Thanks Keith - I've been trying to fix this for 10 mins - done it many times before, but can't get 'em up - I'll keep trying though.

The FIRST and THIRD messages are "Your Vegas Pro Trial has Expired, enter you Serial number if you've already bought ... Serial number entered, click "Submit" and then I get:

"The application will restart to complete the upgrade process"

I click ok and get the first message again.

Thanks
Peter

edit: images in first post fixed - see above!!

Ouch. That is not the message I thought you might be getting. I did a complete reinstall but it wasn't the trial version, it was the one that I downloaded from the registration in my account on the site. It may not be any different, but it asked for my serial differently.

That is one where you phone call the tech support under the registration issues prompt, no charge by Sony. Unfortunately, a phone call from your house is not a simple matter. It is the only suggestion that I have though, other than uninstalling and downloading a fresh copy from your account software list on the site with the serial number there cut and pasted. Something tells me that you have already tried that, but if not it is worth a try. Then I would have to make the phone call. (ouch)

Strange: when I installed it, I was asked if it was demo mode or if I had a SN. Did you put your SN in when you reinstalled it?

Peter,
this is one of the very, very few times I would recommend something that support recommend way too often in my opinion.

Try doing a bare metal install. That means to uninstall every SCS app and remove every registry entry for every SCS application. You may need to be very thorough in doing this. I know that is a LOT of work, beem there done that to no avail with other Vegas issues. This really smells of something messed up in the registry.

I have spent two days on a similar wierd problem, nothing at all to do with Vegas. I've been trying to install version 2.1.176 of an app and the installer kept coming back and saying "This database requires version 2.3.0 to run" and then it would quit.
Very long story short, the problem was just one registry entry. The key was one of those nasty ones with curly brackets at the ends.

Bob.

HappyFriar -
I put my Serial No. in when prompted in the above screen - that is the first time I was asked for it. I also have an authorisation code for the same machine, obtained when my ill fated V10 was first installed, but I never got to the stage in the second installation where they asked for that.

I'd do what bob suggested, but first I'd try uninstalled V10, deleting the sony Setup folder in program files & then download the version from "my software" vs the trial (that's what it looks like). Then install that way.

Thanks HF. I'll have a go in the morning. I've just received a response from Support which produced exactly the symptoms I described in the first post above. The suggested solution repeated the problem.

They then say:
"If the problem persists, I would recommend creating a fresh administrator account, and reinstalling the program under the new account. If you still have a follow-up question on this particular incident, please feel free to update it. If you have a completely different question, please create a new incident."

May or may not be good advice, but it would have helped if they gave me a clue as to how to do this, or does everybody else on the planet know how to create a new administrator account?

Thanks Bob

I'll keep this as an option. If I go this way, I must first learn how to do a Ghost Image once everything's working. I've got away with not having this for so long, and it's catching up with me.

Anyone recommend the best current system back-up software?

no need for a ghost, just backup the registry & do a search for "vegas". Then delete those entries (after you uninstall the software! :D )

"does everybody else on the planet know how to create a new administrator account? "

I'm a bit rusty on this but it goes something like this. Create a new user and make them an administrator by making them a member of the administrator group. Windows Help should explain the exact details.

When you've done this and assuming all goes well just keep one thing in mind in the back of youe head. The new user is actually an administrator equivalent not the actual system administrator. Usually that distinction doesn't matter at all.

Bob.

Acronis True Image is pretty popular.
Use it to make a backup of you system disk to say a USB drive. Also create a physical recovery disk to boot from.
I've never actually had to do a system restore, I did check that I could get to all but the last phase of doing one i.e. boot from recovery disk and load image. That's when I discovered that doing a restore from a network drive was not all that easy and started using a USB drive.

Bob.

Thanks TLF - I'm currently trying that. The reason I had the trial version is simply that this is what I originally downloaded, tried, bought, unlocked and was using happily until it refused to open.

So - and now it's getting weirder again - I downloaded again from My Software, uninstalled the Trial then TRIED to instal the new download. Clicking on the .exe file brought this:

"The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check your computers' system information to see whether you need an x86 (32 bit) or x64 (64 bit) version of the program, and then contact the software publisher."

