Igor

Brian, interesting info! I also read the long list of programs which don't work partially or at all with SP2. Microsoft also added some important and necessary changes to this SP2. I hope no problems with PicturesToExe under SP2. We have tested slide-shows and they work fine and don't require any reworking. The main program of PicturesToExe also works now even on Athlon 64-bit with new NX protection technology.

I just uploaded updated build of v4.30 (23.08.2004) which fixes the problem with running of PicturesToExe under PCs with AMD Athlon 64-bit CPU on Windows XP with installed Service Pack 2. This problem happened only with PicturesToExe (main program), not with .exe files of slide-shows. We've updated only registration mechanism which protects PicturesToExe, no another changes. Please download this updated v4.30: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr.zip p.s. owners of PCs with Athlon 64 with Windows XP, please leave here your responses, I'd grateful to you for testing of the updated version.

It's possible not officially right now: Open apr.ini file, find string: GfxEditorPath= and specify path to any graphical editor. p.s. I'll reply some later on next messages.

Much more easy solution than I can expect! Thanks that you've found it. I'll note this moment for possible future cases when sound doesn't work.

Thanks for all you responses! I feel necessity to confirm that v4.30 became possible only with your help!

Thanks for interesting ideas! These very simple features can be added the next version.

Try again, please. The URL is absolutely correct.

Thank you! I just sent you email with request about additional testing.

Dear friends! I'm very glad to introduce PicturesToExe v4.30! Only with your help and support it became possible. Thank you very much! New version has new interface: thumbnails view of File panel and Slide list. Full-screen light table for easy organizing of slides in your slide-show (press F4 hotkey) or adding new slides (F3 key). Visual drag-n-drop and standard multi-select in Slide list and File panel. Waveform feature will help to synchronize show of slides to music. Vastly improved smoothness of Fade effect and Push/Slide effect especially on old PCs. Ability to rotate pictures (lossless method). Please read the full list of many new features below: How to download: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr.zip (1.4 Mb) What's new in v4.30: + File panel and Slide list now can be displayed as thumbnails or in its classical view (table) (to switch between these views press Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+2 (for File panel or Slide list accordingly), or via small "V" buttons). + There are available second layout style (Slide list in full width of the window). And third layout when Slide list shown vertically in full height of the main window. Press Ctrl+F1 and Ctrl+F2 and Ctrl+F3 to switch between classical and two new layouts. Or visit Main menu | Options. + Main features of thumbnails view of File panel or Slide list: > Easily resizeable items in real-time by trackbar or Ctrl+mouse wheel; > Ability to display pictures without text captions (Shift+1, Shift+2); > Resize items by moving new splitter between Slide list and Preview area. + Light table (on full screen). This mode allows to concentrate on adding of new pictures or re-arranging of slides. Press "F" buttons or F3 key to see light table for File panel or F4 key for light table of Slide list. + Multi-select in file panel and Slide list. With mouse, or with Shift, or with Ctrl keys. Now it works as in Windows Explorer. + Visual drag-and-drop. Dragged items looks semi-transparent as in Windows XP. And it works in any Windows! + Actions with with several selected slides or files. You can easily delete, shift, re-arrange and copy any count of items at a time. + Improved transition effects: > Fade effect works in two times (i.e. on 100%) more fast and smooth. So now Fade effect shows smoothly even on old PC with Pentium 233-400 Mhz; > Vastly improved Push and Slide effects. It should works more smooth now. + Waveform feature in "Customize synchronization" window. Set the cursor to range of necessary music track on the time-line and then click "Waveform" button or press Ctrl+W. This feature may help you to exactly assign transition points to necessary moments in music. + Now you can rename files in the File panel or in the Slide list. PicturesToExe will automatically update path of added slide which use renamed picture. + You can rotate pictures (Ctrl+F). It's a lossless rotation and it provides exactly original quality. Open popup menu in the File panel or Slide list to rotate picture(s). + Also portrait JPEG pictures with EXIF (shooted by digital cameras which write orientation of a photography) will be shown rotated automatically. + It's possible now to choose folder where to store your templates. Open "Manage templates" window (Ctrl+E), set new folder and click "OK" button. + Added advanced popup menu for the File panel (by right mouse click) as in Windows Explorer. This advanced menu allows to perform standard actions: copy, paste, delete file(s) and etc. It also works for several selected files, too. + New style of work of the mouse wheel (so-called X Mouse) in the main window. (But you can turn this mode off. Visit the Main menu | Options | Advanced options) + Added "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" option (see "Screen" tab). + It's possible to add your own copyright logo to all slides. The best visual results can be reached using of 32-bit .bmp images with alpha channel or with transparent GIF images. (See Project options | Advanced tab). + Improved music player: > Transition effect shown in the moment between two music tracks will not jerk more. > Really random playback when this mode is choosed. Always new track from playlist. > Preparing of slides with sounds works a little bit faster. + Another improvements in the "Customize synchronization" window: > Right mouse button click to show popup menu. > To start full-screen preview from first slide, click "Preview" button when there is no selected transition point. > The window can be resized; > Transition point to the last slide is shown in more gray color; > Mouse wheel works for scrolling of the time-line now; > To scale time-line you need to use mouse wheel with pressed Ctrl now. + You can go to a next or to a previous slide keeping Pause mode in the synchronized slide-shows. + You can see full screen preview of a picture by pressing of "Space" button. It especially can be useful in full screen mode of thumbnails view (light table). + It's possible to move selected slides to the end of the list (Ctrl+End) or to the top of the list (Ctrl+Home). Or see popup menu. + You can open for editing current picture by Ctrl+W hotkey. + PicturesToExe will automatically update thumbnails and preview of pictures which you modified in graphical editor. + Improved "Welcome screen" which appears after installation of PTE. It helps to choose necessary view of PicturesToExe. + Added "Disable F1 key" option (Project options | Advanced tab). * Various minor improvements. * Fixed several minor bugs. p.s. I've added two changes to the final release after beta #14. It shows file size of picture to the selected slide in the status bar. And using "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" option in Preview mode may again blinks one time. I've returned previous variant to prevent slow work of effects in Preview mode with this option.

