ResolvedPhoto Explosion Deluxe Version 3 does not work on my Windows 7

Gee,

Photo Explosion 3.0 was not designed to work with Windows 7.  The software was released before even Vista was released by Microsoft.  We cannot guarantee that the software will work with Windows 7.  The best that we can recommend is that you try different settings with the Compatibility Mode for Windows 7.  If that does not work for you, there are no other solutions we can provide.  Maybe someone else will have something better to suggest.

Version 3 is no longer in development, as version 4 was released last year.  So, there will be no further updates released for version 3. 

If you can tell us what features are not present in version 4 that you found useful, I can pass it along to the developers.

Gee, 

I am having the same issue...from what I have researched it appears that purchasing 4.0 (or another photo program) is our only option...ugh!

Hi Lynn,

Thank you for sharing your concurring observations.  I am glad to hear that I am not the only one experiencing the "same issue"  I'm not imagining the technical glitches.

I have opted to purchase Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 to have something more stable for future forward compatibility.  You should check out the Corel website today, they are advertising a special price for Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 that is on sale now until the end of Oct 31st 2010.  You can save up to 40 percent.

Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 runs on Microsoft® Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP with the latest service packs installed (32-bit or 64-bit editions)

I am waiting for my purchase to be shipped to me by next week.  They had a digital download version but since they offered free shipping (only for 1st week of October) I opted to acquire the physical box instead.

I likewise had a problem with Photo Explosion Deluxe 3 and Windows 7.  Then, as an experiment, I downloaded "XP Mode" for Windows 7 Professional to see if PED3 would work on that.  However, it still would not install, even in XP Mode (which is accessed by clicking on an icon).

I then tried Photo Explosion Deluxe 2, and found that it would install and apparently function.  PED2 says that it supports .UPX and .TPX file types.  I don't normally use these file types, so I haven't tested them out.  I would imagine that PED2 lacks some features of PED3, but at least it'll install and apparently supports those file types.

An interesting thing about "XP Mode" is that any programs you want to use in that mode have to be installed in that mode, and that includes your printer, antivirus program, and any program or antivirus updates.  (This is in addition to programs and updates on your regular Windows 7 mode.)

R.D. 

Thank you Richard for doing the test on Windows 7 in "XP Mode" and reporting the results of your experiment.  I admire your due diligence.

g.L.

Thank you Robby E. for responding to my first posting. 

Response to your Question: "If you can tell us what features are not present in version 4 that you found useful, I can pass it along to the developers."

I have the same wish list as Tonya posted.  In response, I will quote her list of features:

"Please add all of the same effects from Photo Explosion Deluxe Version 3 such as the following: Text Effects, Shadow Effects,,Create Effects,,Frame Effects, Template Effects, UPX File Extensions, TPX Files Extensions.  (ALL of it please because Version 3 Effects are far better than Version 4)"

Please pass on my positive vote for Tonya's features-set to your developers.

Thanks!

An addendum to my comments above pertaining to Photo Explosion Deluxe Version 2: 

Photo Explosion Deluxe Version 2 installed in Windows 7 "XP Mode" without any trouble.  The first few times I used it, when I pulled a photo into PED2 to work on, the on-screen image was somewhat pixellated (if that's the right word), and that made it difficult to see the detail I needed. 

However, since that time, PED2 has worked fine. The on-screen images are clear, and the program does what I want it to do.  I don't know why there was that pixellation problem for the first few days, but it cleared itself up, and now the program works fine.

Gee,

I will pass along your recommendation to the developers, as well.

I had the same problem as gee from the day I purchased 3.0 for my XP computer: "The Photo Explosion Deluxe Version 3 application launches and it displays the start-up screen (i.e. a woman with a smiling face).  I do not receive any visible error messages at all that notifies me about the application having problems starting up.  The start-up screen simply sits there and nothing happens. The PE-Deluxe version-3 does not open any further."

Have followed all of tech support's advice, re-installed it 9 times.  The only part that ever worked was Memories on TV.

Now I have a new laptop with Windows 7 64bit.  I bought the "upgrade" to 4.0 offered, only to find, after lengthy discussion with tech and sales people about whether I'd have the same problems and the purchase of the upgrade, that it doesn't work with Windows 7 64bit and is NOT an upgrade, as it's not Deluxe.

