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Thanks, Lumenex, Hawk, et al... You have given me more food for thought and I will give it a try. But right now my brain is fried just thinking about this...(maybe its the beers...?). I will see what happens after a rest. This is a great program and maybe there is a way. Learning new possibilities all the time... Gary

Hawk... I tried your suggestions but it did not quite work. The music from the Menu.exe WILL stop when I click on one of the Chapter buttons. But when I cancel any one of the slideshows, it would not return me back to the Menu.exe. I think the problem is that when I have "Run application and exit," which does not allow the Menu.exe to remain in the background as it worked before with "Run application or run file", which pointed to each succeeding chapter and they would run in sequence. This problem is created, I think, when I tried: "In each Chapter presentation use Project Options – Advanced – “ Run application after last slide “ link it back to your Menu". My apoligies for not being very clear, I am sure, with my explaination. I can hardly understand it myself. But I did try your ideas I could not get it to work as I was hoping. Certain changes seem to step on other changes and I can not get it to work as I wish. Thanks... Gary PS Maybe I'll have a couple beers and try it again.... :-]

Thanks for the idea, but I had tried that and it will not work the way I would like. The problem is that I have to put the music for Show A in the Project Action's Music tab to get the slides sync'd to the music. If I put the music in the "Customize Slide/Checkbox", I won't get the sync'd to slides feature. Hope I understood your suggestion... When I put music in the "Customize Slide/Checkbox", that music plays over the music in Show A. It would be nice if there was a feature to automatically fade out that music. Thanks...Gary

I've broken the slideshow of my vacation into 5 'chapters'(i.e., 5 .exe shows). I made a menu.exe that lists the 5 chapters. I figure that at some point we will want to get a beer after a chapter or two and let it go back to the menu.exe with the list of the 5 chapters. I'd like some music on the menu.exe to then play while I get the beers and then stop the music when I start the next chapter. I have poked around and tried every possibility, but I can not get the music on the menu.exe to stop when a chapter starts and starts when I go back to the menu.exe. I can understand your method, but I am trying to make mine a bit more flexible so I can get the beers after any of the chapters... :-] PS Maybe in Version 5??? Gary...

I have been successful in creating an introductory menu.exe that will link to 3 different .exe shows. However, I have tried to add some music to this intro menu.exe but I am having some problems. I want the music to play when the menu.exe starts. I can do that and it plays. The problem starts when it goes to one of the 3 shows. The music from the menu.exe will not stop. It continues to play over the music on the selected show. And, if I make the music that plays with the menu.exe to be very short, when I go stop one of the 3 shows, and go back to the menu.exe, I'd like the music on the menu.exe to start again. Is this possible? I have tried every combination I can think of but no luck. Any ideas...? Thanks... Gary

Thanks, LumenLux. Good points. And, Ron, I didn't realize that I could use the keyboard to Pause, etc. Learn something every day. Much appreciated. Gary

Thanks for the feedback. It is intersting to me how people view the Control Panel. I've heard that from others, too. However, when I view others' shows, I wish they had it in. I sometimes want to linger on a particular image or advance to one quickly and not have to endure the entire show. It also gives me the opportunity to 'pause' on any particular image for discussion. When you say it is not 'suitable...for projection' can you expand on that a bit? Is it just the look of the show or is it more along the technical lines?...resolution, etc. I want to get into projecting shows eventually and I would appreciate it if you can tell me what is 'not suitable'. Thanks again.... Gary

I am a bit amazed that my 'Rafting the Futaleufu' had now over 300 downloads. I am wondering if there are any critiques by anyone who has seen it. My feeling was that it was a bit too long for someone who was not there but I did not want to leave out any of the sequence of rapids for those of who were there. I sent the link to 12 of the people who were participants. But I'd like to know if anyone has any 'should of' or 'shouldn't have' comments. Thanks... Gary

