goddi

Peter, File Size in information line: 243.5 MB All 1188 images have been resized to about 100kb to 200kb, more or less. Length with music: 42:45 minutes. Music: 2 MP3s and an OGG that is repeated 5 times just to give each image a few seconds of display time. When I click on the 'Create' button, the 'Create Slideshow...' window opens. Then I click on the 'Executable file for PC' and the error occurs. Sometimes the 'save as' window shows up but I get the error message after that. I dumped all the music files and set the time interval at 3 seconds but still got the error message. Gary =====================

================================= Dave, In order to do this, I will have to install the PTE program on another PC. The only one I have is a laptop without too much memory (from my wife's office)--it might work. It is not just running the exe file by itself that causes the problem. It occurs only when I am in the PTE program and do a "Create Exe". You have a good thought here, though. I will see if I can do this test. If the error occurs in the laptop, I guess I could point the finger at the images, themselves,...or the program itself? But if I don't get the error...what would that show??? Something in my PC's hardware??? I have been trying other things too. I opened a couple older slideshows and tried "Create Exe" many time with each but got no error message. I then tried another slideshow I had made that were I had also got the error message but eventually disappeared. I did not get the error message right away but after about 8 or so of doing the "Create Exe", I got the error message again with that slideshow. I don't know what this means but the error is not isolated to my most recent slideshow. I sent an email to Igor to see if he knows what this error message might point to, since I think it is a PTE error message, not from Windows---but no response yet. Gary

============== Greetings, First, Yachtsman...I have not ticked the "enable time limited use". Thanks for the suggestion. Dave... After your comment, I did the following: I removed all the images except the first 10 images. Got the error message again. I then removed all the images except the last 10 images. Got the error message again. I then removed all the images, and replaced them with 100 images from a different folder. Got the error message again. After I get the error message when I try to do a Create Exe, I can not delete the exe file. The error message is "Access is denied". I have to reboot (warm or cold) to be able to do a Create Exe at least once...second attempt to do a Create Exe will get the error message and I have to reboot again. I reboot before I try a new variation of a test. After a fresh re-boot, I can run the Create Exe usually once without the problem. But the second attempt to run the Create Exe gives the error message. It seems to be corrupting the exe file. This is really getting frustrating. Now, I don't think it is a RAM problem. Any other ideas???? Thanks... Gary

================= Thanks... I tried it and it is similar to the one on the Crucial site. But Orcalogic give a little bit more info. Thanks. Gary

================ Greetings, I have been testing each of my 4 512 Memory sticks individually. I inserted each stick, one by one, in Slot#1 and ran the Memtest86 on each stick individually. The tests found no problems on any of the 4 sticks. I then put each stick back in, one at a time, and tried to run the Create Exe in PTE. Each time I ran the Create Exe, the first time no problems. But, as my original problem occurred, on the second or third attempt, I'd get the error message with each individual stick, "Unable to create file with presentation. Try to delete this file manually or just restart Windows and run PicturesToExe again." The only way to clear the problem is to reboot, a cold or warm boot. This is not currently happening with other PTE slideshows that I have already made. Now, it only is happening with this one new show I am working on. I also ran each matching pair of RAM through the Memtest86 (that is, the first matching pair in Slot#1 and Slot#3. Then I ran the other matching set of RAM in Slot#1 and Slot#2. No error messages showed up. I am about at my wits end trying to understand what is going on. Seems like the only way to see if this is really a RAM problem is to just replace the memory. I am not sure yet if I can put in 2 1GB sticks as oppose to my current setup of 4 512 sticks. My motherboard manual does not allude to this...I don't think they had 1 GB sticks when I got this PC... Gary

Thanks, Peter and Stu... I am just not completely sure that it is so clear. I have run my SystemSuite diagnostic on my RAM and it showed no problem. The Memtest.exe did show some problems. I just ran the Windows Memory Test that made 32 passes and showed no problems. I guess the only way to really be sure is to just swap out the memory and see what happens. I wish there was a sure fired RAM test that I could trust. New RAM is not that expensive so I might just give it a try. I don't have any problems putting in the RAM myself. I've done it before. The error message I get with PTE seems to be a PTE message so I was hoping that Igor could decipher it. Thanks... Gary ==================