Haven't installed 4.0; am waiting for the patch to make it compatible with the computer I bought over a year ago, and hoping that patch comes out before my 90 days to return 4.0 - if it gives me the same problems as 3.0 - is up.

Have been told I can still use my MoTV from 3.0 Deluxe if I can ever figure out how to install just that part - with the patch.

Too much time, too much money trying to get stuff to work - could've bought from a company that keeps their latest versions compatible with current Windows versions and/or warns you before you buy that their software is not compatible with your computer.

Your company is out of touch with the consumers, photo explosion 4 is a TOTAL PIECE OF CRAP, and your refusal to support the EXCELLENT photo explosion 3 for windows 7 has lost you a lifetime customer! I finally had to install a virtual xp on my laptop just to run version 3 but since your support is so limited I will NEVER buy another of your products again! NOTHING else worked and if it werent for my bro in law ( a computer genius) installing the virtual xp I would not have been able to do ANYTHING! Get your heads out of your behinds before you lose more cuastomers!

Dont worry, I WONT be back here, as I wont be using your products again, but I WILL be shouting from the mountaintops of what a fly by night company you are! And will be using photoshop from now on, it may cost a lot, but it has continuing support!

A VERY DISGRUNTLED EX CUSTOMER!

Gary Zimmerman

P.S. PLEASE REMOVE garyzimmerman62@gmail.com from your database, I DONT EVEN WANT TO SEE YOUR CRAPPY PRODUCTS ANYMORE!

Gary,

We are sorry to hear that you do not like Photo Explosion version 4.  We are also sorry to hear that we have lost you as a customer.  Thank you for expressing your concerns about the software again.  Like I mentioned before, all of these comments are being sent to our developers.

As I mentioned the last time you posted a message, there have never been any plans on making Photo Explosion version 3 Windows 7 compatible.  The code for the software was entirely redesigned for version 4.  Essentially, the old code was scrapped and they only have the new code for the current version. 

Once again, if there are specific features from version 3 that are missing and you would like to see added back into the program, please let us know.  The same thing applies to usability or features that you would like to see improved.  Our developers felt they kept the core features, but obviously everyone uses the program differently.  So, what may be a regularly used feature for one user may not be the same for another.  Our developers will continue to work on implementing feature requests the best they can.  So, if you have a suggestion on how to improve the software going forward, please let us know.  I will certainly pass those along to the developers along with any criticism we receive.

I used the gif creator with the fireworks, puzzle box, and kaleidoscope features. I basically used 90% of the functions on version 3.  Not only that, but I was able to use the program WITH NO INSTRUCTION! Version 4 has NONE of the features I used and the ones it does have were made more for programmers than the general public, and this is shown by the thickness of the instruction booklet! As for telling you exactly what features I used. Why should I DO YOUR JOB FOR YOU! Especially since I AM NOT GOING TO USE YOUR PRODUCTS AGAIN! Maybe you should try using focus groups for testing, but what you DEFINATELY need to do is NOT COMPLETELY CHANGE the new version WITHOUT CONTINUING SUPPORT for the old! I feel like you played the old switch and bait to get people to buy your piece of crap version 4! Its LOW MARKETING (I am a marketing director, so I KNOW) and often leads to future boycotts of all products. You scammed me into buying version 4 on the belief it would be an improvement on version 3, NOT A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PRODUCT! So, ya you got the 1 sale, at the cost of future sales, nice job!

Gary,

Once again, we are sorry to hear that you do not like the new version.  I will certainly pass along the fact that you miss the ability to create the animated Fireworks, Kaleidoscope & Magic Cube.  As far as the interface is concerned, our intent was to make it more efficient for our customers not more difficult.

We do feel that the newer version is an improvement over the older version.  However, we understand that we will not always satisfy all of our customers when we make changes to our software.  This is one of the reasons why the product has a Satisfaction Guarantee on it.  Please use it to get a refund for the program.  We do not want you to feel like you have been tricked into buying something you will not use. 

