Problem with Picasa 3 and Vista

[SheilaNC]

Problem:

 

I upgraded Picasa 2 to Picasa 3 using Vista OS. The program overwrote my old version of Picasa, installed but will not run. I've tried looking for help on the Picasa Forum but haven't found any and now I'm without the program and all of my albums (except those on Picasaweb). Any ideas??

 

Note: this is the 2nd time I'm posting this since I posted on a different thread and didn't want to hijack that one...

[mariemorgan]

I don't have vista.. but I did a quick search on Vista and Picasa 3 and there seems to be other people having issues with Vista and Picasa as well.

 

http://groups.google.com/group/PicasaWebAlbums/browse_thread/thread/1569ffb7f5a38978

 

http://groups.google.com/group/PicasaWebAlbums/browse_thread/thread/4cbd4e835959f44d/c317ff39dbee73aa?lnk=raot

 

Most likely a compatibility issue.

[SheilaNC]

Thanks, I'm aware that others are having problems...I'm just trying to see if anyone here has had the problem and figured it out. Google doesn't respond to questions and I've posted this on the Picasa groups forum as have others. Guess I'll have to go back to my pre-Picasa software/sites....grrrrr!

[pierces]

Sheila,

 

Try going to Control Panel > Programs and Features and remove Picasa 3.0 (2.7 too if it's still there). It won't delete your Picasa.ini files in each folder and when you re-install, it will find all your groups and collections just as they are now.

 

If that doesn't work, uninstall it again and go here to re-install Picasa 2.7:

http://picasa.google.com/download_picasa.html

 

Good luck!

 

Dave

[SheilaNC]

Thanks, Dave. I think I did all of that before to no avail...but, just in case I missed a step, I'll try one more time!

[pierces]

Thanks, Dave. I think I did all of that before to no avail...but, just in case I missed a step, I'll try one more time!

 

Did you re-install 2.7?

 

My work laptop (XP-Pro) was failing to load Picasa, and I had to uninstall it twice. The first time, I forgot to re-boot so the whole program was removed (Picasa has a media watcher that resides in memory to pop up when a card is inserted).

 

Works fine now.

 

Another thought...go to http://update.windows.com and make sure you have all the latest fixes and updates.

 

Dave

[SheilaNC]

2.7 is reinstalling now. Not only won't 3 install - it crashes both IE and Firefox! I have automatic Windows updates so I think it's fine - but will try that as well. The frustration is that I really want to try the new bells and whistles of Picasa 3. Will download on my other machine when I get home...we're in our new house tonight - sleeping on air mattresses - don't ask! And the other laptop is at the old house!

 

Thanks and HappyThanksgiving to all!

[judynorth]

I installed Picasa 3 on my Vista computer and have had no problems so far but then I haven't used it much. Dave's idea of uninstalling version 3, rebooting, and installing version 2.7 is what I would suggest also, particularly since 2.7 was apparently working for you. The new things in version 3 aren't major except for the tool which allows you to clone out unwanted things. I played around with it and found that it was minimally successful. I found it to be a little cumbersome. Photoshop Elements is much better at that.

[SheilaNC]

Thanks, Judy. I did reinstall 2.7 and it's working fine - always follow Dave's suggestions! I just would like an explanation for why I can't successfully install 3.0 when others can. I'd be happy if the Google/Picasa techs would answer questions and suggest fixes rather than just collect data from users. I know that these products are free and I'm grateful for them (I'm a Google nerd); that's why I'd like to know how to make them work as they were intended.

 

In the meantime, I'm happy to have 2.7 back and will continue to use it until some fix comes along for me! :)

[judynorth]

I guess that is what you get with free software. Maybe if they get enough complaints they will come up with a fix. It is a great program and is all the editor that many people need. I teach it in a class for seniors and it is perfect for them because it is easy to use but still pretty powerful. I just finished a class where I taught the program but used v. 2.7 because v. 3 was still in beta testing. I guess I made the right decision. :)

[Big Kielbasa]

I just down loaded Pacasa 3 and it's working well, I'll keep my fingers crossed!

[pierces]

FWIW, I've had Picasa 3 Running on Vista since the day it came out with zero issues. 60,000+ images using over 170GB of storage. Not a very vanilla PC either.

 

My only problem was with XP on my work laptop and that was probably caused by the damnable Symantec anti-virus suite! it started working again after I switched to Free AVG anti-virus.

 

Picasa isn't "free" software. It had a few years of commercial development before Google bought it and re-released it as part of their online tool set.

 

Dave

[judynorth]

Picasa isn't "free" software. It had a few years of commercial development before Google bought it and re-released it as part of their online tool set.

 

Dave

 

To me, if you don't have to pay for it (and haven't pirated it) then it is free. :rolleyes:

[pierces]

I just would like an explanation for why I can't successfully install 3.0 when others can.

 

Unfortunately, an isolated incompatibility with one of millions of possible combinations of hardware and software doesn't raise a lot of alarms in any product's tech department. If they get bombarded with issues, a fix will be forthcoming, I'm sure.

 

Does your laptop come with the new Symantec/Norton Anti-virus protection suite on it? Our company just upgraded to their latest version and we have about a third of our people complaining about software compatibility issues, including some fairly critical analysis tools. Our answer form Symantec was that they were unaware of any specific issues but would "look into it". Not much better than a total lack of response in my view. :rolleyes: After removing Norton, Picasa and the analysis package started working exactly as before.

 

Dave