Greetings, I had this problem before with my previous slideshow. When I go to Create the EXE, it will work the 1st time or 2nd time, but after that, I get the error message: "Unable to create file with presentation". The only solution is to reboot. Then it happens over and over again. The slideshow at the moment is large...about 1200 slides. Just got back from a long trip so I am trying to reduce the size. But this large show is apparently taxing my system. The first time I had this problem, it just disappeared after a while. I've had suspicions that it has to do with my RAM in my WinXP PC. I ran the HIC's Memtest.exe program and it came up with a couple errors in the RAM. It can not tell me which module. An example of the error message is below: "Memory error detected. Copying between 1f0ec00 and 1f0eb9e did not result in accurate copy. Memtest has detected that you computer cannot accurately store data in RAM." I ran the Crucial's memory scan program. It says I have 4 512MB DDR PC3200 and it recommends putting in 4GB. However, it also states that Windows 32 bit version will recognize "only 3GB or 3.5GB". I am looking at a local store to purchase the RAM and they sell Kingston 1GB modules at $43.99 per module. So my question is, what is the best way around this to work with large PTE shows. I am thinking of just replacing all of my RAM just to be safe but just putting in 2 1GB modules to see how things work. Would it be a waste to eventually put in 4GBs if Windows XP does not recognize all 4GBs? Is this true? Is there any particular characteristic/brand of different RAM modules that I should avoid or look for??? The RAM that Crucial seems to be recommending is "DDR PC3200, CL=3, Unbuffered, NON-ECC, DDR400, 2.6V". Thanks... Gary

============== I had originally downloaded the file from MediaFire, where I first had the problem running the slideshow. I just downloaded it from Beechbrook and I got the same results. The images freeze a couple minutes into the show, while the music continues to play. I was able to get into the Windows Task Manager while I was having this problem and it ranged from 60+% to 90+%. This really concerns me because I thought I had system that should handle a demanding PTE slideshow. Not sure exactly what the problem is. I would guess that when I am looking for a PC in the future, I will have to use this show as my 'test' to see if the PC is 'good enough'. I am disappointed that I am having this problem with my current system. Gary

================== Peter, It does appear to be that but I think I have an good card (old, but good). Here are my specs: NVidia GeForce FX 5600, 256mb memory. Gary

==================== Greetings, I have downloaded and tried to play JPD's PTE show mentioned above. However, I am having trouble just getting it to play. Sometimes, I just get a black screen after it starts. If I get it to start to play, it gets through the rain sequence and then the panoramic sequence. When it gets to the next sequence with he tree with red flowers as an insert to a larger image; the music continues to play, but the slideshow stops. I am assuming that my PC can not handle this show, for some reason. It is a large file but I have never had problems playing any other PTE show. I am running WinXP with 2GB of RAM. What might my PC be lacking in trying to view this slideshow? I was particularly interested to see what everyone was talking about in reference to the 'video' he included. Any ideas??? Thanks, Gary

Xaver, I did not think of doing that. I'll give it a try. But...it would be nice if Igor could factor in this little calculation in the Autospread mode. Thanks for the instructions. Sincerely, Gary ============

Xaver, I took a look at a PTE file but I could not make sense of it. I am not a programmer but I can't see why it can not be done. The Customized times would be somewhere in the PTE program as an input. The program already does a calculation to determine what would be the normal display time for each slide when the Autospread is check. All that has to be done is to have the total of the Customized display times subtracted from the total music time before the Autospread does its calculation. Seems simple to me but maybe it is not that simple. I hope Igor will chime in here to let us know if it can be done. Thanks... Gary ======================

When you check Autospread, you can not 'customize the display time' for a particular slide. I would like to suggest an enhancement to the Autospread function. I normally check the Sync'd and Autospread functions so all my slides will be spread evenly across the music, automatically. I also want the flexibility to extend the display time on some of the images, while using Autospread. But you can not customize the display time of a slide if you have the Autospread checked. I would like the Autospread function to subtract the total seconds of the 'customized display times' you have put in your slideshow and then recalculate the remaining time (total music time less the customized display seconds) and then spread that remaining time over the slides that don't have a customized displayed time. Now you have a more flexible program for basic slideshows. And it would be neat if it could work with reduced display times for particular slides, too. Gary

Peter, I am glad you see what I am trying to accomplish. I think I will post it to the "Ideas..." Forum. But I think the "Lock slide to here on the timeline" might not be understood correctly. When I first read it, it made me think the actual current position of the customize display time is to be locked where it currently might be on the timeline. What is to be 'locked' is the customized amount of time for the slide, not 'here on the timeline'. And I don't think it needs to be an 'option' that you choose. When 'Autospread' is checked, any customized display time should be automatically factored into the autospreading of the remaining slides. If you are not using 'Autospread', then the 'customized display time' choice will work automatically, as it does now. Right? Gary ==============