Its way to late, besides the lessons we learn the best are the costly ones. I HAVE used the fantamorph, mosaic, and the panarama maker so you at least know how to package great programs. but have used the photoexplosion v4 twice. MAYBE ONE DAY when I have nothing more to do I will pull it out and play with it but right now I get more use from  Microsofts Picture It 99 than I do with version 4. Thank God, my bro in law put a virtual xp on my laptop and I can now use v3. Which, ironically, was a free (vSP) disk with my Lexmark computer! lol Good luck to you, but your product went from GREAT to, well Ive stated my opinion enough. Good luck

As I mentioned above, I too got scammed into buying 4.0: "Now I have a new laptop with Windows 7 64bit.  I bought the "upgrade" to 4.0 offered, only to find, after lengthy discussion with tech and sales people about whether I'd have the same problems and the purchase of the upgrade, that it doesn't work with Windows 7 64bit and is NOT an upgrade, as it's not Deluxe."  When I called about these problems I was told that a patch would be available around December. While I did have the option of returning the product and purchasing it again once there was a patch, that would mean I;d be out the shipping cost TWICE.  WHEN WILL THE PATCH BE AVAILABLE to make 4.0 compatible with Windows 7 64bit?  And why wasn't I told by the person on the phone, whom I talked with at length, that the "upgrade" I was ordering isn't compatible with my then already year-old computer?

I had owned Version 2.0 and tried to upgrade to Version 4.0.  Unlike the user-friendly Versions 2.0 & 3.0, however, Version 4.0 was extremely complicated and required a PhD to understand.  As someone else said, maybe it was designed for programmers. 

From my point of view, Photo Explosion Deluxe 4.0 targets an entirely different user base, and ignores its existing user base.  I finally sold my Version 4.0 on eBay (at a loss, of course) and went back to using Version 2.0 on a virtual XP machine.

In addition to their many features, Versions 2.0 & 3.0 offered simplicity and ease of use.  It's very possible that 4.0 offers many more capabilitities, but it seems to be designed for geeks by geeks.

NanCcan,

First of all, I need to apologize about missing your first post.  It appears that you posted it during the week I was out of town on vacation.  I do not know how it got over-looked when I got back, but somehow it did.  I am sorry I could not get you the correct information at that time.

Next, I need to apologize for the incorrect information you received from people in "tech and sales".  Photo Explosion version 4 is Windows 7 64bit compatible.  I just double-checked that by loading it on our Windows 7 64bit test computer.  The program installed and ran with no problems.  If you happen to remember the name(s) of the individual(s) that told you it was incompatible, please let me know.  I will ask their manager to speak with them about providing incorrect information.

Also, I do not know what patch those individuals may have referred to.  There are no patches planned for version 4, as there are no known compatibility problems with it.

As a side note, they were correct in telling you the software was not an upgrade.  An upgrade typically consists of a smaller program that makes some changes to the older existing installation to add new features to the program.  This is a new full version of the software.  It cannot upgrade version 3, as there was a major over-haul and redesign of the entire program.  In fact, each version of our software we release follow this same pattern.  We may offer an "upgrade price" for existing customers, but the newer versions have always been full versions and not upgrades.

Richard,

We apologize if the program did not match an "ease of use" you have come to expect with the title.  As I mentioned previously, it was redesigned to make the software more efficient, not more difficult.  I will be sure to pass along your comments along with everyone else's to our developers. 

Thank you, Robby. 

Robby,

I do have notes on people I spoke with so here they are.  And, by the way, NONE of them told me it was "not an upgrade." Your response said, "We may offer an "upgrade price" for existing customers, but the newer versions have always been full versions and not upgrades." but this was not a full version of what I had, which was Photo Explosion Deluxe 3.0 - wouldn't you think that an offer to "upgrade to 4.0" meant the full version (new) version of what I had already purchased?

I spoke with Irene on 9/24/2010 in Tech Support before I responded to the emails from Nova that said, "Upgrade to Photo Explosion 4 for only $19" and "This email is sent to you because you have purchased a previous version of Photo Explosion." which was 3.0 Deluxe, as my Tech Support conversations spanning more than a year would show her.

