Update to Nero 9

MyNeroUserWithNicknamejlconrod@nero.com (jlconrod) — 22 Jan 2009 23:49:27 GMT

Haven't posted in a while. I was in western Ireland the first four months of 2008, then in Maine (USA) June through September 2008.

Before leaving for Ireland I replaced the XP desktop PC to an HP Pavilion dv6647cl Vista Home Premium Media Center Edition laptop. Fairly happy with the laptop, but not thrilled with Vista, especially with serious issues post Vista SP1.

Upgraded to Nero 9 (after some serious issues with the install process) and to BackItUp 4.

Sorry to see Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 5 widowed less than one year after purchase. NeroSnap and other Nero 9 apps do NOT replace the functionality of PhotoShow Deluxe 5. (Are you listening, Nero?)

Video creation and editing now done with Pinnacle Studio 12 Ultimate, but Pinnacle does not do Photo CDs, only VCDs and SuperVCDs.

Bring back or upgrade PhotoShow Deluxe.

More later.

jlconrod

Concord, CA, USA

1Oct07 Updated 28 Oct 07 Nero8 Pre-Order now Licensed

MyNeroUserWithNicknamejlconrod@nero.com (jlconrod) — 02 Oct 2007 07:36:35 GMT

Downloaded Nero 8 Trial. Er... AND the Help Files (separate download) AND the Manuals (PDFs - separate downloads) AND the Tools (separate downloads) AND the DVD Templates (Basic separate download) AND the extra DVD templates (separate downloads).

Haven't installed it yet, have to uninstall Nero 7, first...

If Nero is listening, I love Nero and have been using it since Nero 5. Please provide an option to download Help files in combined ZIP or combined download (by language) as well as a combined download for Manuals.

There is an "Update" download, but didn't try it since this is the first posting of Nero 8. Have not yet received the License Key, but the Trial is good for 15 days, so I should receive the license before the Trail version expires.

I usually like to be leading edge but not bleeding edge. Ran into some problems with InCD for Nero 7 UE. Rather than writing Tech Support, thought this would be a good opportunity to try Nero 8.

The MVP blogs showed features that do look better than Nero 7 so here goes. More soon after I uninstall Nero 7 (initially without the Clean Tool). (I'd suggest downloading the Clean Tool along with the Nero 8 files, so you have it available if you need it.

More soon, hopefully with an early report on end user experience with Nero 8!

Regards,

John

Update: 29 Oct 07

Slow response from Nero Tech Support on issues below, though this is a new version. Entered License Key, Program still shows Nero 8 Trial though no expiration date.

No updates. New StartSmart has RSS buttons but content seems like the HTML newsletter. Got a StartSmart RSS Update Available! StartSmart Check for Updates did not show any updates, so I downloaded from the StartSmart RSS link thingy. "Update" turned out to be 8.1.0.0 but with unwanted addin of Ask Toolbar and WeatherChannel gadget.

There is no longer an option to download Nero 8 by section, only one massive download. That download included the unwanted Ask and WeatherChannel stuff. I could refuse (skip) the Ask toolbar but NOT WeatherChannel. If you do accept Ask, note that it makes Ask your default search engine -- I did not want either feature. There is no option to refuse or skip the WeatherChannel. It was installed and had to be later removed with Add/Remove Programs!

A further frustration: The installer then FAILED to install the Nero 8 "update". Had to go to Nero Support to find that for some reason I needed to temporarily suspend the Windows Automatic Update service by setting the service to Manual. After all of that, there were no actual Nero updates, only the bundleware...

Third frustration: A week later, Windows Automatic Update's Tuesday checkup failed because Automatic Update was set to Manual. Duh!!!

Nero, if you are listening, please avoid feature bloat and discontinue bundleware. If there is a strong business case for it, give users (especially licensed users) the option to NOT download the bundleware. I use XP Home SP2 MCE 2005, so this is not a Vista issue. I have used Nero since Version 5 and this is my first major frustration, please give us an option and maintain the outstanding support that helped you grow and earned my loyalty.

Fourth frustration: Nero 8 will not InCD format or write to CD-RW or DVD-RW. Format fails on a drive that worked fine with InCD 4 from Nero 7 Ultra. It now thinks the drive is Mount Ranier RO, when in fact, the drive is SuperMulti Dual Layer DVD CD plus and minus with CD-RAM and DVD-RAM to 20x DVD and 48X CD.

Annoyance: Nero 8 InfoTool thinks the drive has LightScribe, which it does not (although I have an LG SuperMulti DL on anoher PC wihich does have LS.

Fifth: Nero 8 reads my existing InCD Media, but cannot add files to the media, either CDRW or DVDRW. DiscSpeed finds no problems with the "problematic" RW media that fails InCD writes or format. I also get intermittent "disc nearing end of useful life" errors with InCD, even for new, brand-name media.

Sixth: InCD (or something) locks the optical drive from Eject function since Nero 8 install. Drive does not eject with manual button press, and often with My Computer or Windows Explorer Eject Disk request, or does so after a LONG delay.

Annoyance: Nero 8 Nero Express wrote a data backup and left the disc Open. Cannot find any command in Express, Burning ROM, InfoTool, DiscSpeed to Finalize an open disc. Anyone know how to Finalize an existing open session with Nero 8?

Good News/Bad News/Annoyance: Good News! Nero 8 Help Files (CHM and PDF) available as single "download all" file. More Good News: The All "CHM" parses Help to the correct subdirectories. Bad News/Annoyance: All Help Files PDF says it will parse and reports that it did, but StartSmart Manuals button still shows no manuals installed.

Aside to Nero Support: FAQs are not really clear on where StartSmart looks for the executeable, helps, or PDF manuals. Nero Support: This is would a good FAQ to add to the site!

Good News: Not many Nero 8 Tutorials available yet, but the new Tutorial online now are terrific! AND you can download a PDF, Video clip, or even the whole Tutorial as an executeable not just an offline web archive (thought that is an option also!). Way to go, Nero Support! Now just please address these problems and annoyances.

So far, Nero 8 get 3.8 out of 5 stars, but deserves 5 out of 5 if these things are fixed. YMMV! (Your Mileage May Vary)

Slightly annoyed Nero Fan holding breath till I hear from Support,

John

27Sep07 New Nero Blog, Nero 8 Preordered!

MyNeroUserWithNicknamejlconrod@nero.com (jlconrod) — 28 Sep 2007 03:30:57 GMT

">"Don't Panic!" from the cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by the late Douglas Adams.

More about this in another blog entry. Just pre-ordered Nero 8 Ultra and look forward to it. Nero has been one of the best and most reliable applications i have used of any type, with outstanding technical support, regular updates, and a full but not bloated set of features.

I found this reinforced very recently. A photographer I know well just spent several months in rural Europe. The brand new laptop on the trip, almost state of the art, came bundled with a different CD/DVD product.

Unfortunately, most DVDs and CDs the photographer burned on the trip were virtual coasters. Discs would play in the laptop drive, but were unreadable on other computers or DVD players (NTSC or PAL) This happened no matter how the "burn" was configured with this bundleware.

The rural area had poor connectivity so a download of Nero 7b Trial was not an option.

The only time I have had a coaster with Nero is when an optical drive failed!

End result: two orders for Nero 8, one upgrade and

jlconrod's Weblog

Update to Nero 9

1Oct07 Updated 28 Oct 07 Nero8 Pre-Order now Licensed

27Sep07 New Nero Blog, Nero 8 Preordered!