Peter, That is not my point. The above attachment with only 4 slides was only a demo of what I am trying to do with larger slideshows. I want to use the Sync'd and Autospread function so all my slides will be spread across the music automatically. I also want the flexibility to do what Lin showed me, and that is to extend the display time on some of the images. But you can not (at least I can't) customize the display time of a slide if you have the Autospread checked. If PTE can Autospread the slides you have over the length of music you have included, why can it not also be made to subtract the total seconds of the 'customized display times' you have put in your slideshow and then recalculate the remaining time (total music time less the customized display seconds) and then spread that time over the slides that don't have a customized displayed time? Now you have a more flexible program for basic slideshows. And it would be neat if it could work with reduced display times for particular slides, too. I think this would be a pretty neat improvement. Does this make sense to anyone? I understand that this might be meaningless for those who don't use Sync'd and Autospread. But I think it makes lots of sense for those who would like to adjust display times while in the Autospread mode. Gary ======================

Lin... Ok...I see what you are saying about the logic of putting 1 slide in for 8 seconds (using your method of Customizing the Display Time) is the same as putting in 2 slides in at 4 seconds. I experimented with your technique. However, my point seems to be getting lost in this discussion. Here is how I would like PTE to work. Say I have 4 slides and 16 seconds of music. I want the slides and music to be Sync'd and AutoSpread. (This is why I liked PTE in the beginning. Throw in some sides and some music and, da da...you have a slideshow that fits with the music's length. No need to edit music to fit and the slides' timing automatically adjusts to whatever is the music's length). So I check Sync'd and Autospread in Project Options/Main tab. Now I am happy that the music starts and end with the beginning and end of the music...my main requirement. Each slide lasts 4 seconds. Now, I want to make an adjustment. I want slide#2 to last 8 seconds... but I still want the slideshow to last 16 seconds and with the music spread over the 4 slides. So I uncheck Autospread and I go into slide#2 and change the Display Time for 8 seconds. I play the show: Slide#1 displays for 4 second; slide#2 displays for 8 seconds; slide#3 displays for 4 seconds; and, slide#4 displays for 4 seconds. This is great, except that the music stops at the beginning of the slide#4, after playing for 16 seconds. So what I would like PTE to do is to display slide#2 for the 8 seconds; and then automatically recalculate the remaining slides to 2.6666 seconds, so that I get the 8 seconds for slide#2 and the rest are redistributed with the remaining time of 8 seconds divided by the 3 slides (with Syn'd and Autospread checked). Now wouldn't that be just perfect? Are you telling me that this can be done now? I have tried and tried but I can not get it done. I understand what you are saying that "What you are trying to achieve doesn't require you to autospread slides," but I want to use autospread. Wouldn't this make slides' timing adjustment easier? Having to edit music to perfectly fit the number of slides would not be necessary. Whether a slide lasts 4 seconds or 4.20 seconds would be less of a concern than having to edit a music selection to fit. If I am missing something here, please let me know. Maybe I am not seeing the forest for the trees! I have attached the above AnimationTest-2 so you can see what I am talking about. Thanks...Gary P.S. I am still trying to figure out the "Scale Keyframes" thing... Give me some more time to fiddle with it. =========================== AnimationTest_2.zip

Lin, As I had mentioned before, I have Syncing Music to Slides and Auto Spread Slides Along Music checked. Doesn't this make a difference? If these are checked, then the slides are evenly spaced over the length of the music. So, I don't understand how, if I change the length of one slide using the Customize menu, that it won't change the timing of the other slides (which I don't want to change). I can see what you say if I am not Syncing or Auto Spreading. Then I am just pushing the total length of the show to be longer, ignoring the music's length. So, I dumped the copied slide. And now I have 3 slides and music to last 12 seconds, with Syncing and AutoSpread checked. In slide#2, I went into 'Customize Slide' and put in a value of 8 seconds. I reset the Keyframes to do the full pan from left to right. However, the music stops after the 2nd slide...about 12 seconds, as expected. So that is why I am doing it the way I am trying to do it. Are you sure your method will work in my situation? Also, I don't think I understand when you say: "Scale Keyframe in Objects (on Time Change) allows you the option of either keeping the timing between keyframes precise or spreading the change over the new timing." Can you explain a little more what you mean? Thanks... Gary ==================

