Please Help: Dvdfab platinum 5.2.5.0

I bought DVD Fab Platinum 2 days ago and downloaded the latest Version 5.2.5.0. They sent me my Registration Key and I copied & pasted it into my program and clicked on Register. It then said "Thank you, the product will be restarted to enable the Registered Version". It didn't restart on its own so I clicked on the new desktop icon to open the program. Nothing happened. I clicked on it again , the hard drive light flashed for a second & then nothing.

I then found I could not open any of my programs on my desktop, the computer was basically frozen. I could not shut down the computer until I pressed the reset button.

After rebooting I went in to "Add/Remove programs, removed DVDFAB, removed the folder on my hard drive & downloaded & reinstalled the program, same ending.

I also tried to start the program after rebooting & before removing it and the computer basically hung up again. I've used the free edition of this program for a couple of years with no problems but after several hours of installing & removing & reinstalling I'm frustrated beyond words.

I've written the Support people by E mail & got an answer that simply said to uninstall & reinstall. That didn't help & I early yesterday morning sent another detailed E mail but have not received a reply.

I've installed hundreds of programs on computers and have never been so frustrated.

Can anyone offer any help for my apparent problem?

Look for a post from StormJumper and follow his instructions for uninstalling FAB to the T then redownload a new installer (don't use the one you have as it might be corrupt) and reinstall and see what happens

after the re-install, with dvdfab closed, double click the attached reg key.

Hi Jimbo:

Thanks for the reply. Did U mean that Stormjumper would post a reply to my thread or am I to look for his comment elsewhere? I've not posted here before & am not sure where to look for solutions.

Hi Troy 512:

I downloaded (direct from the site) the program & installed it. I did not try to open it but clicked on the Key File sent to me the second time. It then said: "Thank you,the product will be restarted to enable the registered version." Nothing happened , it did not restart the program so I rebooted the computer & then clicked on the DFAB5 icon on the desktop. The hard drive light came on, flickered 2 or 3 times and then stopped but I cannot open the program. What the heck is going on!!!

Stormjumper is a regular poster on this forum. Just look for his name on any of the threads you see (you shouldn't have to go past page 2).

As part of his signature on his posts are links to instructions to uninstall Fab for both Vista and XP. When you find one of his posts, select the system that matches yours, and then follow his instructions completely to do a proper uninstall.

Then do a re-install (the download from the site should still be OK). Click on the attachment to register the program, with DVDFab not running, then see if it'll boot.

If not, please get back to us with your O/S info, as there may be further steps required.

OC

Thanks guys. StormJumper, I'm wondering if DVD Shrink or DVD Decrypter use the PCouffin engine or not as I want to follow your instructions for XP. I would appreciate a reply.

You must install as an administrator. You might also disconnect from the internet and disable all antivirus/antimalware programs and try the install again.

Sorry about the delay on replying to you had yard work to do
DVD Shrink doesn't have it's own burn engine and DVD Decrypter does not use the PCouffin so nothing to worry about there.
You should not have to disconnect from the internet and disable all antivirus/antimalware or firewallprograms.

StormJumper & All:

Hours later I'm still in the same predicament. Here is what I've done.

1. I used Add/Remove Programs to delete DFDFAB 5.

2. I went in to the C drive & deleted the DFAB 5 folder. I checked everywhere & no more DFAB 5 folders.

3. I then went in to "Documents & Settings"-"Owner & Administrator"(under my name)-"Hidden Folders" already had a check mark beside this option so I opened "Application Data" and removed the 4 "pcoufffin"files as well as the "vso" folder.

4. Then in C drive I opened the "Windows" folder and went to "Prefetch" and deleted all DVDFAB entries.

5.I then went to "My Documents" and deleted the"PCSETUP" folder, then closed.

I then went to Start-Run and typed in "Regedit" and brought up the HKEY info:

6. Opened"HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and deleted all "DVDFAB" entries,then closed it.

7. Opened "HKEY_CURRENT_USER">>"SOFTWARE" and deleted "DVDFAB" folder & then the "VSO" folder. Then closed.

8. Opened "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE">>"SOFTWARE" & deleted the DVDFAB folder & the VSO folder.

I then emptied the RECYCLE BIN.

Now I've never used a Registry Clean program , investigated such & decided that the REGISTRY DEFENCE program would be safe to use. I ran the program & it found a lot of things it wanted to do but I was afraid to say Yes to the program so I closed it without doing anything but saved it.

I then "Defragged" the C drive but there were a lot of things they couldn't defrag.
Rebooted the computer, downloaded the program & installed the program but didn't open it, & double clicked on the attached file they sent me & the following message came up as always:

"Thank you, the product will be restarted to enable the Registered Version." It didn't restart.(No Surprise) I then double clicked on the DFAB 5 desktop icon, hard drive light came on temporarily and then went out & the DAMN program did NOT LOAD.

