An Open Letter to Corel

[scottinojaivideos]

Corel,

You did it. You managed to lose a loyal 30-year customer with your constant ads encouraging me to upgrade to a newer product.

I don't remember when I first started using PaintShop Pro, but I installed it on my 386 computer, so it has been a long time. Each time I bought a new computer, it was one of the first programs I would install. I have always considered it to be a very powerful photo editor at a reasonable price.

Recently the constant ads to upgrade got to me. I had used the recommended method to turn them off. It made no difference. I still got ads EVERY time I used the program plus nearly daily ads even when the program wasn't running. This morning I resorted to using an unofficial method to stop the ads. I corrupted the program and had to uninstall it before reinstalling it. As I uninstalled it, I thought, "Screw this! I am done." I will not be reinstalling the program.

It has been a good relationship. The constant ads have ruined it.

Good-bye.

G. Scott Miller
scottinojaivideos

[ehume]

I removed the /CUH/ folder (removing it also rmeovd the files iinside it). I still get update reminders when I close the program, but no longer any popups when I am not using PSP. BTW -- Corel Update Helper does not show up on installed programs.

[Jean-Luc]

I see the Windows logo every time I turn on my computer. I paid for the license, though.
When I drive, I see billboards everywhere. I paid for my car and my taxes that pay for the roads.
When I listen to the radio or watch TV, I see ads that cut programs. Yet I paid for my channel subscription.
When I buy a newspaper or magazine, I see ads on it. I paid for the newspaper, though.
When I walk down the street, I see a lot of people who display the brand of their clothing and advertise it for free to manufacturers.

[Linda Lou]

@Jean-Luc, the offline ads that you mention can be avoided. As to the Windows logo, you don't really own Windows after purchasing the license, anyway. I've never had an ad jump off of the newspaper or magazine and fly into my face w‎hile I was reading. Billboards do not fly into my windshield while I am driving. The problem that I have with the popup ads from Corel is that they appear while I am very focused on projects that I am working on, thus decreasing my productivity. It's the popups that are so intrusive and disruptive. In spite of doing everything suggested on these forums, the ads still appear. According to Malwarebytes, PSP would meet several of their criteria for a Potentially Unwanted Program. That's not a great reputation to have. https://www.malwarebytes.com/pup/

[Joelle]

Hmm, it's never bothered me to the extend that I would uninstall, or not re-install, PSP.
It's a great program and I too use it every day.
Yes, those pop-ups can be a source of annoyance but Corel isn't the only company that does that.
I also use Xara Photo & Graphic Designer (for vectors) almost as much as I use PSP, Xara does the same and no amount of ticking boxes removes those pop-ups.

Corel (and all the other companies) need to make money to survive and keep people employed

Joëlle

[hartpaul]

The adds only annoy a person if you allow them to do so. I see so many adds on TV, hear on radio , get in emails, see when accessing social media that I no longer am aware of most of them.
I actually am amused at the Corel adds that pop up as it seems that the price is so variable and I keep a record of the offers showing the different prices.
I have seen adds for PSP 2020 from A$53 , A$89 to A$95.
At one stage I closed 2 versions of the program and had the adds for 53 and 89 on the screen at the same time. Duhh!! now which one will I take. Waiting for the next sale and the next lowest prices to appear. So far I have not purchased PSP 2020 and doubt I will - still angry with the stuffed up crop tool and may not consider purchases in future until they fix it or at least offer the choice of the Classical crop v their stupid version.

[TimW]

I created Rules in Windows Firewall Advanced settings to block all incoming & outgoing communication with PSP. I haven't seen an advert. since.

[JoeB]

I created Rules in Windows Firewall Advanced settings to block all incoming & outgoing communication with PSP. I haven't seen an advert. since.

I have mentioned this in other threads, because I do the same with Zone Alarm Firewall (I don't use the Windows firewall) and block all I/c and o/g communications with most programs that don't need the internet to work. With PSP (and all Corel programs) I searched for and deleted all CUH (Corel Update Helper) folders. I also don't get adverts. Not a complicated workaround if people find those ads really bothersome. And while I do agree with Joelle that companies need to advertise to keep revenues (and employment) up, I also think that Corel should at least limit the ads to the opening and/or closing of the program, not having them pop up at random times whether or not the program is open. Good marketing should alert customers, not annoy them to death!

[Linda Lou]

The adds only annoy a person if you allow them to do so.

When I am working on a project and a large popup ad completely covers the image that I'm working on I can go no further until I stop whatever I am doing and close the ad. There is no way to ignore these.
Yes, companies need revenue. There are plenty of brands that survive without distracting their customers with popup ads in full version paid programs. Considering those of us who used to purchase every new version of PSP years ago, but no longer do so because of the ads these days, I wonder if the ads are hurting or helping revenue.

[scottinojaivideos]

I created Rules in Windows Firewall Advanced settings to block all incoming & outgoing communication with PSP. I haven't seen an advert. since.

I have mentioned this in other threads, because I do the same with Zone Alarm Firewall (I don't use the Windows firewall) and block all I/c and o/g communications with most programs that don't need the internet to work. With PSP (and all Corel programs) I searched for and deleted all CUH (Corel Update Helper) folders. I also don't get adverts. Not a complicated workaround if people find those ads really bothersome. And while I do agree with Joelle that companies need to advertise to keep revenues (and employment) up, I also think that Corel should at least limit the ads to the opening and/or closing of the program, not having them pop up at random times whether or not the program is open. Good marketing should alert customers, not annoy them to death!

Thanks for this. I will see if I can figure out how to do this in BitDefender. I'll start by searching out the CUH folders.

[scottinojaivideos]

@JoeB ... I reinstalled PSP, followed your sample, and am now a happy camper. It worked perfectly.

[JoeB]

Glad it worked for you. Hope it helps others. I should mention that if you install any other Corel products (including other versions of PSP) you will get at least one CUH folder installed somewhere so will have to search and delete again, as well as stop those products from accessing the internet also with your firewall.

[Condoman44]

I renamed CUH to CUH.old and my daily pop ups are now gone in PSP 2020 x64.

[TerryHiggins]

@Jean-Luc, the offline ads that you mention can be avoided. As to the Windows logo, you don't really own Windows after purchasing the license, anyway. I've never had an ad jump off of the newspaper or magazine and fly into my face w‎hile I was reading. Billboards do not fly into my windshield while I am driving. The problem that I have with the popup ads from Corel is that they appear while I am very focused on projects that I am working on, thus decreasing my productivity. It's the popups that are so intrusive and disruptive. In spite of doing everything suggested on these forums, the ads still appear. According to Malwarebytes, PSP would meet several of their criteria for a Potentially Unwanted Program. That's not a great reputation to have. https://www.malwarebytes.com/pup/

Cybercriminals can use any Internet connection or Wi-Fi network as an entry point on your computer. Firewalls block all unauthorized connections to your computer (including those from hackers who are trying to steal your data) and even allow you to select which programs can access the Internet so that you are never connected without knowing it. The combination of Malwarebtyes and Avast is really important for complete protection or if you can only looking for single protection then you can choose from between Avast or Mcafee.

[JoeB]

My choice for years has been Malwarebytes and AVG with Zone Alarm as the firewall.