Affinity Publisher 2.4.1 crashing on load/create document

[APoster]

1. What Application are you using? [Designer/Photo/Publisher]
   1. Using affinity publisher
2. Are you using the latest release version?
   1. Version 2.4.1 - original install as well as deleted and freshly downloaded from the serif website
3. Can you reproduce it?
   1. Yes, reproducable.
4. Does it happen for a new document? If not can you upload a document that shows the problem?
   1. Yes; open Affinity. Try to create any new document or load any existing document
5. If you cannot provide a sample document then please give an accurate description of the problem for example it should include most of the following:

•    What is your operating system and version (Windows 11, OSX Ventura, iOS 16 etc)?
  •    Windows 11 23H2 (build 22635.3430)
•    Is hardware acceleration (in Preferences > Performance) ON or OFF ? (and have you tried the other setting?)
  •    Hardware acceleration originally on; turned off and same result occur
•    What happened for you (and what you expected to happen)
  •    What happens:
    • Open affinity publisher
      • Close new document window
      • File -> Open recent -> filename.afpub.
        • Anticipated behaviour: document opens, ready for editing
        • Actual behaviour: Publisher hangs, must be force-quit. Windows error "program has stopped responding."
    • Open affinity publisher
      • Select any document from new document template window
      • press 'create'
        • Anticipated behaviour: new document created, ready for editing.
        • Actual behaviour: Publisher hangs, must be force-quit. Windows error "program has stopped responding."
•    Provide a recipe for creating the problem (step-by-step what you did).
• 
• 
• 
• 

[Dan C]

Hi @APoster,

Welcome to the Affinity Forums and sorry to hear you're having trouble!

Please open the Affinity app and without opening a document, navigate to Edit > Preferences > Performance, then provide a screenshot of your settings here for me?

Many thanks in advance

[APoster]

Sure thing! My path is Edit -> Settings -> Performance, there wasn't a 'preferences' tab.

 

[Dan C]

12 hours ago, APoster said:

My path is Edit -> Settings -> Performance

My apologies, I had habitually quoted the V1 path and not the V2 path incorrectly - I'm glad to hear you were able to find the relevant option regardless!

The issue you're experiencing usually indicates that your GPU drivers are outdated, and as I can see your device has 2 compatible GPUs, we need to ensure that both are fully updated.

Please visit the manufactures link below to download the latest driver available -

- Intel: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/785597/intel-arc-iris-xe-graphics-windows.html
- Nvidia: https://www.nvidia.co.uk/download/driverResults.aspx/223995/

Note: you may need to go direct to your PC manufactures website for the driver, if you see a warning regarding 'OEM drivers' when trying to install one from the above sites.

Once downloaded and installed, please restart your computer and then launch the Affinity app again and try opening/creating a document.

Does this resolve the crashing behaviour please?

[APoster]

Good morning!

I've updated my Intel Xe driver from 31.0.1010.4502 to 31.0.101.5382 and GeForce driver is already current at 552.12 WHQL.

I'm not able create new documents. I can now open an existing document and it loads fine, but after the document's been opened, Publisher hangs again.

Old:

 

New

[APoster]

I've also now tried the NVidia Studio Drivers (551.86) and the Publisher beta 2.4.2.2371 - same issues.

Is there a link to the old 2.4.0 installer that I can try?

[Dan C]

Thanks for trying that for me and I'm sorry to hear this hasn't resolved the issue for you.

Now that we've updated the GPU drivers, do you see different behaviour with Hardware Acceleration disabled?

Is the application creating Crash Reports when closing?

22 hours ago, APoster said:

Is there a link to the old 2.4.0 installer that I can try?

You can find previous installer versions linked below, I would be interested to know if the same issue does not exist in the previous update, as I'm not aware of any specific changes in 2.4.1/2.4.2 that would affect this - 

https://store.serif.com/update/windows/publisher/2/

Please do let me know how you get on here!

[APoster]

Whew, okay.

1. No crash reports have been created! The folder is empty.

2. Publisher has been hanging with hardware acceleration turned off.

3. I installed 2.4.0 and the error continued to occur (hardware acceleration still off)

4. I went back into preferences -> performance in 2.4.0 and set the renderer to specify the 3050 Ti and reenabled hardware acceleration. Restarted, and Publisher worked as normal; no hanging!

5. I went back into preferences -> performance and set the renderer to Default, restarted, and Publisher resumed hanging when I try to open/create a document.

6. I disabled hardware acceleration and left the renderer set to Default. Restarted - problem continues to occur. Hanging when I try to open/create a document.

7. I swapped the renderer to the 3050 Ti and left hardware acceleration off. I am able to open and create new documents.

8. Updated to 2.4.2. Hardware acceleration still off. Am able to load / create documents.

9. Enabled hardware acceleration and restarted with the 3050 Ti selected as renderer. Am still able to create / open new documents.

10. At the end of this process, I checked the Crash Reports directory - there were two new files, which I've uploaded

163124ad-4e6c-4f5d-8c8f-ceb71a926953.dmp fc773d23-235d-4335-aeea-a737d83bb1f9.dmp

[Dan C]

Apologies for the delay here - thanks for all of the information and files provided above, this is certainly helpful!

It does appears as though Affinity is having trouble with your laptops hardware, as I would expect the 'Default' GPU used to be your RTX 3050 Ti and not the Intel Iris Xe. 

I'm very glad to hear that specifying the Renderer to be the 3050 Ti allows the app to create/open documents as expected, both with H/A enabled & disabled - though I'll be logging all of the information & crash reports provided here with our development team, to see if we can better handle such setups in the future and improve Affinitys 'Default' GPU choice.

I hope this helps and with the above settings I would expect you no longer experience any further issues - though of course we're more than happy to help if you do have any further concerns or questions

[APoster]

Thanks so much for all of your responses here. Really appreciate the Affinity team!

[Jane P]

Hi, I have a similar problem.  It might be because I've too many images (I've never worked out how to link to images - it always crashes my pc when I try that).  I think it is to do with the document itself, I'm pretty crap at using Affinity.  It will now crash within minutes.  It doesn't take the pc with it tho. What are the idiot-steps I need to follow next?  Am using it on Windows 11 Home affinity publisher version 2.5.0.2415 (beta).

Impact report may v2.afpub

[Dan C]

Hi @Jane P,

Sorry to hear you're having trouble!

15 hours ago, Jane P said:

Am using it on Windows 11 Home affinity publisher version 2.5.0.2415 (beta)

As you've using the beta version of the apps, can you please create a new thread in the following section of the Forums with as much information as possible, so the correct team can assist you further?

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/139-other-new-bugs-and-issues-in-the-betas/&do=add

Many thanks in advance