Alan Peed , Apr 30, 2008; 08:06 p.m.
Sounds like you found a new bug in their software! :)
The basic process. 1. Remove your files from the application folder (if any). 2. Completely remove the old app. 3. Reboot. 4. Reinstall from your original CD. 5. Reboot. 6. Log back in and test with a few sample files. 7. Reload your files back in (if appropriate.)
Step 1. Remove any of your files that might be imbedded.
I'm not familiare with this app, but IF you keep ANY personal picture files saved in the same folders where this app lives (on the hard drive), then you have to extricate those before you blow away the problematic software. (If this does not apply to your situation, then just skip this step). If it DOES, then use Windows drag-n-drop function to COPY all your personal images and any setup information files to a SAFE folder, like C:/TEMP. It would also not be a bad idea to burn a quick DVD backup disk of those files using your DVD burner. When you got your backup disk in hand, proceed.
Step 2. Removing the old app. 1. Log in with an Administrator level account. This might your own login id, or a special admin account your created when you first setup the system.
2. Find the Windows software removal utility. On Windows XP Pro, this is located in the Control Panel.
Start => Control Panel => Add/Remove Software.
Double-click that to launch it. This brings up an itemized listing of all the apps loaded on the system. Big & small. Rich & Poor. Major & minor. Find the entry for Lightroom. (Hopefully, there is just one?). (BTW, as a general rule, if you try installing different vefrsions of the same pkg on the same machine that might cause schitzoid behaviour from the program). Click the Lightroom entry, then click the button to REMOVE it. The system will start to remove it. Wait a few moments, give it plenty of time to do its thing. You may or may not see a conformation msg.
When the software removal utility has completed, close out those set of windows.
Now, shutdown, power off, wait about a minute, then reboot, and log back in with the Admin level account.
When you get logged back in, go look under C:\Programs. See if there are any folders anywhere under there that have anything to do with Lightroom. If you see any, DELETE THEM manually. Just right click on that sucker and select DELETE from the menu. *We assume you have already removed any/all of your personal picture files.* Right?
At this point, all the old Lightroom should be GONE, with possible exception of some traces in the Windows Registry. For now, ignore what's in the Windows Registry. We won't go there right now.
Now proceed to reload the orginal Lightroom from your original s/w CD. You'll need to s/w CD and (probably) the valid s/w license key code.
Step 3. Reinstalling Lightroom from Original CD 1. Must be logged in with an Admin level account.
2. Check the disk freespace on the C Drive. Make sure your C Drive has way more space than what LR requires. If it even comes close to being questionable, take some time and clean off the C Drive. Either delete some files, uninstall other (unused) programs, or transfer data from C Drive to your external HD.
3. Load up the LR install CD into your CD/DVD drive.
4. If the install screen does not start automatically (give it a reasonable amt of time), then use the
START => RUN function => Browse to the CD => Select Setup.exe And run that. This will launch the initial setup program and launch the install.
5. Likely as not, you'll be prompted to key in a software product key code or authorization #. Be careful when you key this in, as it has to be character perfect. If the letters are all Caps, then use Caps Lock. Key it in just like the sticker on the pkg says.
6. Since you are having difficulties with this pkg, I would suggest you dont try any fancy customized settings. Instead, as you go through the install screens, just accept the default values and presets. The exception would be if there are any customized things special for your system, which would make the default values not work.
7. Walk through the install screens, providing whatever values they ask for. At some point, the install will actually START, and will begin copying down the files from the CD/DVD to the hard drive.
WATCH the install closely. You want to MAKE SURE there are no errors. If the install reports any errors, you'll just have to site there, and eye-ball it, and think about what it's telling you, and try to figure it out. Hopefully, the presence of trace elements in the Registry won't mess it up.
8. When the install finishes, if there are no errors, then close out the install widget, and remove the CD.
Logout, do a shutdown, power off, wait a minute, power back on, and reboot. When the system gets back up, log back in with your regular account.
PS - I almost forgot, if the install prompts you and asks you of this install is for just one user or for ALL users on that box, select the option for ALL USERS. Unless you have a need for tight security on this app, its easier and more fail-safe for all users to be able to run the app when the install finishes.
Step 7. Test the install with a small sample of your image files. You want to test the app to make sure its now stable. Take a half dozen of your of your sample files, and use them to put LR through its paces. Try some of the same functions you'll be doing when you actually production work. Try some easy functions, and some hard functions. You want to see if your work has really fixed the problem.
Step 8. Reload your personal picture files. If you were storing your own personal picture files in the LR system folder, then you have to reload those. Just get that backup DVD that you made when we started, and COPY the files from the DVD back into the appropriate folder places in Lightroom. *Skip this step if you were NOT keeping any personal picture files in LR.*
Finally, sounds like Adobe is aware of this issue, which means that someone at Adobe should be working on a solution. It might not be a bad idea to keep checking back with them, from time to time, to see what the fix is.
Another HINT for the next time you start seeing application problems like this. Before doing anything, go into the Windows Event Viewer, so that you see the Event Logs for System, Application, and Security. Go ahead and CLEAR OUT all the existing entries in these three logs. Then reboot the system, and go through the process again, leading up to the failure point, and THEN go back and check the Event Logs again (System, and Application). Sometimes a failing app will put helpful error msgs in either the Application Event Log or the System Event log. If you see any, you can use those to help debug the issue.)
Try these steps on your XP PRO system first. See if that helps you reinstall your base LR app. Then, go ahead and do the VISTA system. Some of the specific details might be a little different in VISTA, but the overall process is the same.
{Don't you just LOVE that Vista?} :)
Good Luck!
