Paint Shop Pro 2019 vs Windows 10 1903

[ehume]

If anyone is still paying attention to my plight, could I get a vote?

A guy at Microsoft believes there is something corrupted in Windows. I assume he meant on my system and not at Microsoft itself.

I'm downloading"Create Win10 installation media" from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/softwar ... /windows10

I've backed up all my data. But it's impractical to do that with the applications. He assures me that this will not do anything to either. But another agent said that if I downgraded to 1809 that it would. So I'm not assured.

Anyone know that this is safe to do?

I still have about 2 1/2 hours to download. (It will speed up, he said four hours ago.)

I used a "Create Windows Media" or some such when I transitioned (downgraded) from Win 7 to Win 10. It left my apps and data alone. I had an experience maybe 20 years ago that permanently soured me on MS Documents folders and the like. I keep my stuff in folders that are not part of the MS empire. As to whether it is a good idea still, I cannot say, but I avoid the MS empire.

[Jim Cricket]

This is bordering on the criminal.

I just spent 5 1/2 hours downloading a new windows. Then the computer spent another two hours installing it (with numerous updates). Amazingly it worked, but not without updating one last time.

After all that I'm back to where I started.
Photoshop and InDesign CS2 still won't work.
Corel Paintshop Pro 2019 still won't install. (And I'm still furious that the so-called "cleanup tool" is drastically misnamed and uninstalled the @#*!ing thing in the first place.)

God knows.

[Kathy_9]

I feel your pain Jim. I went through something very similar with Microsoft on an issue with my old Windows 7 computer and finally as a last resort we downloaded and installed a new copy of Windows. It literally took weeks and a number of different tier support representatives.

Are you now able to run/save the audit file Corel support requested?

[Jim Cricket]

That's what I just did. I'm on a new copy of Windows now. It didn't do a thing.

I'm convinced this is a problem with 1903 update. Unfortunately Microsoft isn't.

[JoeB]

Here's a thought. Download the trial of PSP 2020 and see if it installs. You have already spoken with Corel and they know your problem, if PSP2020 installs then maybe you can get them to give you a licence for it to replace the PSP 2019 that won't work on your system.

I still suspect it's your Surface Pro that's the main culprit, but the only way to prove that or not is to try the installation on a non-Surface machine.

[Jim Cricket]

But it's not that 2019 doesn't work. I mean it is and it isn't. It DID work. Then the update happened and it didn't.

I guess I can try 2020 but how much you want a bet it won't install either. Things just aren't writing. I downloaded Win Audit and ran it (as per Corel tech instructions) and I couldn't write to file. I could if I placed it in Wordpad.

I placed a call to Microsoft, put in my phone number for a call back. As soon as I hang up, I get a call. I fumble it and lose it. It goes to voice mail. It's an agent from earlier in the day following up. I have to call the main number to try again. But I finally get a call back. I start to tell the new agent my problem. I swear I wasn't yelling. But I was reeling things off like a madman. She hung up on me.

I keep thinking about people in the Bahamas right now to keep some perspective. But I think if a hurricane came right now and destroyed my computer I would leap in joy.

[ehume]

That's what I just did. I'm on a new copy of Windows now. It didn't do a thing.

I'm convinced this is a problem with 1903 update. Unfortunately Microsoft isn't.

Since I can run Photoshop and InDesign CS2 + lots of versions of PSP (see my sig) on Win 10/1903, I know that this OS can run your software. You say you're on a new copy of Windows, I have to ask: a new copy laid down on old stuff or did you nuke from orbit before you did a reinstall?

[Jim Cricket]

How much do you want to sell your computer to me for?

I went through the create media installation process. It does whatever it does. I see I have a "windows.old" folder now with all sorts of stuff from previous windows installation. So I presume that any nuking was done by the process. I didn't nuke nothing.

[Jim Cricket]

Okay, I have now been at this for 12 hours, and that is just for this past day alone. I got the matter escalated at Microsoft, and the result is that he got Corel to install, but not run, and says I have to go to Corel now.

