Publisher fault

[ms.fuentecilla]

Hello

I have the full Affinity suite installed on my PC but when I try to use Photo in Publisher I get this error screen. All software is fully up to date and the system is Win10, also fully up to date. How do I get this to work please?

[ms.fuentecilla]

Sorry forgot the screen shot

[Old Bruce]

you have to run Photo first (While Publisher is not running) then you can open Publisher and it will be available to use in Studio Link.Y

[ms.fuentecilla]

Not so I'm afraid. It still insists I must buy Photo. Not only that the Buy link doesn't even permit me to enter my purchase code to rectify this irritating failure

Edited December 16, 2021 by ms.fuentecilla
additional information

[Old Bruce]

I don't know enough about the Windows OSes to be certain but I do know that here on Mac the three applications have to be in their default locations. /Applications/Affinity Designer.app, /Applications/Affinity Photo.app, and /Applications/Affinity Publisher.app. If one isn't then Publisher won't see it as existing. I assume there is a similar situation with Windows OS.

[walt.farrell]

Please give us a screenshot of your c:\program files\affinity folder in File Explorer.

Also, screenshots of the Help > About screen for each Affinity application.

[v_kyr]

2 hours ago, ms.fuentecilla said:

Not so I'm afraid. It still insists I must buy Photo. Not only that the Buy link doesn't even permit me to enter my purchase code to rectify this irritating failure

Did you ever run Affinity Photo stand alone and then entered the "license key" you got with the purchase of Affinity Photo? - You may want to check the  Affinity Photo installment you have, if it runs on it's own and is full licensed accordingly.

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, ms.fuentecilla said:

Not so I'm afraid. It still insists I must buy Photo.

When you open Affinity Photo on its own, what happens?

[ms.fuentecilla]

RCR: It runs perfectly!

[ms.fuentecilla]

Walt.Farrell: There was a problem installing the last major update of Photo, which necessitated using a different folder, which I reported at the time but had no feedback. What I then did was rename the folders so that the operative version was once again Photo and the remaining old version, which I couldn't fully uninstall became Photo 1. That shows on the first screenshot. Each individual programme functions perfectly well. The situation with Publisher, which is embarrassing at the moment as I prepare a portfolio, is the one apparent malfunction.

I have been using the software since its inception and before that in beta following the demise of the earlier Serif graphics software suite.

[carl123]

On 12/15/2021 at 1:34 PM, ms.fuentecilla said:

Sorry forgot the screen shot

It might be looking for this file

c:\ProgramData\Affinity\Photo>1.0\license.xml

or

c:\ProgramData\Affinity\Photo1>1.0\license.xml

If it is not there in one of the above folders try copying the one that does exist and paste it there
 

[Old Bruce]

1 hour ago, carl123 said:

It might be looking for this file

c:\ProgramData\Affinity\Photo>1.0\license.xml

or

c:\ProgramData\Affinity\Photo1>1.0\license.xml

It is too early here on the wet left coast but those look identical to me.

[PaulEC]

There's just 1 difference! 😉

[Old Bruce]

More coffee improved my eyesight to brain interface. Thanks for the Photo1 hint.

[R C-R]

7 hours ago, ms.fuentecilla said:

There was a problem installing the last major update of Photo, which necessitated using a different folder, which I reported at the time but had no feedback. What I then did was rename the folders so that the operative version was once again Photo and the remaining old version, which I couldn't fully uninstall became Photo 1.

I do not know enough about Windows to say exactly what the problem is or how to fix it, but it seems very likely it has something to do with you having two versions of Photo both installed on your PC.

Is there some reason you still need to keep the older one?

[ms.fuentecilla]

RC-R: Yes. It won't uninstall completely. There is in fact only one installation, the other is a fragment that the Affinity system refused to remove. Also, it would not permit me to update into that folder in the first place, which is the reason for all this. Hope this completes your info. I have been using computers and windows for long enough to know that endless patience is sometimes needed, though these days the frustrations tend to far, far fewer.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I feel Carl123 in his freedom has the correct answer.

However, neither of these can be found by Search. So perhaps a Serif programmer can suggest a way out please?