My notes from that conversation: I’ve invested 100’s of dollars and many hours trying to get Photo Explosion 3.0 Deluxe to work on at least one of my computers - to no avail.  Only Memories on TV would work. Now I am considering your offer to upgrade to 4.0 for $19, even though I don’t need the additional features.  What I want to know is, if Photo Explosion 3.0 can’t get past that opening screen with the blue-eyed brunette on it, will upgrading work?

 Will I be building 4.0 on top of 3.0, or must I uninstall 3.0, search out and delete all the Ulead and Nova files - AGAIN -, and then do a fresh install of the whole 4.0?  Irene said uninstall, then order upgrade by calling Sales Dept. She never mentioned that this offer was not an upgrade from 3.0 Deluxe; it would not include Memories on TV.

Then I called the Sales Dept. and spoke with Nurin who told me the Memories on TV unlock code will be the same but did not tell me that what I was ordering did not include MoTV.

When I received 4.0 and realized it was not "Deluxe" (no MoTV), on 10/4/2010, I called Tech Support again and spoke with Anna. I told her, "I have not yet installed the 4.0 you sent me.  I don’t’ care about the other extras in “Deluxe” but I spent this money so I could make Memories on TV!  The Memories on TV with my unlock code was the only part of 3.0 that ever worked for me!  But I have uninstalled it in preparation for installing 4.0.  What do I do now?  Can you walk me through installing only the Memories on TV part of Photo Explosion 3.0 from my old disks?  Would it work with Photo Explosion 4.0?" Anna said, "Yes it would! But 4.0 only works with Windows 7 32 bit. Memories will work with Windows 7 & 64 bit. With patch she is emailing me."

I got the patch but could not figure out how to install MoTV from my 3.0 (Still waiting for "the patch" before installing 4.0), so on 12/10/10 I called tech support again and spoke with Dan, who said: I can install Memories on TV from : (web site).exe  which I did. He said they will email me when the patch for 4.0 is ready (as it still wasn't ready); He said he can’t grant me extension on 90 day return policy (which would expire Christmas Eve), but, if I had problems tech support would be able to see the log of my calls for help.

This may not be a complete list of people I spoke with, but the log of those calls might list others and I may have had email conversations with others.  I'm not certain because I've contacted Nova so many times but never was able to get 3.0 Deluxe past that smiling woman screen on my XP computer.

Based on your experience with 4.0 working on your Windows 7 64bit computer, and your statement that there never was a patch needed, I will clean up, & defrag again and try installing it soon.

I posted the same question in two other places - I thought on Soft City - when it was brand new to Nova; one was my own thread and one a response to another thread but I can no longer locate either one, so I'm glad this thread got some activity!

Thanks!,

NanCcan

NanCcan,

Thank you for providing me the requested information.  I will pass it along to their managers to speak to those individuals.

I apologize for any confusion caused by the agents regarding the usage of "upgrade".  As I mentioned previously, we have never had an upgrade to our software that matches the industry usage of the term.  Typically, the industry usage means a smaller program that will take the existing installation and make changes to it bringing it up to the most current versions.  This sort of upgrade never includes the full version of the software. 

As stated previously, all of our software is released as full versions of the program.  Most of the time, this requires the prior version to be completely uninstalled before installing the new version.  Some of our program will allow both an older version and newer version installed at the same time.  However, the majority of them require the prior version to be uninstalled first.  I believe it is due to the fact that we never actually create upgrade versions of software that people started using the word "upgrade" to mean a new version. 

Technical Support and Customer Service (Sales) are two separate departments.  As such, things that are related to purchases of the products, their pricing, current offers, etc. are handled by the Customer Service department.  Irene would not have known that the $19 offer you received was for the non-Deluxe version of Photo Explosion.  If she had known that, she should have been able to tell you that it would not include MemoriesOnTV.  I am not sure why Nurin did not tell you this.  He should have been familiar with the features of the non-Deluxe version.

I am not sure what patch Anna or Dan were referring to with MemoriesOnTV.  There have been no patches released for it to make it compatible with any particular version of Windows.  However, there have been some updates released that would add support for more drives. 

Please let us know if you experience any problems getting version 4.0 to run on your system.

OK.. So with all these post.. Should I buy the photo explosion deluxe 4, and will it work on my window 7??