I don't expect anyone to read through this post but I want to post the full story nevertheless. If someone reads it and understands it and wants to respond, terrific. But please don't feel compelled. I'm just copying what I've posted for someone on the Microsoft support forum.

......

The escalation guy took control of my computer. He looked at whatever he felt he needed to look at and seemed satisfied with the so-called "failed installation".

Somehow, dont ask me how, he managed to get Corel PSP 2019 installed but not before it stalled during the installation at 55% and then brought up an error message I had never ever seen before. It was from Windows not from Corel as it appeared to be talking about some system thing. I cant begin to tell you what it was. I think it said error 1406 but i could be wrong.

Anyway, he clicked to continue and it did, and it finished the installation, this time without the "fatal error"message.

but then the program just wouldnt open. The splash image appeared for 5 or 10 seconds then just disappeared. He opened each time "as administrator".

This is the same phenomenon that Photoshop and InDesign CS2 have both been doing since 1903.

He created two new users. One just a vanilla thing, and one as administrator. He ran some thing on the command prompt about administrator, but that was new and Greek to me.

He tried opening the program as both users, each time opening it "as administrator". Each time failing.

So that is when he said I should call the developer. I kept saying wait. And kept asking him why he believes it is for the developer.

I told him that two diff M'soft agents have described 1903 in two distinctly different ways.

One said it was a major new operating system. That all future o/s are going to be named Win10 but the upgrade can be new, like a jump like from XP to windows 2000 or win7. Like rewritten from the bottom up. Understand?

The other agent said what I've always thought these upgrades are: relatively minor upgrades to an operating system. The same basic foundation/architecture but with some new features.

This escalation agent seemed to agree with the second description. And so I kept pressing him: why then should these programs suddenly be incompatible?

And all he would do was repeat: call the third party developer.

I asked him what the changes were in 1903 that might cause this incompatibility.

He answered: that i should call the third party developer.

He just wouldn't (maybe couldn't) answer what would be causing the incompatibility. Was that too much for me to be asking? I'm guessing that the chances of Corel telling me that it IS compatible are near 100%

The other thing this agent said, which unnerved me, is that he has never seen this phenomenon before: a program starting to open and then closing. I find that a little hard to believe, but there it is.

So, I will continue with Corel. I already have an open ticket and they asked for my sysinfo stuff. And I will send them what Microsoft has now told me.

But if Corel says what I expect them to say - that PSP 2019 should work on Win10 1903 - God help me go back to Microsoft with that. All I see them doing is doing everything they can do to point fingers away from Windows.

I'm fed up.

[Linda Lou]

All I can think of is to do a repair installation of Win 10-64 v1903.
Are such available to us ordinary users?

I agree. Yes, it is available. https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Windows-10 ... -p/4522772
I don't believe 1903 caused Jim Cricket's issues.
@Jim for a more direct line to the Windows engineers you can use Windows 10 Feedback Hub for reporting problems. By doing that you can submit logs and whatever is needed to resolve things in a more timely manner than dealing with phone agents.
@Jim did you reset Windows? How did that go? Did you reinstall PSP?

[ehume]

All I can think of is to do a repair installation of Win 10-64 v1903.
Are such available to us ordinary users?

I agree. Yes, it is available. https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Windows-10 ... -p/4522772
I don't believe 1903 caused Jim Cricket's issues.
@Jim for a more direct line to the Windows engineers you can use Windows 10 Feedback Hub for reporting problems. By doing that you can submit logs and whatever is needed to resolve things in a more timely manner than dealing with phone agents.
@Jim did you reset Windows? How did that go? Did you reinstall PSP?

Whoa. Very helpful link, especially the MS site. How did you find it?

Edit: a websearch on "reset windows" did it. The page titled "Recovery options in Windows 10" has very useful info.

[Linda Lou]

Whoa. Very helpful link, especially the MS site. How did you find it?

Quick answer: I know the author of one of the articles.