No toolbar upon launch

[pryder]

Hi!

Over the years I have owned/successfully used several Lexar flash drives that came with Ceedo pre-loaded. When I upgraded to Windows 7, Ceedo would no longer run.

I came to this forum, where I was given a link to install the latest version of Ceedo (Thanks! ... Oh, dang, I have to pay to upgrade ). I completely destroyed my latest Lexar drive trying to the upgrade, but no matter. A few days ago, I tried again and I was able to successfully install the software on a different external USB hard drive.

I opened the Ceedo software off my new drive with no problems yesterday and the day before. Today, this is what happens:

1. I go to the "StartCeedo" application on my hard drive and double-click (or click "open", or click "run as administrator").

2. Windows asks if I "want to allow the following program to make changes to my computer"? I hit "yes".

3. The little bar appears, and it tells me Ceedo is loading. I see this happening for approximately 2 seconds.

4. Nothing. No toolbar appears.

5. I look in my Task Manager, and the only Ceedo process that is running is "AutoDetect.exe"

Can anybody help me with this? I'm so tired of struggling with Ceedo, and I'm ready to just give up and adapt to life without the software!

Thanks!
pryder

[keith]

Installing Ceedo caused your drive to become defective? I don't see how installing software on your drive can be the cause of a physical defect on the drive itself. It is probably that your drive was already failing at the time you were trying to install the Ceedo software, and that the timing itself was coincidental.

What Internet security software are you running on your PC? From your description of the problem it sounds like your Internet security software was updated and that the update is what is causing the issue with Ceedo. Did you try running Ceedo on a different PC?

If it does turn out that it is your Internet security software that is causing the issue, I would recommend trying the following to resolve the problem:

Temporarily disable your Internet security software. To do this, click the start button and go to run type in msconfig and click the OK button.

– In Vista, click the start button and go to All Programs -> Accessories -> Run –

Click the Startup tab and uncheck all entries for your Internet security software.

Click the Services tab and then check the box labeled “Hide all Microsoft services” and uncheck all entries for your Internet security software.

Click Apply and then Close and restart your PC when prompted to do so.

When you get back to the desktop, try running Ceedo. If Ceedo will not run, do the following:

Open My Computer (Computer in Vista and Win7), and right-click on your drive and select Open from the context menu.

Open the Ceedo folder.

Open the second Ceedo folder and delete everything in it. Make absolutely sure that the path of the Ceedo folder that you are deleting the contents of is [CeedoDrive]:\Ceedo\Ceedo.

Download the installer for the latest version of Ceedo and run it to repair Ceedo on your drive - in other words, you are installing Ceedo over the top of your existing Ceedo installation on the drive. None of your installed applications or stored data will be affected by doing this.

Ceedo will launch at the end of the installation process. If Ceedo runs fine, exit Ceedo and eject your drive.

Disconnect your Ceedo drive from your PC and go back into the system configuration utility and undo the changes you made earlier. Click Apply and then Close, and restart when prompted to do so.

When you get back to the desktop, your Internet security software will be re-enabled. Connect your Ceedo drive to your PC and attempt to run Ceedo.

If you get the same message asking if you wish to allow so-and-so application to make changes to your computer, then you know that your Internet security software's the culprit.

At this point, you will have two options (if you want to run Ceedo, that is):
1. Run your PC with your Internet security software disabled - NOT recommended.

2. Disconnect your Ceedo drive from your PC and run system restore to revert Windows to before your Internet security software was updated, and then turn off automatic updates for the software. Not exactly desirable, but definitely "safer" than completely disabling your Internet security software altogether.

Remember, you must disconnect your Ceedo drive before running system restore. If you do not, system restore will make changes to your Ceedo drive and you will probably have to reinstall Ceedo from scratch.

To run system restore, click the Windows start button. Go to Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore, and follow the on-screen instructions.

[pryder]

Wow, Keith! Thanks for your extensive answer! The trouble is that I'm really stupid about computer stuff, so I probably won't be able to figure out your instructions. I'll try to explain my mess the best that I can ...

Originally Posted by keith

Installing Ceedo caused your drive to become defective?

No, I don't believe that installing Ceedo destroyed my drive. I honestly don't remember what happened, as I tried the upgrade over a month ago. All I know is that the attempt somehow ended with me wiping/reformatting the whole drive. (This was Lexar #1, which came preloaded with an older version of Ceedo)

Originally Posted by keith

What Internet security software are you running on your PC? From your description of the problem it sounds like your Internet security software was updated and that the update is what is causing the issue with Ceedo. Did you try running Ceedo on a different PC?

Lol, I CAN'T try using a different PC because I loaded Ceedo onto an external drive that is encrypted to work only when attached to my laptop. How dumb is that? I mean, the whole POINT of Ceedo is the ability to use your stuff on various machines, right?

