This is going to be something of a long post so my apologies right from the start!
First, I must say that my most recent experience of MAGIX Support is in complete contrast to numerous earlier dealings; previously, I have found them, and especially support employee 1 ,very determined to help and willing to "go the extra mile" to assist a long-standing customer.
However, to the reason for this post. As soon as it was released I downloaded the trial version of VPX 365, aka VPX 8. When the opportunity presented to purchase, I jumped. For a few days, perhaps 3 or 4 after full installation everything seemed to be running well, until I realised that the NewBlue ActionCam Package and NewBlue Looks, which had installed without issue and had been successfully activated (I have a screenshot of the activation screen but have not posted it here because it includes serial numbers), did not appear in the Effects tab where Sales support said they should. (I subsequently queried with Technical Support whether the fact they are both 32 bit programs operating in a 64 bit environment might explain their "absence"; I still await any response).
The day following the one in which I noticed the absence of the two NB apps I opened VPX 8 to be confronted by the Open Project screen appearing as
Notice, no text!
I also noticed that the displayed font on the Import, Fades etc. tabs had all become "Bold", see below
I also have VPX 5 on this newly-built machine; its Import tab font has also become "Bold" but the Open Project screen has the full text present.
All this was communicated to Technical Support in a series of emails, I downloaded and ran their latest SysCheck and evntually, after some days I received the following response:
Thank you for your message.
The only suggestion is that Windows may have done an update. In this case you usually need to make sure all Windows updates are installed then do a reboot of the machine. Unfortunately this is something happening with Windows so hopefully that helps.
In fact I had already checked that Windows Updates were up-to-date and the machine had been rebooted numerous times since the problem first appeared.
I responded to the above reply:
Thank you for this response. However, it can hardly be described as offering any real support!
I have checked that Windows Updates are up-to-date, the machine has been rebooted numerous times since this problem first appeared, all to no effect.
I should add, this is a new-build machine, approximately one month “old”. The lack of any text in the initial Open Project screen AND the fact that it would seem that ALL the NewBlue effects downloaded as part of the VPX (8) package, installed and activated (as evidenced by screen shots I provided earlier) are now no longer visible or available points to something “serious” as the problem; I really need the active, direct help of MAGIX support to resolve these problems.
Is it worth me attempting a Repair Install of VPX 8? I have done this in the past with earlier versions, admittedly with mixed results. Or is it better to completely uninstall everything connected with VPX8 and then reinstall? I run Revo Uninstaller Pro and it was set to monitor the installation of each element of the original installation. Would a reinstall affect my ability to reactivate any of the NewBlue FX packages? As a matter of interest, what font is used for the initial “Open Project” screen? Could there be a problem with the fonts on my machine? I ask this for two reasons: some days ago I noticed that my Registry Checker reported a problem with the font Carlito.ttf, that it was no longer installed. Any attempt to reinstall it produced a message from Windows that the font did not appear to be a “valid font”!?? In addition, as shown on a screenshot I attached to an earlier email, the display font on the Import tab has changed to one that is “bold”. I also have VPX5 installed, and thankfully still operational on this same machine; its “Open Project” screen appears exactly as expected but the Import tab font is similarly affected (bolded).
I hope you will consider this continuing support request a priority; as I mentioned before, VPX 8 is, effectively, unusable for me.
I later added this additional information for support employee 2:
Just to update this a little more: I have just attempted a Repair Install using the core VPX installer, regrettably without effecting any change to the display problems previously listed.
Nor do New Blue ActionCam Package and New Blue Looks appear anywhere on the Effects tab, as previously advised by Sales support email should be the case. However, I see that both these latter programs are 32 bit, whereas, of course VPX 8 is 64 bit. Does this difference account for the difficulties I am experiencing in accessing either of these programs from within VPX?
Once again, therefore, I repeat my firm request, stated below, that you should NOT regard this problem as merely being something to do with Windows Updates. I have had occasion to call on the help of your Technical Support staff on several occasions with earlier versions; never before have I been “fobbed off” with a message that effectively says “It’s just one of those things”.
Am I alone in experiencing this degree of support, or lack of it? Anyone else with similar stories? or, perhaps better still, anyone with any suggestions to resolve this, short of a complete uninstall and reinstall of the whole VPX8 package, possibly excluding Mercalli v 4 which is installed, activated and accessible within VPX?
TIA
Jeff