessing via Help > Help Topics, the Corel Guide > Lean More links
.......... all to no avail, I am just taken to a web page which is blank except for the PSPP x3 Logo at the top and a small block of text at the bottom of the page. (I have prepared a screen shot but can see no way of uploading it)

I wonder whether the link is broken somehow http://product.corel.com/help/photopro/ ... 7F&single=

What makes it even more frustrating is that the corresponding on-line Help files for the Corel Instant Viewer load perfectly and I can see that what is failing to load for PSPP X3 Help is the light grey toolbar at the top of the page, giving the Contents and Search buttons etc

Any suggestions how I can fix this?

[sjj1805]

There were some problems with the Corel Web Server at the weekend which their engineers had to fix on Monday. I just checked the link you posted above and it is working now.

[BumbleBee]

Unfortunately it is not working for me yet .....

I have refreshed and even deleted Temporary Internet files, still nothing along the top of the page.

As I mentioned it displays the PSPP X3 logo and the text but not the grey bar with menu and tools to turn the pages, print etc across the top.

My Browser is IE 8, it does not offer Compatibility View for this page, as I say the corresponding Help files for Corel Instant Viewer load perfectly. I am stumped!!!!

[df]

I just tried your link with Win7 IE8 and it's working fine for me. Maybe you can set everything to show in compatibility mode?

In IE8, click tools > compatibility view settings, then click the Display all websites with compatibility view.

But I don't have compatibility turned on and it displays for me. Maybe make sure that's NOT checked?

[BumbleBee]

I just do not understand this, it is STILL not loading the full page properly, and it makes no difference whether I have Compatibility mode turned on or off.

I have checked my Firewall settings and they are classing Corel as trusted, it is even more puzzling as Corel Instant Viewer Help loads without any problems!

Any suggestions and help appreciated ....

[BumbleBee]

I have solved this mystery by a process of elimination!!

Here is the "fix" in case anybody else has the same problem.

The cause of the online Help pages for Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 not loading properly was nothing to do with Windows 7 or Internet Explorer 8, it was all down to Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 Banner Ad blocker

Solution ....

In Main Kaspersky Window My Protection tab > Online Activity > Anti Banner > Use Whitelist of addresses > Settings and Add *corel.com*
Click, Apply and OK

Great relief all round

[df]

Glad to see that you got it working. Security tools, why didn't I think of that?

[BumbleBee]

Came to me as a flash of inspiration during the night!!

[pdxrjt]

That happens to me more often than I care to admit. Be thinking about a (usually computer) problem and suddenly I am up at 2am seeing if that was the solution!!

[BumbleBee]

Amazing what the brain will turn up when so say "resting". I don't go as far as cranking up this machine for fear I'd then be up for the rest of the night and be like a damp rag the following day, though I might as well for the old brain keeps on ticking despite writing down the miraculous thought!!!

[goyta]

I was having the same problem not being able to access PSPP X3's on-line help, and I am a Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 user as well. When I saw the "SOLVED!" post, I thought: "this is it!"

Indeed it was, but initially just whitelisting Corel.com in the Anti-Banner module didn't work. Trying to figure out if KIS was really the culprit, I briefly turned it off (eek!!!), though of course I turned Windows Firewall on first to have some minimal security at least. The pages loaded. Then I reverted the process. The pages are still loading. It seems that you have to stop and restart KIS for the fix to work.

On a side but important note, it annoys me A LOT that PSPP X3's help is exclusively on-line. What happened to good old .HLP, .CHM, .PDF files, and what's wrong with them? I can think of several situations when having to go on-line to look up a help topic can be impossible, impractical or inconvenient: the ISP may have a technical problem and go down; the same may happen to Corel's Web servers; the user may have a very slow Internet connection (there are still a lot of more rural places even in the U.S., Canada and other developed countries where only dial-up is available), or no Internet connection at all where he/she is at the moment; the user may be at work at a place with very restrictive Internet use policies; there are some ISP plans with extremely low bandwidth allowances that must be spared; security software may block the pages, as Kaspersky did, and there may not be a workaround at hand (think corporate firewalls); and so on.

I think I'm going to check the "wish list" topic and if no one has posted it yet, I'm going to post "off-line help" as my wish...

[marty2010]

Goyta,

"On a side but important note, it annoys me A LOT that PSPP X3's help is exclusively on-line. What happened to good old .HLP, .CHM, .PDF files, and what's wrong with them? I can think of several situations when having to go on-line to look up a help topic can be impossible, impractical or inconvenient: the ISP may have a technical problem and go down; the same may happen to Corel's Web servers; the user may have a very slow Internet connection (there are still a lot of more rural places even in the U.S., Canada and other developed countries where only dial-up is available), or no Internet connection at all where he/she is at the moment; the user may be at work at a place with very restrictive Internet use policies; there are some ISP plans with extremely low bandwidth allowances that must be spared; security software may block the pages, as Kaspersky did, and there may not be a workaround at hand (think corporate firewalls); and so on."

You are, IMO, exactly right ...

On line help should supplement (be more current) the original Help pdf document that (should) ships with the software. Not replace it. And, the most current Help pdf (updated for Service Packs) should be available for download from Corel.

[pdxrjt]

Agreed. I just switched internet providers.... prior to that, for some reason, my provider started to go down every week or two for a day at a time. Very annoying when you are trying to work on photos. Hopefully now I'll be able to access them reliably, but internet only seems like a bad way to go.

[BumbleBee]

Goyta I fully support your "side but important note".

Strikes me that in this case Corel have made a big mistake, by apparently assuming that all their PSPP X3 customers have a reliable and fast Internet connection, let alone guaranteeing access to their own servers.

Far, far better to include a Help file with the software and have the Internet as an additional resource.

[sjj1805]

Please click here!