VS2019 + NewBlue = :-(

[grimm77]

Excuse me for a moment...

[rant]Never in my life have I dealt with a company so obsessed with getting more of my money, then making me regret it each and every time that they do.[/rant]

Sorry. Just had to get that off my chest so I can continue in a (fairly) constructive fashion.

So here's the story. I have been a VS Ultimate user for a number of years, starting with X5. Along the way, I have purchased a number of NewBlue filter packs. Starting with X10, I began having problems with VS hanging at the splash screen after installing my filter packs, which (I believe) was solved by resetting to factory defaults and starting up VS over and over again until it just randomly worked, then never touching those folders again.

Then I "upgraded" to VS2019. Since then, after installing the NewBlue packs, I have to delete all three 22.0 folders (one in Documents, two in Appdata) each and every time I start up VS. And then, as if that isn't fun enough, sometimes (apparently at random) that doesn't work, so I have to wait until the splash screen disappears and delete the folders again.

Tech support was, to be generous, less than helpful. Aside from instructing me to repeat the steps that (as I said in my initial email to them) I had already tried multiple times.

At this point, Corel is dead to me. I have a number of their products that I have uninstalled, deleted the installers, and found replacements for. I will eventually do the same with VS. But for now, after investing a significant amount of time and money into VS, and not being able to afford a replacement at the moment, I'm kind of stuck with it. And tbh, I like VS... when it works. If it ever gets sold off to a company that actually cares about creating a product that works as advertised (and providing adequate tech support when it doesn't), I would consider buying it again.

So my question is, since Corel doesn't seem to be interested in doing anything other than taking my money, are there any of Corel's other

---

customers out there willing to take up their slack? I know this is a super-negative post (I've been dealing with this issue all morning, so my mind is not in a good space atm), but I would be grateful for any help I could get. Just let me know what info you need.

[asik1]

Our help is limited,
If you bought NB filters from NB and they don't work with VS than your issue is with NB and not Corel.
The NB's that comes with VS ultimate... works mostly OK....
If X9 was the last that "works as advertised" by your words (I'll questioned that) than stay with it.

There isn't a single man made product that "works as advertised"

[Davidk]

The Ultimate version comes with licensed (by Corel) NB plug-ins (9 in the list for VS2019 and from the numbering there are others Corel hasn't chosen to license) that as asik says work OK. Plug-ins like that generally need tuning to the parent application.
That said, there are VS users who have commented over time about having bought NB items that go with VS: perhaps they having read this may be able to help you.
Otherwise, talk to NB about how to connect the items you bought separately with the version of VS you are using.

[grimm77]

@asik1: Rather than tell you all about how I'm a big boy now, have been a big boy for a very long time, and don't need anyone to tell me how the world works; and rather than respond with a list of man-made products which actually do "work as advertised" (which would no doubt result in a post so long it would crash this board), I will simply say thank you for taking the time and effort to respond to my post.

@Davidk: Thanks for your response. Most, if not all, of my NewBlue filter packs were purchased through Corel. I believe that I might have purchased one or two directly from NB, but there doesn't appear to be any difference between the two (they all come from the NB legacy collection).


So, yes that does indicate that the problem might be with NB.

On the other hand, I can install one or two filter packs and VS starts up just fine. I have installed every single pack I have, and they work. But there comes a point where if I install one more pack (doesn't matter which one) it prevents VS from starting up. This indicates that the problem is the way in which VS integrates the filter packs, rather than a problem with the packs themselves.

So which is true? :shrug:

I know that from the perspective of folks on this board I just look like some random dude that had a problem one morning and made a super-negative first-time ragepost, but this is something that I have dealt with for years. I have dealt with both Corel and NB in regard to this issue, with each new version of VS that I have purchased. Each time the problem eventually gets resolved (seemingly at random), only to pop up again next time I upgrade. It never gets fixed, and Corel continues to sell the packs (or integrate them into Ultimate).

What frustrates me the most is the sheer randomness of it. I install two packs (doesn't matter which ones) and everything works fine. I install a third pack (doesn't matter which one), and maybe it works and maybe it doesn't. Etc.

Am I the only schmuck out there buying these things?

Anyway, thanks for reading.

[grimm77]

Okay, my last post was too harsh toward asik1. I'm sorry. Our tendency to carry all of our BS with us and use it to fill in the gaps of the text we read is the bane of forums everywhere. I'm sure that's what I was doing, and for that I apologize.

I didn't come here to argue with folks or insult them. Just to vent some frustration and maybe find a solution to this thing that has been plaguing me for years.

So at this point I'm going to step back, take a deep breath, and try to focus on something else. I'll check this post from time to time and see if there are any suggestions or possible solutions (and provide requested information), but if I don't respond in a timely fashion, it's not that I'm ignoring anyone... I'm just standing with my nose in the corner.

[asik1]

No worry grim, I'm not been offended a bit. It's 100% O.K. and legit in our forum to release steam are VS's "works as advertised" ?
I don't know what list of man-made products which actually do "work as advertised" you have, but I think that the wheel was the last "man-made products that work as advertised" and we are downhill since. The fundamental task of advertisement is to cover what is not working/healthy/safe/

[burt panzer]

Why not simply install the NB packs you like best without exceeding the amount that causes VS to choke?