Slow Startup X6 Service Pack 2

[dave2014]

When evaluating PaintShop Pro X6 I ran into the slow startup problem (80+ seconds on my computer). After experimenting with preferences and reading the user boards I came to the conclusion that the Preferences->Reset Preferences "Delete all cache files" option does not work. Another user identified the offending file as "C:\Users\YUOURUSERNAME\AppData\Local\Corel PaintShop Pro\16.0\Cache\LastFileTreeSel.PspCache". The file gets created whenever you browse computer files in "Manage" mode. If you start PaintShop Pro X6 with that file in place, the startup delay happens. If the file is deleted the startup delay does not happen. The "Delete all cache files" option does not delete the file like it should. So, number one - you can delete the file "LastFileTreeSel.PspCache" manually each time before starting the program. Or, number 2 - you can make it work by turning "Delete all cache files" off and click OK, then turn it back on each time you are in the program. It's just a workaround for what I think is a bug.

Automate the number 1 workaround as follows:
Create a file like: PaintShopStart64.bat
containing 2 lines:
del /f /q "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Corel PaintShop Pro\16.0\Cache\LastFileTreeSel.PspCache"
start /normal /b /dPath "C:\Program Files\Corel\Corel PaintShop Pro X6 (64-bit)" "Corel PaintShop Pro.exe"

Put the file anywhere and make a shortcut to it on your desktop.

If you don't want to see the DOS window come up, then create a second file like: PaintShopStart64.vbs
containing 3 lines:
Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell. Run chr(34) & "C:\Program Files\Corel\Corel PaintShop Pro X6 (64-bit)\PaintShopStart64.bat" & chr(34), 0
Set WshShell = Nothing
(note: remove the space after the dot in the line starting WshShell. Run - this editor is replacing it with *** if I leave out the space )

In this case, put your .bat file in the PaintShop program install folder, put the .vbs file anywhere and create a desktop shortcut to the .vbs file.

You may need to adjust the folder paths according to your install and you may need admin rights. You can create a similar set of start files for the 32 bit program and adjust the folder paths in your startup files accordingly. This is just a workaround for something I hope gets fixed. I have a good idea of why the "Delete all cache files" option does not work. I have no idea why the startup delay happens - some user feedback from the program on startup would be helpful.

[Jan Shim]

The last time I used PSP's disk browser was version 9 back when it was a product of JASC. When I upgraded to X3 I switched to Faststone Image Viewing (FIV) for all my image management needs. It's far better at handling large number of images than any current version of PSP can. My X6 is configured to launch in Editor mode and all it takes is pressing "E" within Image Viewer to send an image to X6 for editing. I also have other launch shortcuts configured in FIV to send image to Photoshop, Perfect Photo Suite, Canon Image Garden for various needs — I essentially made Faststone IV as the "image HQ".

Anyway, my X6 SP2 (32-bit) launches via FIV and loads a 5D Mark III JPEG (Large) file in 5 seconds ready to be worked on. Launching X6 on its own takes 3.9 seconds. I found 64-bit version to be slower so I use only 32-bit for broader plugin compatibility.