Thanks for your suggestions.

I did try to remove the Shared Plug-ins folder, tried to manually create the folder empty but the error message is always the same.
I also tried to upgrade to 8.0c and it failed with a similar message.
The folder shared plug-ins was created with the original 8.0 install.

Also, I only have one machine with Vista 64 so I can't test on a different machine. My other system is xp and it is a separate licensed copy of Vegas and it upgraded to 8.0c with no problem.

What I didn't try is a total un-install of Sony Vegas Pro 8.0b and start over but I'm concerned about losing my license status if I uninstall and try to re-install.

You should be able to uninstall and re-install with no problems at all as many times as you want (I have done it numerous times). Also you can install your Vegas on different machines but you cant use them simultaneously. I use my Vegas in my studio and on my home laptop.

I don't know much about this but I do have 8.1 installed along with 8.0c with Vista 64 bit. The C:\Program Files (x86) is for 32 bit programs. Your 8.1 will install in the C:\Program Files directory which is for 64 bit programs. If you have 8.0b running then the C:\Program Files (x86)\Sony\Shared Plug-Ins should be created and accessable. Something is up here.

Can you successfully install and uninstall other 64 bit programs? I mean true 64 bit stuff. One to try is a free download from Microsoft.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=CC41218D-7E37-4546-BF0B-1276959EE3EF&displaylang=en --

If you can install and uninstall other true 64 bit stuff then your Vista is ok -- if not -- I would say unless you are an expert in fixing the registry, do a full backup and reinstall Vista 64.

xberk is correct. You SHOULD be installing to program files... not program file (x86), otherwise the shared plugins folder gets mixed up with the one from vegas 8c (It must be a SEPARATE shared plugins folder and there is already one in Program files(x86)\Sony

Finally got both 8.1 and 8.0c loaded.

Appears that the permissions were incorrect in the Sony/Vegas 8.0 folder and sub folders. It was a long and difficult process to correct each file. Some of the sub folders were able to be corrected using inherit from parent folder but many I had to go in and manually reassign the ownership first and then reset the permissions to Full control second. Once this was done I was able to do the two upgrades.

As I kept making the security changes to each file in the original 9.0b Vegas, I would get just a little more of the install to take.

One friend who really knows this stuff helped me discover the problem and explained that I needed to correct the ownership of each file first before resetting to full control. I think what got screwed up is when I tried to do an install first and something aborted; and Sony suggested trying to install with a new admin name. My friend said this caused a broken SID. I ended up with some files owned by one admin and others by another admin.
Another suggestion was to uninstall everything and start over but that didn't work because none of my log-ins would allow me to uninstall Vegas.

A few of my plug-ins don't seem to work with 8.1 but with 8.0c loaded I think I'll have what I need.

Your mistake was to try to install Vegas 8.1 over an existing version of Vegas, in this case 8.0b. I would be surprised if you do not run into problems because of this. Vegas 8.0b belongs in \Program Files(x86), and Vegas 8.1 in \Program files, and they will co-exist fine.

I believe 8.1 is designed to upgrade from an existing 8.0b. When you install it on a properly configured machine it leaves you with two Vegas instances that work.

I actually got the 8.1 working first from 8.0b and then went back and upgraded the 8.0b to 8.0c.

The 8.1 version still needs to read the 8.0b files and that was why it would not install.

After working with my friend, his analysis of what went wrong was correct. The mistake was trying to do a part install using a second admin account. This resulted in part of the original Vegas being assigned a different Owner. I should have never listened to the suggestion by Sony tech support to do that. The other thing I got from Sony tech support is that Sony Vegas 8.0c does not install on a 64 bit Vista machine, yet many here and now me too, are runing both with no problems. And, yes, FYI the 64 bit version 8.1 installed in the Program Files Folder and the 8.0c version in the Program files (x86) folder, same as 8.0b once the file owner and permissions were corrected.

The 8.1 version still needs to read the 8.0b files and that was why it would not install.

Well... I know that is not true. I have a Vista64 machine on which I've installed Vegas Pro 8.1. It does NOT have any other version of Vegas installed (although I may go ahead and install 8.0c sometime in the future). It's running fine with no previous versions of Vegas installed.

Don, glad to see you get it going. I have my new Quad system running but still on 8.0b. on Vista 64. I know on my other machine I used to install each upgrade as a new version so if it did not work out I could go back to using the previous one. So I want to now install 8.0c and 8.1 on this new machine. I can still do separate location installs and then uninstall the earlier versions when I no longer need them without affecting plugins and such for the newer versions? I could use a refresher on this primer. Thanks.

Gary

"The 8.1 version still needs to read the 8.0b files and that was why it would not install. "

This is not true in any way, shape, or form. These are two completely different programs that do not rely on each other at all. Either one can be installed without the other.

Regardless of your logic, that was EXACTLY the error message I got when attempting to do the 8.1 install on a machine that had 8.0b on the it.