In a recent slideshow, I was able to create the panning of 2 identical slides so they look like one slide being panned. However, apparently that was just some luck because I can't quite reproduce this panning to be seamless. Let me explain: I have an image that I want to have it pan from left to right. If I put this slide in only once, it would pan too fast. I am using the 'Auto spread slides along music' so each slide, lets say, last for 3 seconds. I want the panning of this image to last 6 seconds and not change the rest of the slideshow's setup. Here is how I have been doing it: I animated the first panning slide to pan from the left to the right, stopping about half way (the ending keyframe is 00:06:000). I then copied this slide and inserted it immediately as the next slide. In this copied slide, I dumped the first keyframe and moved its ending keyframe to the beginning of the animation line and inserted an ending keyframe so it finished the panning to the right. So now the ending keyframe of the first panning slide is 00:06:000 and the beginning keyframe of the second panning slide starts at 00:06:000. By looking at the timeline, each of these 2 slides last for 3 seconds. However, here is the problem. As the second panning slide appears (and I changed its 'fade-in' transition to 'quick'), this second panning slide looks as if it is panning faster than the first one. If each slide is to last for 3 seconds, why don't they pan at the same speed? I want it to look seamless but I see this slight increase in speed and I don't like it. Any suggestions? I have attached a small example. In this set, slide#2 and slide#3 (same image) are the ones I am trying to pan seamlessly. Watch as slide#3 appears and you will see the slight increase in panning speed. All of the PTE files are attached. I'd appreciate any suggestions. And I hope this makes sense. Thanks... Gary AnimationTest.zip

Peter... Thanks to you and all the other for your responses. I've got another 'unusual' problem. I'll be posting it soon. Gary ===================

Ralph... Thanks for the nice words. Colombia IS beautiful. Since my wife is from Bogota, I, as a 'gringo,' have had the opportunity to see a lot of Colombia...probably more that most Colombians. I might be able to squeeze out another short slideshow from this short trip. And soon I will be in Austria for about 22 days so I hope I will have more 'fuel' for more slideshows. Thanks... Gary ===============

This is just a portion of our recent trip to Colombia. For one days activity, my wife and I did a 'Canopy Tour' that had a 7-section zip-line over the coffee fields in Quindio, Colombia. We have made many trips to Colombia and, as usual, the people, food and service by the Colombians were superb!!! In this show, I tried a few new (to me) ways to animate images and text. http://www.beechbrook.com/pte/

Lin... I was watching the Performance Tab in the Task Manager as I did a 'Create Exe'. Interesting. Normally it sat around 8 - 10%. Then, as I did a Create Exe, it jumped up, as expected, to about 75%. If I did another 'Create Exe' before the graph reduced down to the normal range, I got the error. I also noticed that the peak of the graph comes down to 'normal' a little after PTE is finished doing the Create Exe. I must admit that I tend to do a Save and Create Exe after I make any changes, and maybe I am doing them too fast. What is strange is that now if I wait a little longer to do another Create Exe, I don't seem to get the error message. But I thought before that I had waited sometime and still was not able to do a Create Exe without getting another similar error message. I think you are correct in pointing out that it is probably a RAM issue, though I do have 2 Gb of RAM. I will keep my eye on this more closely. Thanks...I am pretty sure now that it is something connected with my PC. It only has happened with this large PTE show. Much appreciated... Gary ======================

Lin.... Ohhhhh... I think I see what is going on. I had not set any Custom settings. I used the Project Options/Screen/'Display shadow behind slide image' to get the white shadow. So that is the only place I looked. Now, with your idea, I happened to look in the Object and Animations/Common tab and I see that the Drop Shadow menu has Black chosen. Now, I don't know what I did to have this happen. What is the difference between the two menus? Is the O&A/Common tab a customize setting for that particular slide? I don't remember doing this to only the animated slides. Can there be a 'bug' of some sort? Yes, I understand about the fonts and rasterizing to PNG. I think I just missed that one. Thanks for the ideas!!! I will now go and check on the resource in Task Manager when I have this file open and I'll report back. I can eventually Create it as an Exe after I get the error message if I reboot and restart PTE. I get one or two chances, then I get the error message. But originally, I did not have this problem. I had Saved and Created the Exe many time. Then, suddenly, this started to happen. Thanks for your time and suggestions... Gary ==============

Lin... Oh...I have saved it dozens of times. I just can't get those slides with animation to change the shadow from black to white. I also clicked on 'Set for existing slides' but that did not help. I set the shadow to be 'white' in the Project Options where I expect all the slides to be effected with this change. Am I misunderstanding the process? Gary ========

Lin and Ken... Yes, I did not think of that. I usually use YouSendIt but the file is allowed to be up for only 7 days max. I will try the MediaFire. This file shows the error. Pause and read the first slide with text for full explaination. This is what I wanted to send to Igor: http://www.mediafire.com/file/k2djtt1mznz/CanopyTour-bad.exe This file has all of the PTE files for the above slideshow: http://www.mediafire.com/file/yw5knz2zyx2/...09_10-27-50.zip And, here is the larger slideshow with all the PTE files that is giving me the problem that when I do a Create Exe, I get the error message: "Unable to create file with presentation..." http://www.mediafire.com/file/zmzzj35utmm/...009_8-17-56.zip I hope I did this correctly.... Thanks... Gary =============