PaintShop Adverts

[Clive]

Hi

Can anyone tell me how or if I can stop the PaintShop adverts from poping up every time I open the application.

I'm using PaintShop Pro Ultimate 2021and what Iv'e tried so far is:

First thing I tried;
Clicked Help
Message Preferences
Taken the ticks out of both check boxes, namely: Keep me informed with the latest product related messages and Automatically download free product updates and notify me before installing.

It didn't work.


Second thing I tried
Opened up the Task Scheduler
Task scheduler library
Located Corel Update helper task Core and Disabled it
Located Corel update helper task E6E02............... and Disabled it

Result it didn't work, so how can the pop up be stopped

[Ken Berry]

I'm afraid the adverts are something at least some of us (like me) have learned to live with. But you can at least reduce the regularity with which the ads pop up by the following. First, go to C:\ProgramData\Corel where you'll find a folder labelled Messages. Open that and delete everything in it. Unfortunately, that will gradually repopulate itself.

Next, go to C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Corel where you'll find another Messages folder. It will likely have more sub-folders than the earlier Messages one since a new one appears to be inserted there every time you open a Corel program. Again, delete everything, though again it will gradually repopulate itself. But at least since you have already taken the ticks out of the check boxes in PSP's Help, the process may now be a bit slower. I have learned to do this cleaning about once a month.

If you do a Search of this Board, you will find this is a regularly discussed topic, and there will be a variety of other suggestions which may also help you.

[JoeB]

I think different uses may experience different results, partly because if you have more than one Corel product installed you can have quite a few Corel Update Helpers scattered throughout your system. These are files and folders labelled CUH. In the past I searched for various instances of CUH and deleted them and that worked fairly well but not in every case. What seems to have worked best now is using my Zone Alarm's Kill option. As I do with most software, I started with using Zone Alarm to block all Corel products from accessing the internet. Then I checked its list for any instances of CUH or Corel Update Helper and selected the Kill option rather than the Block option. After then searching for CUH in Windows Explorer no instances were found. I haven't had any nags with PSP 2019 (the version I'm using now) since I did that. But I only came up with that idea about a month ago so can't say if it will stick or for how long Just an option for you to consider.

[Kathy_9]

Hi Clive,

Here's a link to a Sticky topic that is a compilation of different methods users have discussed. Maybe something there will help you.

https://forum.corel.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=65942

Regards,
Kathy

[Ken Berry]

I just disabled CUH In Task Scheduler as suggested above and in that linked Sticky. Interestingly, both Help > Messages and Help > Message Preferences now cannot be reached and return that error message. I then reopened PSP. Regardless of CUH being disabled, a new folder was immediately added to C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Corel\Messages which I find potentially troubling. That folder, mind you, only contains one file which is a Policy file that I can't open. I know that usually there are a number of files in these Message folders, so for the moment I am holding fire on deciding whether disabling CUH has achieved success in stopping ads popping up.

EDIT: I thought I had better check what happens when I open another Corel product. I have several, and use Video Studio most regularly. So opened that. Immediately a new folder was added to C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Corel\Messages and it contained a lot more than the single policy file under PSP. It clearly contains quite a few Messages. This is despite VS Message Preferences having been set quite some time ago not to show tray messages.

Anyway, all this just makes me wonder whether there is a separate CUH for VS which continues to operate despite the one for PSP being disabled. Task Scheduler still only shows two CUH and both disabled. It also makes me wonder, further, whether more drastic intervention, such as that suggested by JoeB above, might be the only solution.

[migf1]

The only way that works for me for stopping the ads, is to deny PSP internet access. It does have a few side-effects though (like not being able to D/L the free content, or read the online help, and a few more).

[Clive]

Thanks everyone for your advice, I will certainly give your suggestions a try.

At the moment I’ve got PaintShop Pro Ultimate 2021 64bit and 32bit installed, plus PhotoMirage 64bit, Corel Painter Essentials 7, and Corel Aftershot Standard 3 installed, it all came as a bundle when I purchased the download.

What I’ve been doing at the moment is, open PaintShop and of course I’m seeing a big splash screen pushing PaintShop Pro 2022, so what I’ve done is click File and simply open a picture of whatever I want to work on.

In fact, I don’t know how to delete the splash screen other than by doing as above, is there a way to delete the splash screen?
I appreciate it will reappear the very next time I open PaintShop Pro, I’m beginning to understand what they mean by bloatware.

[Kathy_9]

Go to File - Preferences - Miscellaneous and uncheck show Splash Screen when application starts.

Click for larger view

[Clive]

Hi Kathy

Sorry I’ve confused the issue, unchecking the box just prevents the image of a couple of fish swimming around a globe from showing, which I suppose is the splash screen.

It’s the Welcome screen which appears just after the splash screen, advertising PaintShop Pro 2022.
I suppose the only way I can try to prevent that happening is by doing as already suggested or just ignore it and open an image over the top of it. ie File, Open and then selecting something to open.

[Kathy_9]

In that case go to File - Preferences - General Program Preferences - Tabs and and choose what you want for your default. When I launch PSP it defaults to the Edit workspace.

click for larger view

[Clive]

That’s great thank you Kathy, I’ve set mine to Edit workspace the same as you

[Ken Berry]

Clive -- that ability to choose what opens has been part of Preferences for a very long time, just about as far back as I can remember. It's the first thing many of us here alter when first opening PSP.

[Clive]

Hi ken

I've only just replaced Jasc Paintshop Pro 8 with the new version, and having said that I don't use the program all that much.
It dosen't take a lot for me to get lost when trying to change things on computers and to set things back to how they were is not always the same steps but just in reverse

So I thought I'd come on the forum and ask as a great many of you will know the program inside out, well certainly know enough to put me straight, which I do appreciate.

[Kathy_9]

That’s great thank you Kathy, I’ve set mine to Edit workspace the same as you

Happy to help.