Rammie,

Photo Explosion Deluxe version 4 is Windows 7 compatible.  I would recommend this software to people as a solid image editing software.  Without knowing the specifics of what you will be using it for, it is hard to tell you whether the software will meet your needs.

Thank you Robby,

 Is there any coupons or discounts for PED 4? I keep having to buy another program everytime I update my computer. This will be the 3rd PED I have. I really dont want to pay another $40 or $50 for it.

Rammie,

I do not know what sort of discounts may be available for it at this time.  We do not have access to all the promotions that are available through our Customer Service department.  If you go to the main Nova Development site, there is a banner with a 20% off code for all Nova products for President's Day.  I am not sure how long that is good for. 

http://www.novadevelopment.com/

You may want to contact our Customer Service department about this.  They do not monitor this site, so you will need to contact them directly.  You can find the various ways to contact them on this page:

http://www.novadevelopment.com/support/customer_service/index.html

Rammie, I have both the Photo Explosion 3 Special Edition, and version 4. Version 4, while being more versatile, is NOT near as user friendly as version 3, and doesnt have a lot of the fun aspects (fireworks, photo cube, kaleidoscope, etc.)  version 3 contained. While I was able to pop version 3 in and use it IMMEDIATELY, version 4 requires study (with a manual at least an inch thick). I used version 3 for a variety of gif animations with the warps, photographic, and backgrounds being directly adjustable. Version 4 seems to be geared towards the more advanced user and I just havnt had the time to read the manual, so I have been able to use VERY FEW of it's options and capabilities.

  The ONLY way I have been able to continue to use version 3 is by installing a vitual xp system on my laptop. The representatives here have made it VERY clear, they will NOT be supporting version 3 on windows 7 or any future versions of windows. I have NOT had ANY problems with the normal operstion of version 4 on my windows 7 (32 bit) os, and all of the extras (memories on tv, panarama, fantamorph 4, etc,) have worked with no problems.

I hope this has helped.

Gary

UGH! I HATE VERSION4!! What do I have to do in order to use version3 on my windows7 ?

All I want is to edit photos, to make flyers for my daughters jr roller derby team. I would use the UPX mode the most and version4 doesnt even support it.. so I cant even open old files with version 4!!

Rammie, if you have Windows 7 Home Premium, you will first need to download the upgrade for Windows 7 Professional.  Once you do that, you can then download the Virtual XP program. 

Once the Virtual XP program is installed, there is an icon you can click on to go into XP mode (which is a screen within a screen).  Once you are in XP mode, you can install PED Version 3 like you normally would.  You can copy pictures back and forth between Windows 7 and XP mode.

I have to say that I installed PED Version 2 rather than Version 3, but the process would be the same.  Version 2 has worked fine for me in XP mode.

Good luck!

P.S.  Within the XP mode, you will also have to install your antivirus program and keep it updated, and regularly update the Virtual XP program.  No big deal!

Actually, I have Windows 7 Home Premium and the virtual xp works PERFECT, as does PE3. I had to rename my c: file but have had NO problems running it on the Home edition, also you DONT have to have ANY virus protection, as long as you DONT go online in the xp mode, use windows 7 online, and retrieve your pic or whatever you need from you renamed drive in the virtual mode.

Glad to hear Virtual XP can be loaded into Windows Home Premium as well. 

I'm no expert, but I believe that with a high-speed connection (such as Verizon FIOS), your computer is online all the time, whether or not you're actually doing any surfing.  Presumable this could make your computer vulnerable to some intrusion.  Since I'm no expert, I'll have to let others who are more knowledgable comment on this.

I have Windows 7 Home Premium as well...  Gary can you please email me giving me a step by step on loading my PE3. I have already installed it on my computer, but it doesnt open. I also installed window XP Mode, but I got lost after that. I dont see anything on my pragrams that say XP Mode, but when I look on the file to uninstall programs.. Its in there. Can you please help me use my PE deluxe 3.. dazydoox@yahoo.com

                                                      Thanks!

I tried EVERY way, and it just wont run. As I mentioned earlier, my brother in law installed a vitual xp on my laptop, I then installed PE3 on the virtual operating system.

