Trouble Installing and Uninstalling Paint Shop Pro X

[PJF]

I used the original CD from Corel to install Paint Shop Pro X on my new Windows 10 (64 bit) laptop. Paint Shop Pro X just hangs when I try to open it. I’m not sure if it is fully installed. Also, I am unable to uninstall it. I would like to upgrade to the newest version of PSP but need advice because I don’t want to mess things up further. Thanks for any help you can provide. I realize Corel no longer supports Paint Shop Pro X.

[Sualdam]

PSP X only lists Windows XP and Windows 2000 as supported operating systems. I don't think you can use it with W10 - I had a similar issue recently with a much more recent Corel product which worked in W10 until a recent update and then stopped. Corel told me it wasn't supported any longer and didn't work with W10. I upgraded to PSP X9 as a result.

[PJF]

Thanks for responding. I'm just nervous about installing the new version of PSP without uninstalling PSP X first.

[TimW]

As an afterthought, and for future reference, It's always a good idea to create a Windows Restore Point before installing software. If things ##### up then simply restore to previous condition. I realize that this suggestion does not fix the problem at hand but is good for future installs.

[PJF]

Yes, we were not smart about this and are now paying the price.

[Sualdam]

Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) Windows 10's forced updates mean that most users won't be able to keep older software running if an update suddenly kills it. Not conveniently, anyway. That's what happened to me.

My software dated from 2008 and they stopped developing it in 2009. With hindsight, I consider myself lucky I got away with using it as long as I did (i.e. until a couple of weeks ago). It was Windows 10 and an update which did it, and although I have the ability to roll back to earlier builds because I'm on the Insider Program, after doing that about six times over a couple of months I suddenly realised I was missing out on actual Windows upgrades, so I bit the bullet and upgraded to the latest PSP instead.

As I've said in other threads - and it seems more and more people, like yourself, are experiencing this - many of the updates I see as an Insider end up being rolled out to everyone else who uses Windows 10, and older software is dying stone dead without warning. I'm no expert on this, it's just what I've surmised over the last couple of months.

A long shot might be to try installing the software using one of the compatibility settings (it didn't work for me, and your software is older still, so it probably won't work for you either). However, if your current PC/laptop is quite powerful (if it's new, it should be) then you could install your software on a virtual machine and it will run there.

https://www.howtogeek.com/228689/how-to ... indows-10/

It's a bit of a fiddle, and you'll need a valid Windows 7 (or older Windows version) licence to do it, but you might get a few more years out of your software.

Incidentally, if you can afford to upgrade to PSP X9, based on my own recent experience I'd do it. You are more familiar with PSP than I am if you've used it before - for me it's totally new - so you shouldn't have any problems.

[JoeB]

Thanks for responding. I'm just nervous about installing the new version of PSP without uninstalling PSP X first.

All versions of PSP install separately and co-exist with no problems. You can keep as many versions of PSP as you like installed on your system.

The reason I haven't moved to Windows 10 is exactly the problems you and others sometimes run into - i.e., the updates keep coming automatically and often just screw up programs you want to keep using.

[PJF]

Thanks. We are planning to upgrade to the latest version of PSP. I'm just kicking myself for not being more careful in the first place.

[Jean-Luc]

Does exist a specific uninstaller for PSP X ?
Such Corel specific uninstallers exist for PSP X2, PSP X3, ...

[PJF]

I looked but did not find an u installer for PSP X.

[Sualdam]

The OP's corrupt install probably wouldn't be removable by a built-in uninstaller if Windows couldn't do it (Windows usually uses the program's uninstaller if it can, I believe). If it really needs to be removed, this will probably do it:

http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uni ... nload.html

[PJF]

Thank you.

[Jean-Luc]

A French user (on the French Webboard) has the same problem : unable to uninstall PSP X not working after recent update of Windows 10. She tried Revo but could not remove PSP X. So, I'll be interested to find a solution for her. Specific uninstallers from Corel are better than the Windows uninstaller because PSP is a particular program. It is the only software able to have different versions installed side by side (Microsoft Office cannot, for example). Classic uninstallers don't understand how PSP is installed, IMHO.

[Sualdam]

Jean-Luc, when you say Revo wouldn't uninstall PSP X, what actually happened?

My version (paid for, not the free one) allows you to remove specific remnants and clean up the mess left behind, so I can't understand how it wouldn't work. After all is said and done, an installed program is just a collection of files and registry entries, and although it might well be an absolute mess of those things the individual parts can still be removed one way or another. It might not do it automatically, but there should be a more manual path that could be followed.

The problem you have here - and I'm thinking of the OP more than your French user, though the same applies - is that since PSP X isn't compatible with W10 (or W7 or Vista), a PSP X uninstaller wouldn't be either. Corel would have to write a specific W10-compatible uninstaller to remove a non-W10 compatible program almost ten years after an application which was only supported up to Win XP/2000. I can't see them doing that.

[PJF]

Yes, I thought of that too, that it would be unlikely that Corel would write a W-10 compatible uninstaller for this very old program. We will work on this over the weekend and hopefully get the issue resolved. Thanks for your help.