As usual I could not use other programs on the desktop nor could I get on the internet. I could not restart the computer the normal way but I had to hit the Reset Button. This, without a doubt, has been the most exasperating computer experience.

I notified the company by E mail & got a quick reply saying to uninstall & reinstall the program. I sent a 2nd E mail over two days ago & did not receive the courtesy of a reply.

This program is no good to me if I can't use it. I wasted the money and now I can't even use the Free DVDFAB HD 5 program as I used to do.

However I saved on an external hard drive the "exe" file for the free DVDFAB HD 4.0.6.2 program which for some unknown reason I can still install on my C drive & use it.

Where do I go from here!!!!

have you tried v6 beta?

your key for v5 will be upgraded to v6, as of now i would just use the trial.

From the statement above points to other issues on your system,not sure why you didn't clean your registry
CCleaner is free and very good, you may be infected spyware and/or malware you may want to do some scans of your system

You went to all this trouble and then didn't clean your registry...sigh.

Dump Registry Detective, and download Piriform's CCleaner (it's a freebie).

Repeat the uninstall instructions from Stormjumpers sig. again to the point where you use the registry cleaner. This time, use CCleaner and U S E it. (Select the Registry icon, right beneath the Cleaner icon), run the scan, and then run the fix option.

It also wouldn't hurt to run a virus and malware check (Avast! is good for virus' and Malwarebytes is good for spyware, and they're both freebies). When you've dealt with whatever they find, do the install again. (be sure to allow the PCouffin software to load, also).

When the installer finishes, you'll be presented with a small window showing you the history and features of DVDFab. You can skip that. Also close any other screens that pop up. (such as select HD Decrypter or Gold or Platinum).

When you are sure nothing from Fab is running, go to your key attachment, and double click it. The usual message will come up.

When it's done, wait a second or two, and the program should start normally.

If it doesn't start at this point, you may have hardware problems we're not going to be able to help you with.

Please advise.

P.S. I just re-read your thread... under My Documents/Your Name/Applications there should be another Fab folder containing the Temp folder (temp storage for ripped files)... delete that too.

OC

I appreciate your comments. My system is an Intel Pentium 4, 3.00 GHZ, 1.00 GB Ram,and NVidia GeForce FX5700 video card. I have installed Norton Internet Security 2008, updates come through all the time and Full scans are done once a week.

If I download Version 6 Beta , will the Registration Key sent to me work or is it automatically upgraded? I've never run a Registry Cleaner before last night so I was hesitant about letting the program fix everything.

I downloaded Piriform's C Cleaner and ran it. The following types of items are listed for Fix as follows:

1. Missing shared DLL's
2. Unused file extensions
3. Open with application issues
4. ActiveX/com issues
5. Invalid empty file class
6. Invalid default icon
7. Missing typelib reference
8. Application Path Issues
9. Help file issues
10. Installer reference issues
11. Uninstaller reference issues
12. Obsolete software key
13. Missing start-up software
14. Old start menu key
15. Missing MUI References

Is it safe to run the fix for all this program has found? Could it cause some of my programs to not work?

I would appreciate all your input into this as I desperately want to have this program work.

I await your valued comments & am wondering if I should run a Spyware identify program prior to reinstalling the DVDFAB program & if so, what is a freebie you would recommend?

I can see why you are having the issues, I would run the fix you can always restore the system back if things don't work out

Stormjumper's advice is good. CCleaner has an option to save your current registry before you start any changes. If you're concerned, do it. You can always restore it later if needed. But you won't need to.

Regarding Norton Internet Security (with apologies to Symanntec) - D U M P it. It's a virtually useless piece of bloatware.

My experience has been that a combo of Avast! and Malwarebytes finds and eliminates more problems that Norton does. Avast!'s database is updated daily by the authors, and Malwarebytes can be updated every time you use it (many times I've seen more than 1 update per day).

Let us know how you make out.

OC

Norton IS 2009 is OK by reports, but before that it was seriously useless at everything and was almost impossible to remove, in fact a Windows reinstall may be your best option after having Norton infect it.

I deleted all DVD FAB items and followed the instructions of StormJumper with help from Troy512 & OCanada. I cleaned the registry each time and now with Version 6.0.0.2 Beta installed I have the same screen as shown in the DVDFAB Platinum 6.0.0.2 Thread on this site by GAstorino. I posted there, please read as I can't get any further in the program. It shows as I've stated in the top line-DVD to DVD registered in my name with 361 days left on the subscription and April 30 2010 as the Expiry. Everything else though shows as his does and I can go no further with the program.

This is ridiculous and the company takes your money but has been NO HELP at all in solving my problem.By the notes on this 6.0.0.2 thread, other people have problems.

Any further advise, you guys have certainly tried to help & it has been appreciated.