You know, the Windows website (www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/) says that Virtual PC (Virtual XP mode) is available on Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate.  No mention of Windows Home Premium.  This might mean that Virtual PC (and/or Photo Explosion 3.0) may not function properly on Windows 7 Home Premium. 

I downloaded Windows 7 Professional and then Virtual PC (following their directions), and had no trouble.  I am running Photo Explosion Version 2.0 on the Virtual PC in XP mode with no problems.  I am not running Version 3.0, but others have indicated that Version 3.0 will also run on XP mode.

Thank you all for your informative post .. I own Deluxe 3.0 and just had to replace my old dying XP machine with a new one and of course, Windows 7 based. After thoroughly reading all your post, I have decided that the best thing to do is just abandon Photo Explosion Software altogether. I have used it since its first version but it sounds like the software maker is not keeping pace with the rest of the computer world. I too use many of the abandoned features of Deluxe 3.0. Thank you all for your comments and sparing me the frustrations of learning like you all did. Off to search for a new image editing software.

Paul

I have used PDE 2.0 since the time it was released. Very user friendly. I did update to 3,0 & 4,0, but was disappointed in the so-called upgrades. Sure, 4.0 may have a few new options, but I could still do basically everything with 2.0 that I did in 4.0. The only difference is 4.0 was not designed for the average user to use. It's as simple as that! PDE can make any excuse they want, but their upgrades have been a huge disappointment! I'm no greenhorn when it comes to computer software, I have no problem figuring out new software. I did figure out 4.0, but like I said, I could still reproduce anything with 2.0 that I put together on 4.0. It's just too bad that they refuse to listen to their loyal customers. As for support, well let's just say it doesn't exist!

The version 3 was the best.WHY DID YOU GUYS CHANGE IT ? I got the version 4 and it SUCK'S BIG TIME !.An upgrade means it supposed to be better. you guys drop the ball on that one. If you guys every do A version 5 I don't kinow if it will make any money because you lost a lot of your customers with  that version 4. Now excuse me I have to put version 4 away in the trash can.Jesus Guzman an ex customer.

I got photo exploison 3 for 73.00 on nova devolpent website and downloaded it for my windows 7 and it installed and it sayed you dont have mac i got mad can i get it for free again or something PLEASE RESPOND

PE 3 will NOT WORK with windows 7. The only way to get it to work is to get a windows xp virtual program to run on your windows 7. As you see by the other posts PE 4 SUX! It is NOTHING like PE 3 and Nova has made it quite clear THERE WILL BE NO PATCHES OR SUPPORT FOR PE 3! Good luck, I run my PE 3 on the virtual xp and it works great, jusat have to reassign your network paths to read the libraries on your windows 7 computer. Its a lot of hassle but I LOVE PE 3, HATE PE 4, so it's worth it.

AGAIN, PE 4 SUX!! It caused me to stop using other Nova programs, for fear of future support stopping!

It's a shame, a gif animation program and maybe some other features like the gif animation features in PE 3 (like the fireworks maker, puzzle box maker, etc would have made me EXTREMELLY happy with a new version of PE, but instead they chose to make it a MUCH MORE complicated program and not NEAR as fun to use as PE 3. Maybe one day I will read the 2 inch thick instruction booklet for PE 4, but I was using PE 3 right out of the box.

GREAT IDEA Nova! ( sarcasm font!) maybe next time you could show us how to manufacture rocket fuel, or maybe how to achieve anti gravity, Im sure those would be EASIER than using PE 4!

Again, microsoft virtuall xp is the ONLY way to use PE 3 on a windows 7 computer.

Hope it helps SOMEWHAT

Gary

Gary is correct. I personally like version 2, just use it for editing. I have Windows 7 & even version 2 works with the Microsoft Virtual XP Program. Works just fine. But it's still a shame we have to jump through hoops to be able to use it! I also like how you put it Gary, "They made it much more complicated, and not nearly as fun!" Well said! Actually Version 2 & 3 weren't that much different. Version 3 had some of extra programs like Fireworks Maker, Puzzle Box. ect... But it wasn't a radical change like Version 3 to Version 4. Just for instance, I do a lot of selection cuts & then copy & paste them into another photo. If I drop a few of them in another photo, all I have to do is right-click and choose, 'Move Object Forward' or 'Move Object Back'. Very simple. Didn't need all the layers that were added in Version 4 to do this. If I wanted Photoshop, I would have bought Photoshop! Your right about Version 3 being user friendly right out of the box. I bought Version 4, but I sent it back & got my money refunded.

