Disastrous Sonic Stage 3.0 Install

[LowMD]

Tried to install SS 3.0.

The installer downloaded everything (DirectX, Windows Media Runtime, OMG Secure Module, Sonic Stage, Sonic Stage Add-on), extracted everything, and started to install. Partway through installing Sonic Stage (after the three listed before it), it stopped and said "Installation of Sonic Stage has been terminated." No error message.

Now. the SS shortcut opens 2.3, which loads and initializes as before but ends up with a black window. TaskMgr shows it running (about 45 MB) but clicking on it leads nowhere; I can close it with Alt F4.

SS 2.3 is in Add/Remove Programs but will not uninstall, missing installer file. Trying the uninstall twice, the first time it shows up at 1.73 MB, the second as .66 MB, so the uninstall gets part of it out.

The backup tool is still in the Programs SS menu, so I backed up the database. There's no system restore point before the disaster. Win XP Pro without SP2.

My computer is partitioned into C: and D: and in D: I have a copy of everything that was on C: from months ago, including a SonicStage installation. I tried renaming the SonicStage folder in C:, copying the old SonicStage and OMG folders in D: into C:/Program Files/Sony (there was no Personal Audio Driver folder in the old installation), and running or uninstalling in hopes it would find whatever it needed, but no response at all. I have since renamed and returned things to where they were before.

Tried the installer again, and it said SS 3.0 was installed and did I want to reinstall, and it downloaded everything again and stopped in the middle of SonicStage install again.

Oh, and I asked Sony and they suggested System Restore (no restore point) and then threw up their hands and suggested System Recovery.

Any ideas, software gurus?

[Christopher]

Reinstall via the directions in the FAQ.

[LowMD]

The directions in the FAQ--uninstall, remove directories, remove registry keys--didn't work. Sorry I didn't mention that initially.

Here's what worked:

Since I have a VAIO computer, it has a VAIO recovery tool that allows you to reinstall the factory-installed software. I had it reinstall the original SonicStage 1.6, then uninstalled SS 1.6 and the OMGs with Add/Remove, then ran the SS 3.0 installer. Voila. Funny how Sony's VAIO "customer service" never suggested this.

But now my library has two copies of every MP3 album: a Playlist version and an album version. Any suggestions on which I should delete?

Edited March 7, 2005 by LowMD

[Christopher]

Playlist, I reckon. Album should be the source.

[LowMD]

It's still a disaster.

I plugged in tonight's mic recording to SS 3.0 via USB.

"This recording cannot be used as audio disc because it was initialized by a program other than SonicStage."

Device/Media Info says the disc is empty. It most assuredly is not, because I can play back two hours of music on it. It offers to initialize and destroy the data on the disc. No thanks.

Anyone know how to fix this?

Or, is there still a 2.3 installer around somewhere? I miss it already.

Edited March 8, 2005 by LowMD

[LowMD]

Apparently this was a problem for some people who upgraded to 2.3--love that search function--and it was fixed by running the program ojbsir.exe to "authenticate the database" via internet.

Unfortunately, this time around that program "cannot connect to the internet," although IE works just fine for me.

Incidentally, the Sony hotline suggested that if the problem persists, I should try running SonicStage on a different computer.

I suggested they send me one.

Anyone else have any other ideas?

[Christopher]

Try upgrading to Service Pack 2.

[LowMD]

I know SP2 is your solution for all things, Kurisu.

But in an hourlong conversation with a Sony software person who seemed to know what he was doing--and who ruled out the ojbsir.exe solution because icv.dat and maclist.dat were in Common Files/Sony Shared/OpenMG, which is where "authenticate database" adds them--there was no mention of SP2.

He also tried unchecking everything from Windows Startup with msconfig, to see if some other device was grabbing resources. That didn't work either. Although we did discover that SonicStage 3.0 adds a new program to Startup, SsAAD.exe, that wasn't in SS 2.0.

His only other suggestion was that I use the CD that came with the MD player and go back to SS 2.0, then try updating to 2.3 or 3.0 and see if that helps. Unfortunately, I have misplaced or tossed out that disc, since I had 2.3. Is there still an image of that disc somewhere on this site?