Edited December 18, 2021 by ms.fuentecilla

[ms.fuentecilla]

It seems to me that if Photo operates successfully on its own it must have access to the licence code. What seems to be at fault is Publisher, which for some unknown reason is unable to access that code, whatever it is called and wherever it is placed. The ones suggested are not in Win10 Program Files.

[PaulEC]

18 minutes ago, ms.fuentecilla said:

It seems to me that if Photo operates successfully on its own it must have access to the licence code. What seems to be at fault is Publisher, which for some unknown reason is unable to access that code, whatever it is called and wherever it is placed. The ones suggested are not in Win10 Program Files.

I don't know if this will help, but just checking the address, I think the correct location is very slightly different:

C:\ProgramData\Affinity\Photo\1.0\

the licence.xml file should be in there.

 

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, ms.fuentecilla said:

Yes. It won't uninstall completely

That is usually caused by third-party applications that try to clean up one's PC, and delete too much. It can usually be fixed by using the Microsoft Uninstall Troubleshooter, as mentioned in the Affinity FAQs for installation problems on Windows.

[v_kyr]

10 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

That is usually caused by third-party applications that try to clean up one's PC, and delete too much. It can usually be fixed by using the Microsoft Uninstall Troubleshooter, as mentioned in the Affinity FAQs for installation problems on Windows.

Further it also depends on, if under Win such uninstaller tools also wipe out things from the registry entries then or not. Since often older registry entries won't be removed and then can conflict too here when pointing to some other place, aka pointing to older partly removed installments and the like.

For the OP, I can imagine that Publisher looks and checks for the usual initial Affinity software installment places, by either looking after the common "licence.xml" file installment place, or taking the settings out of the Win registry here.

[R C-R]

5 hours ago, ms.fuentecilla said:

RC-R: Yes. It won't uninstall completely. There is in fact only one installation, the other is a fragment that the Affinity system refused to remove.

I do not believe any Affinity app, either on Mac or Windows, has the ability to remove itself from the system. Most likely, you would need a tool like the one @walt.farrell mentioned to remove the vestiges of the older version if you can't simply drag it to the trash & empty it.

[ms.fuentecilla]

Paul EC: Thank you. That was correct and all is present. So now how do I get Publisher to see this please?

RC-R: That doesn't really explain why the update wouldn't install itself in the original folder in the first place, since every other update has successfully done so. However, as you see the licence has been found.

[Wosven]

On 12/16/2021 at 8:57 PM, Old Bruce said:

I don't know enough about the Windows OSes to be certain but I do know that here on Mac the three applications have to be in their default locations. /Applications/Affinity Designer.app, /Applications/Affinity Photo.app, and /Applications/Affinity Publisher.app. If one isn't then Publisher won't see it as existing. I assume there is a similar situation with Windows OS.

I have the apps on a separate partition instead of C:'s usual folders, and there's no problem.

About the path for the licence, it's for example on my installation:

J:\Affinity\Affinity Photo\licence.xml

Same for the other apps but APub bêta, since the first or older version named "Publisher Public Beta" was installed by default in "C:\Program Files\Affinity". So the licence.xml file should be by default in "C:\Program Files\Affinity\Affinity Designer", etc.

There's no licence.xml file in the APub folders, only for Designer and Photo and their bêta version.

It's the same on Win7 and Win10.

[R C-R]

7 minutes ago, ms.fuentecilla said:

RC-R: That doesn't really explain why the update wouldn't install itself in the original folder in the first place, since every other update has successfully done so.

From the Troubleshooter link @walt.farrell posted: 

Quote

 

What it fixes

The troubleshooter helps fix problems that:

Corrupt registry keys on 64-bit operating systems.

Corrupt registry keys that control the update data.

Prevent new programs from being installed.

Prevent existing programs from being completely uninstalled or updated.

Block you from uninstalling a program through Add or Remove Programs (or Programs and Features) in Control Panel.

 

That should explain why the update could not completely remove the old version.

[ms.fuentecilla]

Walt: No use is made of such software, so that doesn't really apply. This remains an enigma and really needs a programmer's intervention probably.