goddi

===================== Greetings, Many years ago when PTE wasn't even invented yet, nor was any slideshow software available on the PC, I came back from a trip to Patagonia with lots of slide film and Hi8 video. I had to set up a slide screen and I took video of the slides as I ran them through the slide projector to incorporate the slides with the video, and I also had to take video of text off the screen that I created on my PC. This was the only way back then to get still images and text incorporated into video without spending zillons of dollars. Really prehistoric, right? One of the slide images was of a fox. I had taken the fox as a still image and then whipped up my video camera (Hi8) and set the same framing and composition and took video as it started to walk around. I still think that was a very cool effect. How much fun would we have doing this with this in PTE????!!!!!! Gary

============== It would have been very interesting to see what would have happened if you were able to merge the MP3s to see if that corrected the problem with the first laptop. Gary PS You must have meant 300-500K?

============= Yachtsman1... I work a bit differently, I guess. I would not compile a sound track until I have edited all of the images and got them into the final sequence. Since I don't use voice overs, the sequence of the images is the most important to start with. I add multiple soundtracks (not merged) while I am doing this just to get the images to be spaced out about 3 seconds (sync'd to music) so I can view them with some proposed music files and see how the images match the 'mood' of the different pieces of music. At the same time, I can be adding/moving/deleting different music files around to help match the images. If the music was compiled into one finished piece, I would not be able to easily move the music files to fit the images while I was editing the show. Sometimes I just re-add the same music piece just to be able to see the images play out in an appropriate time... several seconds each. Once I see that the total time is, say, 15 minutes, then I zero in on the appropriate music to fit in the final length of the show. So this is why it would help me arrange the individual pieces of music if they were numbered/titled in the Slide List and in the Timeline. As I mentioned in the previous posting, I am working on a 1,000+ slideshow with about 8+ music files....22 day trip in Austria. Seeing the music files numbered in the Slide List and the Timeline would really help. Gary

================= LumenLux... As I read your story, the first thing that popped into my head was that you used 'full size files from the camera'. To me, that would have been the cause of the problem of the transitions not showing up as planned. I don't think it would have been using multiple mp3's, as opposed to merging them into one. At least, that has been my experience. I always have first reduced my full camera sized images and they range in size from 100k to 400k each. I currently am working on a 1,000+ image slideshow with about 8 mp3s (not merged). Not having any problems (except that my SystemSuite is still locking the exe file when I do a Create Exe...but that's another problem I am working on). Don't you think it was the full sized images that caused the transition problem??? I have always used multiple mp3's, not merged, with no problems. Gary

================= Yachtsman1... I do use Audacity to 'edit' the music, but not to 'add' music. If I have, let say, 7 classical music pieces in the show and they are so similar, I can not distinguish between them. That makes it difficult to find which one I want to edit down or eliminate because I can't associate them with the beginning and ending slides it plays with. When I look at the Timeline, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find where a particular music piece begins and ends and really know which file it is. I know some people get one piece of music or several and combine them all with Audacity. I like to have more flexibility to do what I do. Usually, I will add several pieces of music just to get 3 or 4 seconds of each image to display. As I add or eliminate images, I may eliminate a music selection or so. It is very hard to figure out which music file is playing with which section of images. So that is why I am hoping the above suggestions can be put into PTE. Gary

======================= Ken, Just so I am clear about this issue, let me ask this question. In the past, I don't believe that I had problems using a beta created pte file in an earlier version. I understand that new menu items or changed menu items of a new version would not function in the earlier versions. But for the entire PTE to get corrupted so it does not work in the previous version, I think, is something new to me. Is this something that Igor just did not attend to yet? I am surprised that no one else seems to have run into this situation. Easy to fix but then you don't want to fiddle around with the beta much when you are actually working on a final slideshow. Gary

================== Ken...That's the problem. When I saved the slideshow in 5.7, I saved it over the file made with 5.6. So now 5.6 will not open the slideshow. I never saw any warning that 5.7 would corrupt the file so it would not work in earlier versions. Thedom... I did not do anything but saved it. I'll give your idea a try. Thanks.. Gary ADDED LATER: Whoopee, it worked. Thanks thedom....