I've (very wisely) decided to install version 3.1.0.22 on a different flash drive altogether so I can try again. Now, I've hit a snag, because the system somehow knows that I've already downloaded the free trial elsewhere, so it is requiring me to pay/activate before I can check and make sure the software works. I guess I need to try downloading the trial version from a different computer?

In the meantime, I am still able to use my preloaded Ceedo (on Lexar flash drive #2) with any computer that is running Vista. To circumvent the problem of my laptop, I had a friend help me install a 'virtual drive' which runs the Vista operating system on my Windows 7 machine. This idea sorta worked - meaning I can open Ceedo just fine. However, the Internet runs SO SLOWLY through the virtual drive that it is impossible to work with!

My next questions are:

1. Why can't I buy a new Lexar drive with Ceedo 3.1.0.22 pre-installed? That was so easy + I got Secure II along with it, which I also like using.

2. Are there ever coupon/promo codes offered for purchasing the Ceedo software?

Thanks again for your dedication in helping folks fix their problems!

[keith]

Originally Posted by pryder

Lol, I CAN'T try using a different PC because I loaded Ceedo onto an external drive that is encrypted to work only when attached to my laptop. How dumb is that? I mean, the whole POINT of Ceedo is the ability to use your stuff on various machines, right?

Yep, portability is the name of the game.

Originally Posted by pryder

I've (very wisely) decided to install version 3.1.0.22 on a different flash drive altogether so I can try again. Now, I've hit a snag, because the system somehow knows that I've already downloaded the free trial elsewhere, so it is requiring me to pay/activate before I can check and make sure the software works.

The trial version of Ceedo doesn't create a registry entry in the Windows registry, so there is no way for Windows to know that you are reinstalling the trial.

The trial version of Ceedo makes use of an entry in the mobile registry for timing purposes. If you installed the latest version of Ceedo on a drive that already had an older version of Ceedo installed, and the older version is a trial, the trial time period doesn't renew itself. The trial period will continue from where it was at, and if the trial had expired, it will remain expired and prompt you to purchase a license.

So... you should uninstall Ceedo from the drive you are installing Ceedo on. If you have applications on the drive that you don't want to lose, e-mail me at keithw@ceedo.com and I'll send you a trial license to extend the trial period.

Originally Posted by pryder

1. Why can't I buy a new Lexar drive with Ceedo 3.1.0.22 pre-installed? That was so easy + I got Secure II along with it, which I also like using.

Ceedo isn't bundled with any OEM drives right now. Because of this, the only drives that you will find with Ceedo preinstalled would be "new old stock."

Originally Posted by pryder

2. Are there ever coupon/promo codes offered for purchasing the Ceedo software?

No, not at this time. Ceedo Personal licenses are pretty cheap.

Originally Posted by pryder

Thanks again for your dedication in helping folks fix their problems!

No worries. This is what I do.

[pryder]

Yeah, I know that Ceedo personal licenses are pretty cheap - I'm just pretty poor . I WILL buy a license once I manage to get the trial to work, I just miss the days when I could get BOTH Ceedo and Secure II on a Lexar drive for less money than it costs to buy just one license!

OK, I downloaded the trial from the Ceedo website onto a brand-new, never before used 4GB flash drive. When I clicked on "StartCeedo", I STILL got the pop-up saying my trial period had expired ... so, I uninstalled + reinstalled the software and SUCCESS! I seem to have the trial working now, so I just need to wait and see if it will continue to work (because it only worked for 2 days on my other external drive) before I purchase my license.

Thanks again!

[keith]

The trial period is 45 days. Take your time. Make sure everything works before you buy a license. If you run into problems, you have my e-mail address, or you can just post here in the forum.

Let's make sure all is working as it should be before you spend any money.

[pryder]

The latest:

Ceedo worked directly after (the 2nd) installation.

I closed the software and opened it again. This time, I had the same problem as before - Ceedo "loaded", but no toolbar appeared at the top of the screen.

I closed my flash drive and removed it from my laptop. I re-inserted the drive and tried to launch Ceedo. I got a pop-up with this message: Error Loading Library: Resources Dll.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[keith]

Format your drive and then download the this offline Ceedo Personal installer, extract the archive and run it to install Ceedo on the drive.

Use an XP machine if at all possible.

Let us know what happens.

[Brando212]

weird, this almost sounds similar to a problem i had in the past, with the host computer messing with Ceedo, for me it just corrupted the mobile registry every time i used those few specific computers, but i suppose other things could happen as well

what do you think keith, I'm sure you remember my situation with the library computers

[keith]

Yep. I recall the problems you were having. Bit hazy on the solution, though, because it's been a while.