Are you using vista? which version

Maybe before we proceed any further on this, it might be prudent to ask you, sinced you've never mentioned it... What exactly are you planning on using DVDFab for?

Just copying DVDs?

Copying DVDs and putting the films on a mobile device of some kind?

Some other purpose?

I took a look at the screen you referenced in the DVDFab 6.0.0.2 thread, and aside from the issue that the poster doesn't have full authorization to the mobile devices, only a trial period (all of which is covered in other threads here since v6.0.0.0 BETA was posted), he is almost ready to go to copy dvds, and use the mobile option, too, as I imagine the solution mentioned in other threads will be available before his trial on the mobile runs out.

And if that is truly your current screen, so are you. One click of the mouse will take you to the main program screen, and off you go.

Please advise what other issues (if any) are involved.

OC

A D D E N D U M

I've just read your post in the DVDFab 6.0.0.2 thread - just a friendly warning - please don't post your same basic question in more than one spot on the forum - the Mods call it cross-posting, and it's frowned on.

Based on your above post, are you still having the same problem? Clicking on 'Start DVDFab' and nothing happens after that screen disappears?

Couple of points... check your firewall settings, and make sure Fab has access to the web.

Did you dump Norton like I suggested? Because Fab can access the web, Norton may be blocking the program from starting, thinking it's some kind of malware. (Been a long time since I've had that thing on my system, and I'm not sure how you'd dis-able that part of Norton, as I suspect it's the source of your problems.

Maybe someone here who knows it better can offer you some help.

OC

P.S. I'm running the same version on XP SP3 sans Norton, and not a problem anywhere...

I apologize for posting on two threads my same problem. I wasn't aware & I'm so frustrated. I wonder how come I've been able to use the freebie copies of DVDFAB HD DEcrypter without a problem. If it is Norton, it must have something to do with the Registration Key.

I can disable the firewall temporarily in Norton for now and go ahead with the download, etc. I'm using XP PRO SP2 and I purchased DVDFAB Decrypter Platinum for backing up original DVD's mostly that belong to my grand children . This way, they don't have to play the originals, because when their friends are in, great care is not always possible & some of their programs get scratched and some have become unplayable.

I will need to have a young friend who is extremely knowledgeable with computers to remove all of Norton Internet Security. It's just a real hassle to disconnect everything & get my CPU in to him. What do you recommend for a program, possibly a freebie as a Antivirus product. Is there anything else I should have on my system?

I do use IMGBURN for all the ISO burning. It's a great little program. Is there any need to download the VSO engine when installing DVDFAB?

Also ,the only reason I haven't installed SP3 on XP is that I have two older programs running on my computer that I want to keep playing. One is Deerhunter 2005 & Bird Hunter 2003. I'm a little concerned they might be affected. Any comments on this concern?

Thanks for all help & I look forward to a reply.

Several more points:

- The older programs you have that have stalled you from installing SP3, they look like game programs... not a problem for the ripping part, if HD Decrypter works OK for you, but possibilities for the burning part (when you get there). The games won't be affected, but Fab might be by their presense.

- Imgburn is a great program for burning, suggest you keep and use it. re Fab, you have no choice with the D/L of the program...the VSO engine is included as part of that D/L, but the one you want to use is configurable in Fab.

- My main anti-malware programs are Avast! and Malwarebytes (both freebies) and I keep A Squared and Spyware Terminator on my system, too, Each program has its strengths, and together, they all get the job done. (all freebies, too).

- My grand-daughter seems to think DVDs make great frisbees and doggie toys, and by the time I get them back, I find they've acquired a whole new set of skills... coaster, door stop, paper weight... and she's not particular about which DVD she grabs, either, so I've had to make sure I've done as many as she can reach...

- HD Decrypter is a very stripped down version of the full program, and as such, there simply isn't enough of it to conflict with other software, which is why (I suspect) it's worked so far, while the full program is giving you ulcers.

Be patient - we'll get this going...

OC

I've installed SP3 for XP and everything seems to run other than DVDFAB 5 or 6. I need to be out for a while tonite but I will send U a note late. Our time here now in Eastern Canada is 6:56 P.M. We are one hour ahead of Easrtern Standard Time (Toronto time).

I will try installing Version 5 with my Norton completely shut off as I download & install to see if anything is different this time after SP3.

I have been using DVD FAB HD Decrypter 4 0.6.2, then DVD Shrink & then IMGBURN. They have always worked fine.

I see there is supposed to be a new Version of DVD Shrink out there. Are U familiar with it. I believe it says it is free and I was tempted to download it & try it. As U know, DVD Shink has not been upgraded for a long, long time.

I appreciate all your comments. The programs U suggest for AntiVirus , etc., I have never heard of. Some people use AVG & AVIRA, I believe, both freebies I understand.

I would value your comments.