I am using MovieFactory 2SE to create videos. When I check the 'Interlaced Video' box, as recommended, it wants to create an output file with the .ptev extension. However, my MovieFactory 2SE will NOT recognized the .ptev extension. When I uncheck the 'Interlaced Video', the output file extension is changed to .avi and I have created videos this way with my MF2SE. However, when I make a video with this .avi extension, it is not very good quality. The text is wavy and the images are not nearly as sharp as with the CD version. So my questions are: 1- Do I need to upgrade to the MF2 non-SE version to have it recognize the .ptev extension? 2- Does having the 'Interlaced Video' checked really make a difference? 3- Will the MF2 non-SE version improve the quality of the final video, using the .ptev extension? 4- Will my MF2SE version using '.avi' produce the same quality video as the MF2 (non SE) version using '.ptev'??? Thanks... Gary PS I see that MF is now up to version 5. Does version 5 do any better with PTE than version 2?

Yes... I have recently posted it on Beechbrook. It is the one on 'Rafting the Futaleufu' (which is Part2). I have Part1 and Part3 ready but they are so big I am not sure I should upload them. I had thought of doing the search for one of the 'missing' images but my I discovered my BOO BOO just before I was about to do that. Thanks for all suggestions... Gary

Yes... I am a firm believer in backing up. And I do do it. I do have all the originals in RAW format. I would just have had to run my Photoshop Actions, re-tweek, and resave, etc. etc. It is hard to do the Backup Dance when you are in the process of creating the slideshow. But now that I have finished the slideshows, I'll do a complete backup of all my drives. It always seems that you need your backup just before you planned to make the backup. Must be some kind of law. Really sorry for causing a stir.... Gary

Ok...stop the press. Call off the dogs. Everybody can go home now. I figured out my STUPID BOO BOO. I have over 800 images in this folder so my eyeballs get blurry. But I just figured out what I did. I had this group of images Sorted by 'Modified'....not my 'Name'. So this set of image were scooted down to the bottom the the file list. Even though I examined the entire file list, my eyes just did not pickup the file numbers. Sincere apology for kicking up the dust. I will crawl back under my desk for the day. Gary

Things do happen but there is no way I could have only deleted these images and not others images. I made a slideshow in 3 parts and linking them into one show. All of the images in Part2 are missing when trying to view them using MyComputer. I tried the Boxig program but, yes, it only makes screen prints...does not restore images from the exe file. But, I think the real mystery is how can everything look normal in the PTE File List, but the files do not show up using MyComputer or WindowsExplorer???? The sound files that were in another folder are still there. Only the images are not showing up in MyComputer. I just tried something. I right clicked on an image shown in the PTE File List. It opens in the Windows Viewer. I then do an Open With 'Photoshop'. The file opens and when I do a Save, all the other 'missing' files show up in the file list. I do a Save of this one file...but, still, when I go back to view the image using MyComputer, none of the 'missing' file are there nor is this specific file that I just 'saved' is there. I am 'missing' about 518 images. Gary

Thank, LumenLux. Well, the problem is that I dumped the images that were in the newly created Template folder (assuming that they were just copies). So they are not recoverable from there. But I did NOT delete them from their original folder used to make the PTE slideshow. What is not understandable is that, when in PTE, all looks well. The files that were chosen for the show are highlighed in the PTE File List. HOWEVER, when I go to look at these selected files using MyComputer, they are NOT there. Crazy. How can that be???? So...just to get them back in MyComputer, I'd like to extract the images out of the already made PTE slideshow file. I thought I read some time ago that this could be done but I have not yet found the program. Still looking. Any ideas what is going on here????? Thanks... Gary

I noticed somethng strange. I made a slideshow of several hundred images. Everything went well. However, I went into MyComputer to just look at the images, and they are not there. But, when I view the folder in PTE, they are highlighted as if they are still in MyComputer and are still in the PTE's File List. The only thing that might have cause a problem was to experiment with Template. I ran the Template on these files and then I dumped the files in the Template's folder. I read in some of the discussions about the Template function in the Forum and it was my understanding that only a 'copy' of the images are put in the Template folder. Is it possible I have dumped all of my images...but why do I still see them in the PTE program's list of images? If I have indeed lost the actual images, is there a way to extract them out of an already created PTE slideshow? How could they not show up in MyComputer but show up in PTE's File List??? Thanks... Gary

Steve... I understand... and agree. Thanks.

