Win 10 Affinity Photo 2 won't start - MSIX or MSI (Beta)

[PhilipPeake]

I had (have) a problem with V2 photo on my windows system.

Publisher and Designer (V2) run with no problems Photo2 doesn't start up. It fails before displaying even a splash screen or writing any error messages. I was hoping that an MSI install would fix the problem. It does not, it fails in the same way.

If I run as administrator, MSI or MSIX, it runs - asks for license details.

That looks to me like some sort of permissions problem. With the limited diagnostics I could get with an MSIX install, it *looked* to me as if it was failing on a directory creation?
I get the same sort of result trying to debug the MSI install - but I am not a Windows programmer, and don't have real tools to track down the string containing the name of the directory I think it is trying to create:

Maybe this makes sense to someone?? Probably needs someone familiar with the start-up code on Windows.
Note the stack ... InternalCreateDirect...  (Directory??)
Remember - works as Admin, not as me ...

Philip

[debraspicher]

I had a similar error when running the MSI Test installer and I seem to remember it raised the same Exception. The cause was my anti-virus chirping in the background and sniffing the process before it let it fully open (took a few popups). In my case though, it ran through the first test(s), then ran fine afterwards.

[PhilipPeake]

The Event Viewer supports my theory that it is a permissions problem:

 

Application: Photo.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.UnauthorizedAccessException
   at System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32, System.String)
   at System.IO.Directory.InternalCreateDirectory(System.String, System.String, System.Object, Boolean)
   at System.IO.Directory.InternalCreateDirectoryHelper(System.String, Boolean)
   at Serif.Interop.Persona.Application.EnsureDirectoryExists(System.String)
   at Serif.Interop.Persona.Application.get_AppDataPathForAllUsers()
   at Serif.Interop.Persona.Application..ctor()
   at Serif.Affinity.Application..ctor()
   at Photo.Application.Main(System.String[])

Now all I really need to know is where is it trying to create this directory???

[Callum]

Hi PhillipPeake,

I apologise for the delayed response to your thread. Have you since been able to get Affinity installed? If not please could you tell me if you have tried disabling any anti virus software you might be running as debraspicher suggested?

Thanks
C

[PhilipPeake]

The problem isn't installation. It installs just fine, and as I said, will actually run if I use "run as administrator". There is no anti-virus software.

You can see (above) from the rather basic trace of execution which is all I was able to do, it fails when trying to create a directory - but doesn't log anything, so no idea where it was trying to create this - knowing that would probably allow me to check permissions and probably fix this.

Note that photo1 and all other V2 products work fine as MSIX or MSI installations.

[PhilipPeake]

On 2/24/2023 at 7:47 AM, PhilipPeake said:

The problem isn't installation. It installs just fine, and as I said, will actually run if I use "run as administrator". There is no anti-virus software.

You can see (above) from the rather basic trace of execution which is all I was able to do, it fails when trying to create a directory - but doesn't log anything, so no idea where it was trying to create this - knowing that would probably allow me to check permissions and probably fix this.

Note that photo1 and all other V2 products work fine as MSIX or MSI installations.

Really, I think the quickest way to answer this is to show the above trace to one of the devs who will probably quickly be able to identify where the failure is, and what directory creation fails???

[PhilipPeake]

Another data point: I wondered if it might be something specific to my account/filesystem, so created a new user.

Same results.

[deannab]

same problem with windows 11. just plain won't start. doesn't resolve, really frustrated

[PhilipPeake]

I have no idea what to do to get any attention for this problem.

@Callum Suggestions please???????

Is there support for these products? or not?

[deannab]

FYI have the latest upgrade and it's been working fine

[PhilipPeake]

Just now, deannab said:

FYI have the latest upgrade and it's been working fine

I have the latest upgrade and it has exactly the same problem.

[deannab]

are you using the windows store version? that's the one i installed

[PhilipPeake]

No. The one downloaded directly from Serif.

I just wish it would output an error message somewhere, saying exactly where it tried, and failed to create a directory, which is what the problem is, as far as I can tell.

[debraspicher]

I have a dumb idea. Try running the programs in Safe mode and maybe have most things disabled? See if it behaves differently?

Hopefully Callum will answer soon. I would email support though and get a ticket started, because it's been far too long that you're not able to even use the program at all...

[PhilipPeake]

59 minutes ago, debraspicher said:

I have a dumb idea. Try running the programs in Safe mode and maybe have most things disabled? See if it behaves differently?

Hopefully Callum will answer soon. I would email support though and get a ticket started, because it's been far too long that you're not able to even use the program at all...

It installs fine, and will run if I run it as administrator.

I am pretty sure it is one of those random Windows 10 things ... permissions somehow incorrect.
The other products run fine. The little bit that gets recorded in the system/application logs and running it with a debugger all point to a function being called to create a directory, very early on in the initialization - before the splash screen, which fails. Unfortunately, I can't determine where this is supposed to be created, or its name.

Where do I open a support ticket?? All I could find were the forums...

[deannab]

11 hours ago, PhilipPeake said:

It installs fine, and will run if I run it as administrator.

I am pretty sure it is one of those random Windows 10 things ... permissions somehow incorrect.
The other products run fine. The little bit that gets recorded in the system/application logs and running it with a debugger all point to a function being called to create a directory, very early on in the initialization - before the splash screen, which fails. Unfortunately, I can't determine where this is supposed to be created, or its name.

Where do I open a support ticket?? All I could find were the forums...

yeah, am pretty sure it was a permission problem for me. will prob try to install again as a program instead of an app at some point. prefer to run that way too. right now it has to work however i can make it. have a print deadline in less than a week. am also on windows 11. perhaps that makes a diff?

[debraspicher]

23 hours ago, PhilipPeake said:

Where do I open a support ticket?? All I could find were the forums...

It's under contact us towards forum footer (See: affinitysupport@serif.com email). You can post the thread here so they see prior things you have tried.