Using 5.7 beta2, I opened a show that was created in 5.6. I saved it and created an exe while in 5.7 beta2. I went back to 5.6 and tried to work on it but got the following error message: "Cannot open this file. This file is damaged, or it was created with newer version of PTE (maybe v1.00 - 1.60)." Am I now not able to work with this show anymore in 5.6???????????? Gary

Greetings, I would like to see the music files shown in better ways. The following suggestions would help when one uses many music files (especially when they are very similar and hard to distinguish) in a slideshow.. 1-When music files are added in Project Options/Music tab, I would like to have the music files numbered, as it is now done in the Slide List for images. 2-Then, I would like to see the numbered music files appear in the Slide List window next to the slide where that particular music file starts to play. I understand this is not real accurate but it give a certain amount of usable info. 3-Then, also, I would like the music file's number (and title, if possible) to appear in the Time Line's waveform, next to the current thin blue line, which indicates where a music file starts. 4-Also, increase the width of the thin blue line so it is more easily found when scrolling through the waveform. Thanks... Gary

=============== Thanks, Igor. I will see if they will receive my 234Mb slideshow to test it out. If they will, I'll contact you about the temporary license. Much appreciated... Gary

I am still trying to resolve the problem that I have been having with my SystemSuite (antivirus) locking the exe file when I attempt doing the Create Exe in PTE. The SystemSuite tech people have been trying to figure out what's going on but they have not yet been able to. They have played shorter versions of my slideshow with the trial version but that did not show anything. I want to send them the full show (about 234MB) so they can play it using the trial version. I understand that the trial version limits the number of slides (10 slides?) you can create in a new show. My question is, will the trial version play a slideshow that contains more that this 10 slide limitation, so they can, hopefully see what is going on??? Thanks, Gary

Brian, I kinda take offense that you say the problem I had was 'user error'. Not that I am angry or anything but you have to give me a brake. First of all, I do not run the Windows XP' firewall AND my SystemSuite's firewall at the same time, if that is what you mean by 'duplex' . I am still using SP2 because I have some old hardware/programs (Nikon Scanner, for example) that I don't want to take the risk that they might not be recognized. Also, I would think that if you asked a bunch of PC users to raiser their hands if they know what VIPRE or SBAMSvc was, you would not see many hands. I only became aware of it because I used the Unlocker program and found that something called SBAMSvc was locking my file. Since then, I have done a bit of Googling of 'VIPRE' and 'SBAMSvc' and do see complaints of 'memory hog'. I didn't even know that SystemSuite was using it. However, I just found this recent review of the latest version of my SystemSuite: "The major improvement in this release is Sunbelt’s Virus Intrusion Prevention and Recognition Engine (VIPRE). We found it both better at catching malware than its predecessor and considerably more configurable. While the last version didn’t let us run a virus check directly on a user-defined series of files and folders, this one does. There are no controls to set how much of a bite VIPRE takes out of your CPU while it's active, but it runs relatively quickly while searching for malware." I added the emphasis. SystemSuite's firewall and antivirus has been working very well for me...until this issue. This morning I took a look at my Task Manager and found SBAMSvc showing a peak of 60K. While I was there today, I also noticed that the AD-Aware2008 program was resident and showing a peak of 160K. Even though it is a Free program and does not monitor anything after you close it, after you run it it stays in as a Process. To clear it out after use, you have to do an End Process each time to dump it. I haven't heard anyone bringing that up as a memory hog. But your comments have given me some insight to check the Task Manager more frequently for these types of Processes using memory. I was really happy to learn about all of this. But I don't know of any other firewall/antivirus utility programs that do not have lots of bad press. And now I just looked again in my Task Manager and SBAMSvc isn't even showing up. I didn't do anything to close it. But it is gone...for now. If you know what you are looking for, you will find it faster! Thanks to all, I am now more informed. Sincerely, Gary =======================

"Gary try to set up a check sheet as to what is enabled ,works, coments etc how you resolved issue etc when you have resolved all issues -- good and bad, please post in a new thread in sequence for future Peter may want to make a FAQ and Igor will likely want it for reference TIA ken" ======================= In response to Ken's request, I put together more concise report on the Problem and the Resolution to the error message that I was getting when I did a 'Create Exe'. It is attached as a Word file. It racked my brain for weeks and, with the help from members on this site, we finally found the answer. It seems that it has only happened to me, but it has occurred on two different slideshows of mine. I hope it is clear and will help anyone else who might encounter this problem. Thanks. Gary Create_Exe_Problem.doc

================ Igor, I turned the protection option on again and tried to recreate the error. Hard to believe but now I can not make the error occur. Crazy but true. I will continue to use PTE with the protection option on just to see what will happen. The exe file would only get locked after I ran the Create Exe. And then the exe file could not be deleted or moved or anything, until the PC was rebooted. I hope this answers your questions. If not, let me know. ADDED LATER: I just got the error message after trying a few more times, with the protection option on. I could not copy the exe file after I got the error message. I unlocked the files using Unlock (which dumped the exe file) but I was able then to sucessfully do a Create Exe again. Gary