Steve... Not to beat a dead horse...but when I make a show, I always make it synch'd to music (because I have not figured out how to use the timeline... ). But when I include the navbar, the music will stop when I pause or use the reverse or forward choices and the music will pick up where it should when I unpause it. I don't find that the navbar 'will screw up' the show. I wonder if I am doing something different from what you are doing. When you use the navbar, does it create a problem with the syn'd music? Thanks... Gary

I will be sitting next to the fireplace, waiting for Father Igor!!!!!!!!

Yiks!!!! Igor comes through again. Can't wait for V5. Thanks, Gary

Well, I didn't like setting the mouse keys because you only have 2 possibilities. So if you have the left for Previous and the right for Next, you don't have one for Pause. But you have just openned my eyes a bit when you mentioned the use of the keyboard. I just tried the Pause key and the arrow keys to control the images. Gee...you learn something everyday!!! But I do like to make the screen to be around 95% with the black boarder and the Navigation bar at the bottom. Just my thing. But now I will try the keyboard on other slideshows to see if it works there. Thanks... Gary

Greetings, I have downloaded my share of PTE shows off the Beechbrook site. I am wondering why most people do not choose to put in the Navigation Bar to allow the viewer to gain some control of the show. Sometimes I would like to pause to see a particular image or go back or forward to see one. I try to include it in my shows. Am I missing something here or is it just not a popular thing to do??? Thanks... Gary

I was able to convert the 'bad' midi file to an mp3. If I can, I will try it out on laptops to see what happens. Much thanks... Gary

Igor... Yes, I see what you mean now. Thanks so much for spending time on this problem. I would have never guessed it was in one of my midi files. I will see if I can replace it with one that works and does not have that blank space at the end. But, great information to know and how to examine the midi's I use in the future. Thanks again.... Gary P.S. But not to beat a dead horse, the big question in my mind is 'why doesn't the problem occur on my desktop PCs?' I create the slideshow and it plays just great but then if given to someone, it might not work due to a unknowing bad midi file. Perhaps, Brian's discussions come into play and it is just something we have to deal with on a PC by PC basis.

Igor... Thanks for the information. But I am not sure which midi file you are talking about. I have 4 different midi files in the show. The one I think might be the one is FUN7.mid. It seems to stop playing about 1 second before the stated time length. Is there a good way to detect a 'bad' midi file before I put them in a show. They all play correctly in Media Player and WinAmps. Since the problem only appears in some PCs and laptops, I guess the best thing is to wait for the 5.0 update to fix this problem. Thanks much for your testing. Thanks... Gary

Hi Brian... Your discussion above is quite interesting. It has really peaked my interest. And it creates even more questions in my head. I went to see the Properties for my memory stick and found that the Policies tab allowed for 2 choices: optimize for quick removal and optimize for performace. The choices allow for enabling and disabling write caching. Not sure if this has any relevance to the problem but interesting. On my desktop, I have the 'optimize for quick removable' selected, but the icon to 'Safely Remove Hardware' still shows and I do go through that process before I remove my memory stick. I also wonder now where my memory stick fits in the 2 types you mention. But I assume both types are causing 'problems'. I am tempted to put the file on a non-512 memory stick and test it but I don't have the stick or the laptop. Maybe I am just looking through rose colored glasses, but I would think that all memory sticks would be plug and play--as it would be for a floppy disk, or external hard drive, etc. , not needing any "setup". (What would you look for in a Manual for this Setup you mention?) Well, it will be interesting to hear what Igor comes up with and whether the never version 5 will do away with this 'problem'. Thanks... Gary