Help! Xara Designer Pro - cant open! (Not even after a full re-install and PC reboot)

[shiphen]

Hi

Help! My Xara Designer Pro is getting stuck at "Tip of the day" and wont boot.

I just uninstalled Xara Designer Pro and re-installed it, but it's the same problem!
It's the same problem on both by PCs (Windows 7 x64 and Windows XP)
On Window 7 it gets as far as "Welcome to the Xara community"

On my WinXP PC it gets stuck saying "97% Adding colour to document..."

I tried rebooting my computer - but it makes not difference. And I need Xara URGENTLY.

- Any suggestions? (HELP!)

J

[gwpriester]

Did you try doing a clean uninstall (this includes going back and deleting any folders and files in your Programs (x86) folder. Then doing a new re-install.

[shiphen]

Update:
After a very long pause (2+ minutes?) Xara finally let me in.

Okay I shall re-install as you suggest GWP, when I get a chance. More later
Thanx

[shiphen]

Did you try doing a clean uninstall (this includes going back and deleting any folders and files in your Programs (x86) folder. Then doing a new re-install.

Yup that worked - I deleted everything I could find to do with Xara (other than .XAR files). I wonder what went wrong as like I say, it happened on both my PCs at once. Very disconcerting I have to say being as I needed to use Xara in a something of an emergency situation...

Anyhow many thanks

J

[angelize]

I've been noticing this happening this morning too. DPX on a Windows 7 64 bit system. I get to the tip of the day screen and at the bottom it shows adding colours to document at 97% and everything just hangs. I am able to get DPX to run by right clicking on DPX icon on the taskbar and chosing close window from the context list and Then the tip of the day screen loads and I can close it and get to work.

I turned off all info pop ups and set the back up options so that back up open documents on close and restore on open is unchecked and now the program opens normally.

[steve.ledger]

On my WinXP PC it gets stuck saying "97% Adding colour to document..."

I assume you are referring to Designer Pro X?
It's nothing to do with your computer, it's a *feature* of the new version checking the web for updated clipart and templates etc on launching.

I had a day without the web due to bad weather washing away optic fibre cables south of us.
DPX would take more than 2 minutes to open, getting stuck at the 97% loading. (Especially if, as I do, you have your Design Gallery permanently docked)
Once the web was back it returned to normal.
However, if I am downloading a large file and using most of my bandwidth and then try to open DPX, a similar delay occurs.
It's one of those ill thought out features Xara tend to add from time to time which while on paper sounds good, in reality is a PITB.

[angelize]

I keep my galleries permanently docked together, but I keep them as a floating "palette" that stays on my laptop screen while my DPX window resides on a bigger external monitor. I have not had a problem until this morning however I have two separate user accounts I use DPX on, one for work and one for personal use which has administrator's rights. On the personal one DPX was set so documents were not restored on start but on the work one it wasn't , I've now changed that and everything seems fine.

[gwpriester]

The past two days, I have gotten hung up on loading colors, both in Designer Pro X and Web Designer MX Premium.

Do you think it is something in the water? Or some sort of international conspiracy? (My money is on the conspiracy theory--I love conspiracy theories).

[angelize]

Do you think it is something in the water?

if it is it's affected the water systems of 4 countries and 3 different continents!

[handrawn]

was out most of yesterday, so I didn't notice anything in that regard, but on the subject of auto-updating galleries:

my system freezes [mouse/keyboard] for several seconds on first startup of XDPX [8.1.3.23942 CD] per window 7 session.. or at least it did until I changed a couple of XDPX registry settings which appears to prevent the auto-updates.. can't recommend this as such since it may have other effects, but I don't use xara for web site building and rarely use the design gallery at all.. anyone else have this problem I can pass on the info

I think it may be related to eset FW/AV, win7 throws up several 'program has stopped working' messages if XDPX is blocked in eset although it still starts up ok - no problems if the WNC is actually disconnected