PattiR

OK, I finally figured it out. Once I looked at it on my tablet. It was the settings in my Nvidia card. So, just to be safe, I re-calibrated both monitors. 
Thanks for pushing me to keep checking. New settings are also easier on my eyes. 😃

OK, I finally figured it out. Once I looked at it on my tablet. It was the settings in my Nvidia card. So, just to be safe, I re-calibrated both monitors. 
Thanks for pushing me to keep checking. New settings are also easier on my eyes. 😃

OK, I finally figured it out. Once I looked at it on my tablet. It was the settings in my Nvidia card. So, just to be safe, I re-calibrated both monitors. 
Thanks for pushing me to keep checking. New settings are also easier on my eyes. 😃

Looking forward to new official release. While I purchased all the modules when released, I have not installed the V2 windows release and have waited for the MSI installers. Hoping it will be soon
 

@Patrick Connor
Hi we are getting towards the end of the week..hope to see those MSI installers.
Gary
 

I imagine there were maybe advantages to switching to the Microsoft App Installer (.msix files).
However, for the user, the problems have increased:
There are many who have problems being able to install the packages. For example, it took me hours because the packages from Serif did not run for me. Only after downloading them directly from the Microsoft Store was I able to install them.
The next problem is the integration of the new programs in others. Now you can't find an .exe file which is accepted by other programs.

I'm locking this thread from further replies as we've confirmed an MSI installer will be available shortly. Thanks all for your feedback here.

It doesn't. If it did, I would never have found this thread.

At worst go ahead and upgrade before the offer expires, but just don't install until the MSI is available.

In this day and age it is expected. I know of very few "creatives" in my network that don't use a slew of different packages depending on the specific requirement and a lot of those applications are able to interoperate. I'm sure in time this (bat files and link names etc) will be well known and work more transparently but for now it requires some arcane knowledge and IT skills beyond that of the normal use of the app to get your workflow back to where it was in the previous version. I'm content because it looks like I'm up and running again. Thanks again for your help.

OK, so I've now just hit this issue. I use Blender for all of my 3D work and Photo has been my image editor for several years. V1 worked great. V2 seems to be a mystery as to how to get it to work. Maybe someone can comment on this. In Blender / Settings you are asked to browse to the EXE file to set up the path. Because of the MS App walled garden this is now not possible using the old method of following the icon properties etc. as Windows is effectively "hiding" the actual location.

So I launch the program and use task manager to locate the program which then appears to work but Blender complains about it being unable to launch the application. I'm guessing that this is a permissions issue more than anything.

Copying this path to the Run Command also fails:

I can see as a stand-alone application that the MS App model will work fine. If you need to integrate it with other applications which use a regular Shell Execute call then you are going to run into this problem.
This is really disappointing and disrupts what was previously a nice workflow. Maybe there is a solution that I'm not aware of.

I'd been using Windows' built-in Ransomware Protection - it denies write access to executables until you approve them.  And V2 broke that, with this new installation scheme.  I'm trying to figure out how to specify the path to the new executable, but if that path keeps changing, it will be a PITA.   
 
Looks like the developers were pulled in by the Microsoft siren song of "here's our new way to do things, you need to need on board",  and as a former developer I know just how that works.  I suggest going back to a standard application installation, if only because this is going to be an endless source of confusion and a drain on Serif's support people.

Add me to the list of people not happy with this change. I have 4 licenses and was about to purchase the new version when I noticed this change. I have put my purchase on hold. I don't like the App Store system as I store my applications in different folders based on their purpose. Please give us a regular installation.

Yeah:

I concur. I was about to purchase v2 and then discovered threads like these. I won't have anything to do with the Microsoft store or Windows Apps. Waiting to see if a regular .exe or .msi will become available.