It's a very strange problem. So this time "16 Bit MS-DOS Subsystem" message doesn't appears when you run our test example of slide-show. If show stops, are you hear music? What is your CPU, sound card, and exact version of Windows (with SP1 or SP2). Did you install sounds drivers from CD disc to your sound card? How another software works with music on your PC? (Media Player, etc) Please try our another example of slide-show: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/starwars.zip (1,2 MB) Please try to install newest v4.30 beta #14: www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip If problem still exists. Please make the next test: 1) Create new project. Add several JPEG pictures (150-500 KB). Try to run Preview, if OK then create and run .exe file. 2) If it works, please add MP3 music file. And then again try with Preview and after this with EXE file. 3) If all works, try with synchronized show.

Thank you, Al! I'll improve this thing in the next version.

1) When first slide appears and slide-show lock ups, is the music playing and can you press Esc button to quit? 2) Is you slide-show synchronized to music? 3) Have those PCs with Windows 98 sound cards? 4) What kind of music you've added to the slide-show: MP3 or WMA? 5) Please try our test examples of slide-shows: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/Per_aspera_ad_astra.zip (1,5 MB) http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/starwars.zip (1,2 MB) And let me know how they will work.

I'm sorry about some cases with AVI video output when it doesn't work! We plan to vastly rework AVI video output function soon to prevent any potential problems. It will be done in a month or two. I still couldn't reproduce any bugs with Ulead DVD Movie Factory 2 and 3 on various PCs and this reason why it's not fixed yet. But we'll carefully check up all code and try fix these problems.

1) What is your PC and version of Windows? 2) Please check up PC with antivirus and hard discs with Scandisk to be sure that all is OK with these moments. 3) How another programs works on your PC? 4) Did you run EXE file of slide-show from Windows Explorer? Maybe you run it from some old console file manager? (As I can suppose from "16 Bit MS-DOS Subsystem" message.) 5) If Preview works OK, please try to open your project in PicturesToExe and then press Ctrl+F9. PTE will produce slide-show and run produced EXE file. If it works, then EXE files of slide-shows works without problem on your PC. 6) Please try our example of slide-show: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/Per_aspera_ad_astra.zip (1,5 Mb)

Please let me know exacty version of PicturesToExe. (If v4.30 beta, please specify number of beta) I guess that you use mode of personalized music for slides. If music always stops on same slide, please check up his personal settings: open "Music tab" in this "Customize slide" window. If you have "Play new background music file" option turned on and playlist is empty the music will be stopped. If it possible please send me .pte project file of your slide-show. I've sent you my email address (in the message).

Thank you, Harold. I've added your suggestion to my todo list and it will be realized in the next version. I'll let you know about this.

Harold, I like this improvement, too, but it requires to add various code and test it. There are many moments (if same music file was modified, etc). I wouldn't add this function before final release.

Oh, I'm afraid that I'm not able to improve this moment at all. I just uploaded beta #14, but it improves work of Preview mode with this option - it works exactly as .exe file. Please check it up.

PicturesToExe v4.30 beta #14 is released (Release Candidate). http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1.4 Mb) What's new in v4.30 beta #14: + Small improvements. p.s. this beta improves desktop appearance in the Preview mode (with "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" option). But icons on the desktop still can updates (blink for a moment) when slide-show is closing. I can't improve this moment more, because so Windows works. Currently I know only one another way but suitable for Windows 2000/XP only (with some restrictions).

Yes, using transition effect back to desktop, one winking happens after desktop appearance when you run slide-show in Preview mode. As .EXE file it works perfect.

PicturesToExe v4.30 beta #12a I just uploaded beta #12a with only one fix. Push/Slide effect didn't work in AVI (DVD) video output in beta #4 - beta #12. (No problem with usual .exe slide-shows). This bug with AVI is fixed now. Thanks to Michel and his French friends who found it. http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip p.s. Harold, I'll leave this additional function (concerning waveform) for the next version.

PicturesToExe v4.30 beta #12 is released (Release Candidate). http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1.4 Mb) What's new in v4.30 beta #12: + PicturesToExe keeps position of "Customize synchronization" window on the screen. + Reworked "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" feature. Now it keeps last slide. And you can choose transition effect to desktop via "Customize" button. * Fixed minor bug. Please test this beta and especially new "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" option! Because it's a release candidate build. Thank you, Leif and Michel for your insistence. Of course, this option must been improved! And it works now as necessary.

Harold, I think that it could be realized optionally in the next version.

Thank you, Al! Guido also wrote me about this moment several months ago. I plan to closely work on improvement of more easy synchronization after v4.30. So I'd like to discuss various concerned moments a little bit later. It would be interesting work.

Thanks, I just corrected this moment!