Here's a weird one. I just clicked on Help/Contents & Index in Vegas 8.0b, then selected Index/ ''pre-rendering" as a topic, and it completely hung. Added to which, when I got the 'Vegas Pro Online Help is not responding, end program' dialog box, I clicked on 'end now' - and it closed the whole of Vegas, not just the Help file, without asking me about saving the file.

I always thought Help was separate from the main app. Obviously I'm wrong.

Any thoughts as to why Vegas Help would crash like this?

Ian . . .

Edit: I have tried it twice now - same result.

Further edit: OK, this is REALLY odd! I just tried it on a different subject and it works fine. When I search for 'pre-render' it hangs!

Ah! Good to see somebody else using the on-line Help!

And yes, I WAS getting this too and reported it back in mid-March. And yes it is weird.

2 observations/thoughts:

1] Can you open and do search in the standalone version of the help file?

2] Can you use the Help as soon as you open Vegas?

In any event, mine is now working. Maybe it is a case of the help file needing to settle down? I have no idea. But you would have thought that this would have raised its head sometime back too? I guess some people need more "Help" than others?

Grazie

I have exactly the same problem with 7.0e. The answer from Sony was to re-install after cleaning the registry. I didn't bother to do that. Instead I don't use the help file! I just printed the manual and use this place for more useful answers to problems!

The answer from Sony was to re-install after cleaning the registry.

U-huh. . .

I didn't bother to do that.

Really? Why on earth not? <wink>

I just printed the manual . . .

Actually, you have formed a neat option here: I could Print to PDF and use THAT search facility!! Bet that works! - But only outside of Vegas.

In any event, "Help" is now, and for the time being, operating.

I'm guessing that SONY need to see this happening, and with our 2 examples of it coming and then going and then wandering into 7e, it must be a really hard thing to rectify.

Grazie

I'm never too proud to seek help from wherever I can get it! Unless, of course, it crashes my machine!

Uninstall/clean/re-install does seem to be a favourite solution. If it's dodgy registry entries that are causing so many problems, I wonder why the cause of those dodgy registry entries isn't being addressed?

Re the standalone version, Grazie, where would I find that? It's not anywhere obvious in the Vegas folder. Yes, I am able to go straight into Help after opening Vegas.

Cheers,

Ian . . .

Re the standalone version, Grazie, where would I find that? It's not anywhere obvious in the Vegas folder.

Program Files\Sony\Shared Plug-Ins\Help Files

vegas80.chm

Grazie

Found it, many thanks. Yeah, that one fires up just fine and I was able to access the 'pre-render' topic that caused problems in the on-line help.

Let me try it again from within Vegas . . . . . nope. Crashed again. The first topic I looked up loaded fine but when I went to check 'pre-render' it hung.

Sigh.

Still, at least I know I can get to the off line help OK - as well as DVi, of course!

Ian . . .

Can now ADD the help file for Media Manager too. Crash.

Grazie