Reinstall Corel Draw x3

[Anthony Welch]

I had an external hard drive crash/burnout. Computer doesn't even acknowledge it any longer. I had x3 installed on it. Now when I go to install it in my "computer" it still wants to install to the "K" drive, which doesn't work.

Can someone help me circumvent the install wizard. Corel x3 doesn't give the option of where you want it to go. I've uninstalled everything x3.

I've got CD v12 back on the "C" drive, was no problem. x3 installs different. But x3 is cumbersome esp. when scrolling in and out on work.

Thanks,
Anthony

[Dave Garcia]

Anthony,

You did say that you had a previous version on your C drive? If you haven't uninstalled it that could be your problem. I have seen this happen before with other "updates" of various software packages on the PC. The update tries to "update" what you already have loaded, even if you can designate the location of the new install.

Good luck with this, and let us know how it turned out for you.

Dave Garcia :)
The Wood Block, Ltd

[Darren Null]

IIRC a v12 install *shouldn't* interfere with X3, but you never know. It's much more likely that the remnants of your X3 install is where your problem lies.

The problem with coreldraw is that it sprays crap all over your hard disk. An uninstall doesn't work properly.

There's stuff in your 'settings and documents' directories; And there's loads of stuff in your registry. First 'uninstall' corel. Then you have to go through every folder in documents and settings and delete all the corel stuff in there.

Then it's registry time.
Start --> Run --> (you type) regedit

This brings up the registry editor.
Edit --> Find --> (you type) corel
This will search your registry for keys labelled "corel". Delete them and press F3 to search for the next one.

...it's going to take you some time. Once you've finally finished, you can try installing x3 again, and if you've removed all evidence of a previous install it may well give you the option of where to install.

[Dan Hintz]

I was going to suggest the same as Darren, but I'll also add: make sure anything you delete is specified for the K: drive... if you delete everything, you will also kill off your v12 install. Once you've searched for "Corel", also search for "X4", just in case.

[Darren Null]

make sure anything you delete is specified for the K: drive... if you delete everything, you will also kill off your v12 install.
Oops- forgot to mention that bit. You can't, however, be selective...especially in the registry.

Delete everything and then an v12 install-over-the-top should get that back.

I claim dibs on "the uninstall doesn't work properly" bug if we get approved for beta testing! Heh. That's my copy sorted.

[Anthony Welch]

I appreciate the help guys, but I'm not that savvy about what you are talking about. Also this is a Vista OS.
Gonna try and get some local guru's to try and recover my HD to a new one and maybe it'll show up as K:\ .

Thanks anyway,
Anthony

[Bill Cunningham]

I use a little program called 'regseeker' (free.. Google it) It among other things will scan your registry for unused entries, and entries that reference programs no longer installed.. If your kids use a computer for games, it will also clear out all the crap left by pogo.com (they should call it Goose.com).. Once you uninstall the program, regseeker will scan the registry and list all the stuff it can't find a reason for being there.. You can then decide to delete it if you wish.. Regseeker makes a registry backup in case something goes south, but I've been using it for years and have never had a problem..
Neat little program

[Darren Null]

From my experience, the automated registry cleaners don't pick up all the entries left from x3 and x4 installs. I installed an x4 demo to have a look with x3 on the system; and the resulting mess required a full manual uninstall and registry item-by-item delete.

Far more effective is an install monitor, that tracks files/directories/registry keys as a program installs. You know where everything is then. And what it's doing *eyes laptop suspiciously*

[Anthony Welch]

Thanks guys, Maybe should have waited a day or so and tried the google thing, but got impatient. Reformatted/installed Vista. Now everything works fine. Still I'm in my 3rd day of reinstalling all programs I had. Then have to reinstall files I had on main computer. I'll have to see if some local computer guru's can retrieve files from failed external hard drive. Mainly family photos I had on there. Everything else is reproducable, but time is lost there.

Thanks,
Anthony

[Darren Null]

If your drive's not admitting that it exists, you could be in for an expensive time there. Your local tech shop- if they sell external HDDs might let you try the drive out in another case...with a bit of luck it's the $30-ish case that's toast and not the HDD.
If it's the HDD, they might have to hoick the platters out and put them in another drive & you're talking real money then.

[Dan Hintz]

Anthony,

I'm a day late (and at least $2 short), but you could always have tried mapping a USB flash stick to K: and installed it to there... afterwards, remove and reinstall on C:.

[Dave Garcia]

Anthony,

Do you know where I can get a new copy of CorelDraw X3?

Dave Garcia :confused::)
The Wood Block, Ltd

[Dave Johnson29]

I use a little program called 'regseeker'

Hi Bill,

From a programmer of some 30+ years experience, that is some risky advice. Not all programs Register their registry entries with a link back to themselves as they may be for a suite of programs, but the user may have only a small part of that suite.

This means the reg-cleaners will select that as an orphan entry and tag it for deletion. Come the next time you try to use that program, nothing happens or something unhappy happens. You may wipe out the "paid for" information and have to purchase again.

Registry cleaners make too many assumptions to be anything I would use or suggest others to use. Very dangerous stuff tampering with the Registry. It is the operating systems heart. Without it, nothing runs.

[Bill Woodford]

My son has used Linux machine to recover a crashed Windows drive many times. He has gotten back many items for me - and others - that they thought were lost forever.

[John Noell]

I'm with Dave. I too have decades of experience and while the odd individual might well have wonderful luck (!!!) with reg cleaners, overall they are not a good idea. All drives WILL eventually fail. (It's a machine.) Backup backup backup! Relatively simple backup software like Acronis TrueImage and an external drive (or 2nd internal drive) can save a LOT of headaches. Backing up the entire drive (not just the data files) means minutes to "re-install" everything. Even if you have the data backed up and the CDs/DVDs to re-install all the apps, you lose all your settings and customizations unless you have a complete image of your main HD.