Vegas Pro 18 won't start

Robert-Duffy wrote on 1/4/2024, 3:48 PM

My Vegas Pro 18 program won't start up, from shortcut, start menu, or double-clicking the exe directly. It worked as recently as 3-4 wks ago. I've tried rebooting computer & running as administrator. Tips I've found in the forum for related problems, such as replacing OpenCL.dll & disconnecting from the Internet, have not helped. Windows Reliability History shows nothing unexpected, & nothing referencing Vegas.

Do I have any recourse other than uninstalling & re-installing (or going back through Restore Points to see if I get lucky)? I really don't need to spend money on the upgrade to version 21, since version 18 easily meets my needs (at least if I could run it).

VEGAS Version & Build: Vegas Pro 18, 18.0.527, 5/11/2022
Windows Edition & Version (about your PC): Windows 11 Pro, OS Build 22621.2861
Graphics Card Model: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, Driver 30.0.15/1215

Thanks.

Comments

j-v wrote on 1/4/2024, 4:00 PM

Sure you use that driver for the Nvidiacard?
The best and latest is the Studio driver 546.33
Better than re-installing is resetting the program following this exactly :https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/faq-how-can-i-reset-vegas-pro-to-default-settings--104646/

Robert-Duffy wrote on 1/4/2024, 11:14 PM

Thanks. Unfortunately, since my problem is that the program won't launch at all, I can't follow those reset-default-settings instructions.

Dexcon wrote on 1/5/2024, 1:09 AM

If you do decide to do an uninstal//re-install, it might be best to do a complete 'clean uninstall' (which includes removing Vegas Pro coding from the registry) by following this procedure.

But also note the first link that goes to a page about what to look at if Vegas Pro won't start at all which could be useful before committing to a clean uninstall/re-install.

EricLNZ wrote on 1/5/2024, 3:10 AM

Thanks. Unfortunately, since my problem is that the program won't launch at all, I can't follow those reset-default-settings instructions.

@Robert-Duffy Why not? The instructions require you to "Press CTRL+SHIFT on your keyboard while double-clicking the program's shortcut icon on the desktop to launch it" At that stage the program hasn't launched.

Make sure you get the box to tick to clear your cache.

Robert-Duffy wrote on 1/5/2024, 12:42 PM

Thanks for the reinstallation tips. And just to clarify, nothing happens if I double-click the desktop icon, whether I'm holding down ctrl-shift or not.

Jonahkai-Gresham wrote on 2/10/2025, 1:52 AM

similar issue, it prompts me asking if I give Vegas permission but then nothing.

Jonahkai-Gresham wrote on 2/10/2025, 1:54 AM

went to try and reinstall it and now it is telling me that it is already running, I'll do a bit more troubleshooting.

Jonahkai-Gresham wrote on 2/10/2025, 2:00 AM

in this screenshot you can see that it seems to have started just fine but without showing in the taskbar and without any form of GUI!

Dexcon wrote on 2/10/2025, 5:12 AM

@Jonahkai-Gresham ... have you carried out any or all of the procedures linked in my earlier comment re the OP's post - it's the 3rd comment after the original post.

First, start with resetting Vegas Pro back to its default (factory) settings - procedure given here - and if that doesn't work explore the other recommendations given in the links.

The last option is to do a clean uninstall and then re-install of Vegas Pro as outlined here but which does involve editing the registry as part of the clean uninstall. When editing the registry it is very important to very cautious because there is no Undo / Ctrl-Z option if a mistake is made.

Robert-Duffy wrote on 2/10/2025, 3:22 PM

FWIW, I have done a full uninstall & re-install of Vegas Pro several times. That gets the program to open & be usable--for somewhere around 2-4 weeks. Then I will see an intermediate behavior: I can't start the program from menu or desktop icon, but I CAN start it by double-clicking on a VEG file. That works for a couple weeks, & then it is back to not working at all. Very frustrating, & I've found no explanation. I now just use other programs day-to-day, & go through the re-installation rigamarole only if I'm doing a large project where the functionality & my familiarity w/ Vegas makes that the least-wasteful of my time.

amendegw wrote on 2/10/2025, 4:40 PM

This was for Vegas Pro 20, but might also apply to 18.

Good Luck!
...Jerry

Robert-Duffy wrote on 2/10/2025, 5:32 PM

Holy cow Jerry, that works! Many thanks. The only thing I'll add is that JUST ONE attempt to open Vegas created TWO instances of it in Background Tasks. But as the video describes, ending one of the tasks allows Vegas to start. How weird--but will keep my fingers crossed that this continues to work.