This is going to sound like beating a dead horse, but like so many others, I had to upgrade to Windows 7 when my old workhouse desktop finally died.  After years of being a loyal customer and enthusiastic supporter of Nova products, it is clear to me that Nova Development does not give a rat's ass about their customers.  I will never, ever again purchase ANYTHING from Nova!  I would like to expound on my feelings for this company, but I prefer to avoid the use of profanity. Let me simply sum up by reiterating Gary's sentiments: 

Your company sucks!

J Barrow

It was intersting reading the above posts. I have used version 3 since it came out and have found it to be an excellent application. I have many Nova titles, but finding that PED3 is not, and will not be Win7 compatable, that v4 on leaves out many features, and the support response is simply "sorry", just doesn't cut it. Nova needs to understand that OS compatibility is important. Win8 is around the corner, will v4 not work on it? Microsoft can change operating systems when they develope one and when you have to pay for an OS upgrade, your bank account is probably drained and you can't afford to upgrade 5 or 6 applications.

I will no longer purchase new Nova product, and will look to developers who will work to support their product through such changes, will not "scrap" but "develope" applications that work, maybe charge reasonable upgrade fees, but not force you to purchase a new package at retail with half the features that you were used to.

Not very customer oriented guys, poor job!

John Frame

Just found this and the few posts I read were helpful.  I, too, am having issues getting PE3 to work with Windows 7.  Fortunately my laptop from work is still on XP and I'm able to use PE3 on that.  But I would prefer to use it on my actual computer.

I bought a new home computer while in the middle of a project for a local musician.  I save files as UPX as well as JPEG and am able to edit the UPX files when the musician wants to make changes.  I already have PE4 Deluxe installed, but it doesn't recognize UPX files.  New versions of the same product should read files created in an older version.  Especially if you're not going to continue developing the old version so it is compatible with newer operating systems.

I haven't spent much time learning how to use PE4 yet so this is the only problem I've discovered.  However, I will be back to offer more suggestions as I find more useful features from PE3 that are not available in PE4.

If anyone (from support or an expert user) is reading this thread, please respond and let me now if there is a file type in PE3 that works like UPX but is also readable by PE4.  

Thanks

And now that I have read all of the posts on this thread, I'm more likely to go shopping for a better software company.  I'm not going to go through this again.  I'm always in the middle of a project and if I have to upgrade my computer for ANY reason at all, I can't deal with suddenly not being able to finish my projects due to compatibility issues.

One reason I haven't learned how to use PE4 yet (I've had it for nearly a year) is because it IS "Photoshop-like".  I have Photoshop, but I'm not a rocket scientist so I don't know how to use it.  Opening PE4 for the first time and seeing that it is a "wanna be" Photoshop program, I immediately closed it. 

A note to Support that I would like passed on to the developers:  Microsoft overhauled their Office programs, but the newer versions of the software will open files created from older versions.  This is how software programs are supposed to work.  If Nova Development wants to keep their customers, this is one major issue they will need to address.  The company as a whole will need to consider making PE5 Deluxe compatible with files made in older versions as well as upgraded OS's, and offer PE4/PE4 Deluxe purchasers a bigger discount just for the trouble that was caused by PE4/PE4 Deluxe.

Nova's representative here has made it QUITE CLEAR that there will be NO SUPPORT for PE3, and as you read in my previous responses PE4 is a piece of crap that seems to have been made for professional users. I WILL NOT be purchasing PE5, nor any other nova products as they could care less about their users or supporting their products! I LOVE PE3 and have found that Virtual XP is the only way to run it on my computer. It's a shame that NO THOUGHT of past customers was put into PE4 and I WILL NOT support a compant that DOESN'T even support their products. I also have had PE4 for about a year and havn't even bothered to read the thick instruction book that came with it. BRAVO NOVA, YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK AND TITLE IT  HOW TO LOSE CUSTOMERS AND PISS OFF PEOPLE, with your experience in that it should be a best seller! I have microsoft Picture It 99, and even it runs on my windows 7! THATS how to keep customers! BUY ANY GRAPHICS PROGRAM, EXCEPT PE!!!!