During the install of the 8.1 upgrade file ( not an original install software ) the error referenced: "unable to access the 8.0b files( the specific files were referenced in a path) in the \Program Files (x86)" and then stopped with the install. Once I corrected the Ownership conflicts in those (x86) files in Vegas 8.0 the 8.1 installed correctly. One of Sony tech support suggestions was to uninstall 8.0b and reinstall it, Then, install 8.1 upgrade file. It could be that the 8.1 install file was attempting to access the registration info because after I made the corrections to ownership and permissions, the 8.1 install ran correctly and I never was queried as to my registration ser number. It just launched with that information.
I'm not going to argue with you about your theories, I'm just reporting what didn't work, what the error message was, and what was done to make it work. It was not a problem with Vegas or my hardware. It was a problem I had screwed up in the securities and permissions consistency in the Vegas 8.0b software folder.

Again, I repeat, I now have both 8.0c and 8.1 working without any issues. I have completed one small project in 8.1 with AVCHD for Blu Ray and am now wrapping up a very complex project with 8.0c ( 50 timelines, color correction, lots of masking, pan and crop and use of a number of 3rd party plugins.) I'm looking forward to a faster rendering time as the times on test renderings now are running about twice as fast as my other P4 machine with 8.0c.
My only disappointment with 8.1 now is the several plugins I use often do not work in 8.1.

Hi Gary-

I'm not sure about installing to separate locations as I didn't try it this time. Like you, in the past I would always custom set a folder with a different name like Sony Vegas 8.0c and it would work.

What went wrong in my case was very specific trouble in the ownership and permissions on individual files within the folder of Sony Vegas 8.0 where 8.0b was installed from new. That happened when a first attempt to install 8.1 aborted for an unknown reason, and Sony suggested I switch ownership to a new admin name. According to my local expert this might have worked but the file updates became inconsistent and some files were reassigned new ownership with full admin control while others were different ownership. He had a name for it and said it has happened with Vista often during installs with multiple accounts. In effect it was a mess! By this time I couldn't even launch Vegas 8.0b anymore. My local Vista engineer gave me two choices, do a system restore and reinstall all the software or re-establish consistent ownership to the admin account that I was logged into and reset the permissions. This is a two step process. I will say I am an expert now at this process as I have had to do it for over a hundred files. :) Once this was completed, several hours work, The upgrades to first 8.1 install and second, the 8.0C went off without a problem.

You will want to have both if you are doing the HD like AVCHD files. 8.1 really works nice with those video projects. If you aren't using any 3rd party plugins, you may just use the 8.1 all the time. On my SD projects, the 8.0c works great.

As you know the one safety net I have here is the several seats of Vegas I have so I'm not stuck on getting a project out if a machine gets hosed, like this Vista problem I had for over a week.

Anyway, good to hear from you. I guess you are mostly recovered from the hurricane. Drop me an e-mail with an update sometime.

"During the install of the 8.1 upgrade file ( not an original install software ) the error referenced: "unable to access the 8.0b files( the specific files were referenced in a path) in the \Program Files (x86)" and then stopped with the install."

That more than likely had something to do with your trying to install 8.1 into the same directory structure as 8b. It could also have something to do with (I'm guessing here) 8.1 seeing 8b and trying to check the validity of your license.

But the pure fact is that many people (including myself) are running 8.1 on a completely separate system with no other vegas systems installed... and no request for Vegas 8 (32bit) in any form..... other than the registration number.

Again... as with any other version of vegas that Sony has put out, 8.1 is it's own program and DOES NOT require other versions to be installed.

"That more than likely had something to do with your trying to install 8.1 into the same directory structure as 8b."

No, No, No! A thousand times no! :) Please stop trying to make up stuff about what I did. I never tried to install 8.1 into the x86 folder where 8.0b was installed. Only 8.0c upgrade was installed that way and that was decided by Vegas, not me.



"It could also have something to do with (I'm guessing here) 8.1 seeing 8b and trying to check the validity of your license."

Yes. Now you have figured out what is happening. AND, I'll bet you will soon come to the conclusion that if Vegas 8.1 doesn't see a previous version of Vegas installed it will query you as to your authorization. :) ...to enter the keys.


Here's what I think was going on-

The Vegas upgrade first tests for a previous install. If yes it tries to access the registration info (regardless of 64 bit or 32 bit version) If no then it queries you for the registration codes. BUT, if yes and the file to where the registration is installed will not permit access then the install aborts. Others with no prior install will get no notice that they have a previous install so there is nothing to go wrong. But as in my case the previous install had become corrupt and prevented the upgrade from finishing. We fixed it one way but there was another way too that would have worked, that is to delete all references to the 8.0b and then do a clean install as if we never had a previous 8.0b there and enter the requested codes as your install did.
But there was a catch to this second approach. That is with the files corrupt, there was no permission granted to uninstall either. Therefore we decided the easiest approach was to fix the 8.0b structure. Once that was done, bingo! the 8.1 install completed. Then I did a flawless upgrade to 8.0c, now I have both running fine. :)


The car wouldn't start. A smart mechanic figured out the Battery was dead. We fixed the battery and now the car starts fine. What is the point of now another mechanic coming along and trying to say the problem was the car was out of gas?