I have the utmost respect for Serif, and coming from a software engineering background (since 1983), I understand the developing and marketing realities, but this is a fiasco. Some of their customers -- myself included -- are willing to jump through hoops to install software, yet this is literally the first program that I've been unable to install on this Win10 installation. I can't remember anything like this in any Windows software since forever, it's more akin to mounting an unsupported CD drive in 1990's Linux. If the trial worked as well as V1, I would purchase all three, as I have no problem with their business model of, y'know, trying to make money.
I need professional software, not apps; apps are something other people use in the bathroom. Affinity was a great bargain for professionalesque software, but it's grossly overpriced for a few "apps" -- it's a perception faceplant. Plus, I don't want anything that updates without explicit, unambiguous permission.
Serif goes to impressive lengths to link into a "studio", yet throws a grenade into the entire concept of workflow -- in lieu of a DAM (which I don't much care about), have they even bothered to contact FastStone, et al. so their files are even recognized as image files? It isn't absolutely necessary for FastStone to display a thumbnail, but as of 7.7 & Affinity V1, it doesn't even show an icon, so a folder full of .afphoto files shows as empty. I guess the question many are asking, who are Affinity products even aimed at now?
This is not a request for help, as the easiest workaround for testing is to create a Win10/11 Hyper-V VM and install it there. You'll likely have to use a unregistered installation, if you don't have a spare Windows license just sitting around, but it works.
Finally, how much app-specific Telemetry is now going on, and is Serif the recipient, by any means whatsoever, when the Send Crash Info box is not checked?
Consider this post Tough Love💔, as if I didn't like Serif, I would not have posted at all.

I tried this and it works, thanks.
I use V1 and I'm evaluating V2 on 30 day trial. To be honest cost is not a factor in deciding if I'll move to V2. However integration is absolutely critical and the inability to call V2 from DXO etc means I'd not bother to use V2 even if it were a free upgrade. If this work around is a one-off then I'm OK, but if it is required every time there is an upgrade I cannot live with that either. So, I'll wait and see if the matter is addressed in the course of my trial period, or at least an update is released and proves I do not have to keep repeating the work around.
I really want to continue with Affinity, for many reasons I wish them lots of success and I'm very happy to spend my money with them. I'm just so surprised that they've taken this miss-step with V2. Here's hoping they respond rapidly to our feedback.

I posted a rant about this issue in another thread before seeing this thread.
There is an easy way Affinity could fix this problem while still keeping the Windows App architecture.
Install as a Windows App, but then create stub executables that contain only the relevant icon in C:\Program Files\Affinity\Photo\Photo.exe. This stub executable will simply exec the real executable located in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\<mangled name>\App\Photo.exe. The installation can also create a normal program group in the start menu as well as desktop links, at the option of the user.
This method will also allow Affinity2 to integrate into the workflow of other software in the same was as Affinity1 does, since they'll be able to call a normal executable.
Every time there is a new software release, the installer should update the stub executable as well, so that it points to the new location, since that will change. We'd then have an app that behaves nicely both in the normal windows desktop experience as well as in this crippled Windows App model

I will be getting my universal license refunded. Installing it as an app has destroyed my workflow. E.g. calling from other programs does not work anymore.   Serif has described some of the disadvantages in their FAQ. The only advantage is that Serif has less support requests.  The user has only disadvantages. The workarounds are an imposition. Serif has lost a lot of sympathy with me because of this.

Just bought the Suite and could not find the installation files so was unable to create shortcuts and worse unable to find a way to run the software! The only way I could launch the software was to double-click on the downloaded installation files which gave me the option to Launch from there. Total irritation and confusion.
However in the meantime after much faffing about through the Forum I discovered to my dismay that these are "App" files and do not install into the Program folder of my C drive and do not appear in my Programs & Features... How do I uninstall them?
I absolutely hate this unexplained change to installing/removing software and am not happy with the way this has been implemented, particularly as no advanced notification (as far as I could tell) was given.
I very much like what Serif is doing with Affinity and love the software but cannot stand this insane change to the standard installation procedure.
Please Serif fix this unwanted installation mess asap. and please retain some independence from the dumbing-down that Micro$oft continually applies to Windows in the so-called attempt to make it better.
I sincerely hope you listen.

Agreed.  So far, I'm unable to install the upgrades that I just purchased.  I keep getting errors which I'm guessing are due to my shutting off a lot of the spyware features of Windoze 10.
I'm hoping they are planning on releasing a good ol' EXE - if not, I'm going to want a refund.