Having to use Virtual XP does sound like a solution to the problem, but it's more than I want to go through.  Partly because I haven't got a clue on how to do it.  I'm sure I can figure it out, but if I'm going to spend time researching something so I can use a user-friendly graphics program to complete my current projects and start new ones, then I might as well research what graphics program will work best. 

I'm extremely disappointed in PE4 and in Nova Development.  PE3 is a great product.  PE4 should have just been an improvement upon 3, not an entirely different software program.  PE4 was definitely a giant step backwards from PE3.

As far as the thick instruction booklet - my PE3 came with one the same size.  But I never had to open it.  That's how easy PE3 is to learn and use.  In order to use PE4 I'll have to take a Photoshop class.  But then I would know how to use my Photoshop so either way there would be no reason for me to use PE4.

I'll look into Microsoft Picture It 99, thanks for the suggestion.

Corel has a product (also available on the Nova Development website) called Photo Impact Pro.  I forgot I already purchased it and started playing around with it.  I went back to PE3 just because I was still learning this one and needed to get something out in a hurry.  It does look like PE4 when you open it, but not that difficult to learn.  In less than 5 minutes I figured out how to change my background color on a blank graphic, change colors in an existing graphic, adjust size, and copy the existing graphic onto the blank one.  This will work great for the graphics I make for the local musicians I work for. 

I trust Corel more than Nova Development so I think I'm going to stick with their products for now and in the future.  This program does cost $100 but I think I picked it up from Amazon for way less.

I'm having the same problems but my photo explosion delux 3.0 is compatible for my computer. When I 1st installed it, i had no problems. A couple years later it launches first screen and it fades away then there is no program launch. Is it possible that a corrupt file is causing this? After all I have once or twice recieved a notice of missing or corrupt file missing. If so, can a update be advised?

I had that problem when I upgraded to Vista.  I was able to use the program for quite some time, but then bought a new computer with Windows 7 and couldn't use the program at all.  I did a system restore on the computer with Vista and reinstalled PE3 and it wouldn't work at all after that.

I have since decided to purchase Photoshop Elements 10 which is on sale at Amazon.com right now for $45.98.  Having used PE3 for so long helped me get around in Elements. I was able to quickly learn how to use features in Elements that I used in PE3 as well as find and use features I always wished PE3 had.

If you decide to purchase Elements, there is a book I would recommend getting with it called "Photoshop Elements 10 - the missing manual".  You can get the book on Amazon as well for around $29.

AND there is a very helpful website at http://www.essential-photoshop-elements.com/ - all the info on this website is free.  It has video tutorials and step-by-step instructions on how to do several tasks.

I'm not a graphic artist so I was hesitant to try anything by Adobe.  But I downloaded a free 30 day trial of Elements to see if it was something I could learn; it only took me a few minutes to find the features I used often in Photo Explosion.  I did spend a little time on the website mentioned above looking for specific features (such as transparency and cutting out an object to insert in another graphic).  I'm still learning how to use Elements but have found that it looks more intimidating than it really is.

Again, the ONLY way to use PE3 on an operating system above xp is to use a virtual xp. I have used it that way for about a year now with little problem. I just boot up the virtual xp, installed PE3 on it, then renamed my photo file as a networkede drive (so the virtual xp has access to My Pictures on windows 7 operating system. If you have any trouble setting this up, contact me here and leave your email I will walk you through it.

Gary Z

@Gary

I really wish I had researched this software before purchasing it new a second hand store. Curiosity got the best of me. You are very patient to go through that to gtet this software to work. Not sure if I willing to purchase more software to get PE3 to work. Beside what you have done sounds like you need some serious training in computers. If I invest in something it I think it would be in a photo editing software that works with my Windows 7. Lesson learned.

Sorry i don't have an idea about the windows 7. As i am familiar with windows XP. And i like XP. As this software is also best Posted by the author. And it is user friendly.As compared to other Photo software

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