The version I am trying to instal is 64 bit. The Windows is W7 64 bit. This was a brand new W7 64 bit installation prior to V10 arriving, and it's working fine with everything except V10.
I don't know what's going on - I guess I'll try the new administrator thing next ...

edit: Well, I created a Fresh Administrator account, tried to instal the redownloaded program and got the same message I just desribed re. wrong Windows version.
So then I again tried reinstalling the original trial version. This installed promptly,(so it IS the right Windows Version) .... BUT .... when I tried to open the newly installed program, I got back to the original Vicious Circle of messages that I started this thread with.

Not sure what to try next - this reminds me of a car bumper sticker:
"Help! - the Paranoids are trying to get me!"

Well Peter you've tried all the easy stuff. I fear it is time to bite the bullet and get into the registry. Your latest experiment is sounding more and more like the frustrating dramas that just cost me two days of my life.
The problem is when you uninstall a lot of apps they don't totally clean up their mess in the registry. After all my tribulations I can say this, you are less likely to screw things up editing the registry than the mess you can get into if you don't. Also do plenty of cold restarts. One of my problems magically just plain fixed itself.

What I would do is download a copy of CC Cleaner from Piniform if you haven't already and let it clean the registry for you, I've yet to have it stuff anything up. The only thing to watch out for is don't let it remove Cookies that you might want to keep unless you're good at remembering passwords for websites. CC Cleaner did not fix all the issues I had but it got me closer. If that doesn't fix your problem run Regedit and search for keys that contain any values with Sony, SCS etc in them. You can rename the keys so if it does mess something up you can change them back easily enough.

Good Luck.

Bob.

Thanks Bob - yes , good advice as usual! No problem with cookies - the PC in question is not on the internet. I'll have to just allocate an afternoon or more - won't be today -I have some relatives from snowy England arriving later on. CC Cleaner sounds just what I need.

It's still hard to swallow having to uninstall everything SCS, but it seems I have no choice if I want to use V10 again.

Cheers,

Peter

You might not have to uninstall everything SCS.
I think the reason they ask you to do that is in case you meddle with registry entries for SCS products other than Vegas. Their approach would take a lot more work for you but is simpler to explain for them i.e. more goof proof.

Bob.

I'm not normally the sort to despair, but I'm getting pretty close ....

Support told me to try disabling Windows UAC (User Account Control) then trying again .... I did and it made no difference - still stuck in the original loop.

So, I then I took a deep breath and went with their:
"If this does not resolve the issue, then you'll need to perform a clean reinstall of the software (including removal of registry keys) as indicated in the following article."

The article was the "famous" step by step instructions to remove everything to do with SCS - Acid, other Vegas versions, DVDA, CD Architect, Sound Forge etc, then to go through and remove all the necessary Registry entries. So I did all this, reinstalled V10, rebooted Windows and .... yes, it made no difference - the loop continues.

So now I have to reinstal and re-register all those programs and all their plug-ins, and I still can't use V10.

As I wrote to the support person, this must be either:

a) A flaw in their re-activate after trial expires routine, or

b) Something in my installation which causes the above loop, which must be trackable by their programmers. I click ok when it says the application will restart, but it doesn't restart, it goes back to the previous "Enter Serial number message" This can only happen if something in their coding makes it happen. Or am I being simplistic?

I've wasted so much time and money on this and got nowhere.

Hmmm...

Instead of clicking the OK button, what happens if you just leave the install to do its "Restart" as it says? Does it just sit there doing nothing? Or can you see the HD activity lamp flickering?

I say this as having installed countless times, some installs do take a lot of time before they successfully defecate and get off.

Grazie

Good question Grazie. There is an occasional flicker, not sure what's causing it though - left it like that for 5 minutes, then, inspired by your lateral thinking, instead of clicking ok, I just restarted the computer ... but when I went to reopen V10 my favourite "Enter serial number" appeared...

as you said, Hmmmmmmmmmm

LEave it for longer than 5 minutes. Leave it for 30 minutes or so. You can then tell SONY that the install procedure is hanging See?

Grazie

Thanks Grazie - will do just that.

Peter,
did you do what I suggested and do a complete search of the registry by key values?
Unless support have changed their stock instructions it does not include doing this. There are more registry entries than just the ones with "Sony" in the key and I'll now wager good money it's something deeper inside the bowels of the registry that is messed up.
Your only other alternative now I fear is a complete system rebuild and I'd hate for you to have to do that if the problem can be cured without doing it.

Bob.

So even if you don't use the trial version & use the one listed in "My Software" it STILL says it's in trial version after you choose to type in your SN, enter your registration info & it loads up Vegas?

Impressive in the error you found!