=============== Greetings, MUCH THANKS TO ALL!!!!! I think I have solved this mystery, thanks to all of you. Ok... I ran the 'WhoLockMe' program. It was a bit difficult to figure it out but I got it to give me results at least once. I had trouble getting it to do it again. So I then ran the 'Unlock' program. It was easier for me to run and re-run this program to double check results. I have attached a Word file with screen-shots so you can understand better what I saw. In both cases, the programs showed me a file called SBAMsvc.exe that appeared to be locking my PTE's Austria 2009.exe file. I did some Googling for the 'SBAMsvc' to see what that was all about. I noticed that it has to do with Antivirus programs. It was not clear to me what it was all about, but in one comment, someone mentioned SystemSuite by Avanquist. That is a program I am using for Firewall, Virus Protection and utililties. I went into my SystemSuite and found an AV/AS 'Active Protection' tab. I unticked the "Check the file when they are opened or copied." You can see this screen-shot in the attached file. After this was unchecked, I tested the Create Exe and the problem did not occur. I tried it a couple dozen times. No error occured. This has been a long journey to find this out. I thank you very much for leading me down the path of discovery!!! My fingers are crossed that this is, in fact, the final answer. Gary Locked.doc

==================== Igor...Yes, I seem to be the 'lucky' one with unusual problems... But thanks for the reply. 1) Not quite. I can do a Create only once where the resulting Exe will work. If I redo the Create a second time with the same filename, I get the error message. I cannot run or delete this file until I reboot. Then the file will run and I can delete it. If I get the error message when I do a Create with the original filename, I can change the filename and Create will then work and this file will play and can be deleted. However, if I do the Create on this newly named file a second time, it too will not run and can not be deleted until I reboot. It is as if the file has not been released by Windows. 2) Restarting PTE does NOT solve the problem. Only rebooting will do this. 3) No, I have not changed the icon for the Exe file. 4) As I stated in 1), yes, I can do a Create As with a new filename and it will work. But, if I do it again using the same filename, the file gets the error message. It is very strange. I have tried to make the error occur with older PTE files, but the only one that will show the error is the previous show that I made a few months ago when the problem first showed up. But after a while, the problem disappeared with that show. Now the error did occur yesterday with that old show and this new show. If you think it IS RAM, I can buy 2 1GB Kingston modules. I currently have 4 512K modules. Two are an unknown brand that came with the PC and 2 are Kingston that I added later. I would remove the original 2 modules and add the 2 1GB modules to bring the total up to 3GB of Kingston RAM. This would rule out any conflict that these two brands might be having, though I have been using them for many years. Thanks... Gary

=================== I dumped all the ogg music files and substituted all mp3 files. Still got the error message. Gary

Peter, File Size in information line: 243.5 MB All 1188 images have been resized to about 100kb to 200kb, more or less. Length with music: 42:45 minutes. Music: 2 MP3s and an OGG that is repeated 5 times just to give each image a few seconds of display time. When I click on the 'Create' button, the 'Create Slideshow...' window opens. Then I click on the 'Executable file for PC' and the error occurs. Sometimes the 'save as' window shows up but I get the error message after that. I dumped all the music files and set the time interval at 3 seconds but still got the error message. Gary =====================

================================= Dave, In order to do this, I will have to install the PTE program on another PC. The only one I have is a laptop without too much memory (from my wife's office)--it might work. It is not just running the exe file by itself that causes the problem. It occurs only when I am in the PTE program and do a "Create Exe". You have a good thought here, though. I will see if I can do this test. If the error occurs in the laptop, I guess I could point the finger at the images, themselves,...or the program itself? But if I don't get the error...what would that show??? Something in my PC's hardware??? I have been trying other things too. I opened a couple older slideshows and tried "Create Exe" many time with each but got no error message. I then tried another slideshow I had made that were I had also got the error message but eventually disappeared. I did not get the error message right away but after about 8 or so of doing the "Create Exe", I got the error message again with that slideshow. I don't know what this means but the error is not isolated to my most recent slideshow. I sent an email to Igor to see if he knows what this error message might point to, since I think it is a PTE error message, not from Windows---but no response yet. Gary

