ProShow stops working

[brianss Profile Private messageWebsite]

I have just recently had a burning problem sorted but now have another problem - crashing!

This never used to happen but it's constantly crashing at the moment. It's not the same show, it happens on different shows. It's the same music I have used before without a problem. I can only make a couple of alterations to a show then I get a box saying ProShow has stopped working.

Another thing that is happening, is that after I work on a show for a few moments I notice the images along the bottom have turned black as well as the preview screen. All I have to do in both cases is shut ProShow down and start again but when it happens over & over again I feel like giving up all together!

In the ProShow folder apart from the ProShow slideshow, I see there are BO1 - BO9 files then BAK file . . . . what are these?

I have ProShow 5

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

The first thing to try is to go into the program's folder, find proshow.phd and proshow.cfg, and delete both files. This will bring the software back to its original state. It will also wipe out any of the preferences set such as colors, default transitions, and such. Both these files are regenerated immediately upon opening the program, so don't worry that you're doing anything drastic.

If that doesn't work, it'll be time to look at other things.

Barbara

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

In addition to what Barbara said, I would delete the .pxc file for the show you are working on - that is the cache file and if it gets corrupted, all sorts of odd things can happen. As for the .BAK, B09 etc files, the .BAK is the most recent backup of your .psh file while the others are older versions of the backup for the show file (I forget what the order is, but you can look at the time stamps to figure out which is more recent). Also, see pages 104 and 621 in the pdf manual ... oops - that is for Producer. See pages 90 and 395 in the Gold pdf manual (version 5) for an explanation of those files as well as some comments on the .pxc file.

mikey

[brianss Profile Private messageWebsite]

Hi and thanks for your replies.

Pardon my ignorance but I don't see any phd files or cfg files. ONLY _psdata files.

I can find BO1 - BO9 files and BAK files.

Help!!!

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

The files that Barbara mentioned are found in the installation directory of the program.
In Win 7 that directory is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Photodex\ProShow Producer
Look for the files: proshow.phd and proshow.cfg

The file that Mikey mentioned is found where you saved your show. It is a file that has the name of your show and the extension pxc

[brianss Profile Private messageWebsite]

Thanks cherub, I'm still not sure where to find these phd files & cfg files but I'm sure son-in-law will know tomorrow!

[brianss Profile Private messageWebsite]

Thanks folks. I deleted the phd & cfg files but it didn't make any difference. I then deleted the pxc file after mikey's suggestion . . . . . and touch wood it seems to be working!

When I found it I saw it was a huge file and it took me a while before I plucked up courage to delete it!

Pardon my ignorance but what is a pxc file.

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I'm not an expert on it, but I do know the .pxc file is a cache file. The way I see it, it records all the changes as you make them. If you think about it, when you've made changes and then decide you don't want them, ProShow has to have a place to go where it can find out which changes it's supposed to undo. I imagine there's a lot more to it than just that, of course. Anyway, when you open ProShow, and if the cache file isn't there (because you deleted it), the first thing it does is build the file all fresh and new and without a whole bunch of garbage in it from umpteen edits you've made while creating the show. It rises like the phoenix!

Barbara

[brianss Profile Private messageWebsite]

Thanks BarbaraC, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when my show oped up without a problem after I had deleted its pxc file!!!

[Ganter Profile Private message]

Hello, just registert and I'm a new Proshow user but now I need your help. I use ProShow 4, Version 4.52.3053.
Yesterday, when I would burn my first project on a DVD. The rendering starts burn but after 1 or 2 seconds the ProShow stopt.

I following your sugestions and delete the phd files & cfg files.
The result was, that when I start the burning process the rendering page open verry fast and the ProShow freeze.

Then again I delet the phd files & cfg files again but this time also the .pxc file.
Result: Same as befor, the ProShow freeze.

Any Idea?
Cheers,
Guenter

[DickK Profile Private messageWebsite]

First, instead of writing the DVD directly, create an ISO image file for a DVD. It's a selection just like you were picking which DVD/CD drive to use. Then use other software, IMGBURN is free and works if you don't have other software that will burn the DVD by copying the ISO file to it.

Second, most issues in the rendering process are caused by an audio file or a video file that ProShow can't handle. To see if that's the issue, create a copy of the show but take all the audio off and see if you can render an output (EXE or the ISO file). If that works then there's an audio file issue and you can just work backward through the show removing them until it works to identify which one.

Dick