============== Greetings, First, Yachtsman...I have not ticked the "enable time limited use". Thanks for the suggestion. Dave... After your comment, I did the following: I removed all the images except the first 10 images. Got the error message again. I then removed all the images except the last 10 images. Got the error message again. I then removed all the images, and replaced them with 100 images from a different folder. Got the error message again. After I get the error message when I try to do a Create Exe, I can not delete the exe file. The error message is "Access is denied". I have to reboot (warm or cold) to be able to do a Create Exe at least once...second attempt to do a Create Exe will get the error message and I have to reboot again. I reboot before I try a new variation of a test. After a fresh re-boot, I can run the Create Exe usually once without the problem. But the second attempt to run the Create Exe gives the error message. It seems to be corrupting the exe file. This is really getting frustrating. Now, I don't think it is a RAM problem. Any other ideas???? Thanks... Gary

================= Thanks... I tried it and it is similar to the one on the Crucial site. But Orcalogic give a little bit more info. Thanks. Gary

================ Greetings, I have been testing each of my 4 512 Memory sticks individually. I inserted each stick, one by one, in Slot#1 and ran the Memtest86 on each stick individually. The tests found no problems on any of the 4 sticks. I then put each stick back in, one at a time, and tried to run the Create Exe in PTE. Each time I ran the Create Exe, the first time no problems. But, as my original problem occurred, on the second or third attempt, I'd get the error message with each individual stick, "Unable to create file with presentation. Try to delete this file manually or just restart Windows and run PicturesToExe again." The only way to clear the problem is to reboot, a cold or warm boot. This is not currently happening with other PTE slideshows that I have already made. Now, it only is happening with this one new show I am working on. I also ran each matching pair of RAM through the Memtest86 (that is, the first matching pair in Slot#1 and Slot#3. Then I ran the other matching set of RAM in Slot#1 and Slot#2. No error messages showed up. I am about at my wits end trying to understand what is going on. Seems like the only way to see if this is really a RAM problem is to just replace the memory. I am not sure yet if I can put in 2 1GB sticks as oppose to my current setup of 4 512 sticks. My motherboard manual does not allude to this...I don't think they had 1 GB sticks when I got this PC... Gary

Thanks, Peter and Stu... I am just not completely sure that it is so clear. I have run my SystemSuite diagnostic on my RAM and it showed no problem. The Memtest.exe did show some problems. I just ran the Windows Memory Test that made 32 passes and showed no problems. I guess the only way to really be sure is to just swap out the memory and see what happens. I wish there was a sure fired RAM test that I could trust. New RAM is not that expensive so I might just give it a try. I don't have any problems putting in the RAM myself. I've done it before. The error message I get with PTE seems to be a PTE message so I was hoping that Igor could decipher it. Thanks... Gary ==================

Greetings, I had this problem before with my previous slideshow. When I go to Create the EXE, it will work the 1st time or 2nd time, but after that, I get the error message: "Unable to create file with presentation". The only solution is to reboot. Then it happens over and over again. The slideshow at the moment is large...about 1200 slides. Just got back from a long trip so I am trying to reduce the size. But this large show is apparently taxing my system. The first time I had this problem, it just disappeared after a while. I've had suspicions that it has to do with my RAM in my WinXP PC. I ran the HIC's Memtest.exe program and it came up with a couple errors in the RAM. It can not tell me which module. An example of the error message is below: "Memory error detected. Copying between 1f0ec00 and 1f0eb9e did not result in accurate copy. Memtest has detected that you computer cannot accurately store data in RAM." I ran the Crucial's memory scan program. It says I have 4 512MB DDR PC3200 and it recommends putting in 4GB. However, it also states that Windows 32 bit version will recognize "only 3GB or 3.5GB". I am looking at a local store to purchase the RAM and they sell Kingston 1GB modules at $43.99 per module. So my question is, what is the best way around this to work with large PTE shows. I am thinking of just replacing all of my RAM just to be safe but just putting in 2 1GB modules to see how things work. Would it be a waste to eventually put in 4GBs if Windows XP does not recognize all 4GBs? Is this true? Is there any particular characteristic/brand of different RAM modules that I should avoid or look for??? The RAM that Crucial seems to be recommending is "DDR PC3200, CL=3, Unbuffered, NON-ECC, DDR400, 2.6V". Thanks... Gary

============== I had originally downloaded the file from MediaFire, where I first had the problem running the slideshow. I just downloaded it from Beechbrook and I got the same results. The images freeze a couple minutes into the show, while the music continues to play. I was able to get into the Windows Task Manager while I was having this problem and it ranged from 60+% to 90+%. This really concerns me because I thought I had system that should handle a demanding PTE slideshow. Not sure exactly what the problem is. I would guess that when I am looking for a PC in the future, I will have to use this show as my 'test' to see if the PC is 'good enough'. I am disappointed that I am having this problem with my current system. Gary