SonicStage Installation Problems

[hokutonoken]

Hello! I am having problems similar to those described by another member, so any possible solutions may be able to help him/her as well.

I am running Windows XP Home Edition with SP2, I have McAfee AntiVirus/Firewall, etc. but it was turned off as per the instructions of the download/install. I had SonicStage 3.4 with Connect installed on my computer, but when I would open it the Windows Installer window would flash on and off basically constantly while SonicStage was "busy" completing any commands. After getting annoyed by this, I backed up the music I had and tried to uninstall the whole SonicStage package (including OpenMG Module and Limited Patch). The latter two uninstalled fine, but SonicStage did not. When I click on the "remove" button on the Add/Remove Programs list, a window pops up for a fraction of a second but disappears. I have also tried booting in Safe Mode, in which case I couldn't even remove the OpenMG module from the Add/Remove Programs list, as "the Windows Installer function cannot be accessed" (b/c of Safe Mode), and SonicStage still behaved the same way.

I was told by Sony Support to erase Temp/Internet Temp files, disable startup drivers/devices via running "msconfig," but the ultimate result is the same--installation terminated. I CAN install the Limited Patch and OpenMG Module, but the installation seems to "skip" the installation of the SonicStage.exe, then tells me that the intended application for the "SonicStage Add-on" cannot be found. And after it successfully installs the OpenMG Module, Limited Patch, etc., and it seems like the installation is going okay, an error message pops up, saying: "The installation process for SonicStage 3.4 has been terminated (2051, 20697)." In addition, I wanted to share with you the content of a sonicstage install.log file I found. It read:

[5-2-2006 11:07:46] OnBegin()

[5-2-2006 11:07:46] OnFirstUIBefore()

[5-2-2006 11:07:46] #### OnAbort ####

[5-2-2006 11:07:46] - Setup terminate !!

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I am desperate for a solution to this problem. Hopefully someone can help me out.

hokutonoken

[raintheory]

Do you have system restore activated on your system? If so, you could roll-back to a restore point prior to installing sonicstage and start over.

Otherwise, are you comfortable editing the registry?

[hokutonoken]

Thanks for your reply. I can restore my system, but I'm just not sure how far back the restore point is. Anyway, I am confortable editing the registry. What did you have in mind? Deleting the whole "SonicStage" registry key? In hopes that it would disappear from the Add/Remove Programs list, I have tried that, and it seemed to make no difference. I'm pretty sure I checked after rebooting and the registry key was not there, but the icon STILL appeared (and still faulty with the disappearing installer pop-up) in the Add/Remove Programs list. Any ideas?

another pretty long one, thanks for your patience;-)

hokutonoken

[raintheory]

If there isn't anything inside "C:\Program Files\Sony\SonicStage" then it is possible that the add/remove entry is keeping the reinstall from working even though SonicStage is uninstalled.

If the aforementioned directory doesn't contain a bunch of files and folders:

The add/Remove entry can be removed by:

To remove a program reference viewable in the Add/Remove Programs tool:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

2. Locate the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

3. Locate the key to be deleted by locating the key name created by the program. If the name of the key is not apparent, browse through each key and note the value for DisplayName. This is the viewable string in the Add/Remove Programs tool.

4. Using the Registry menu, export the selected registry key to make a backup. Store the .reg file in a safe location in case you need to import it at a later date.

5. Delete the selected registry key and its values. Do not delete the entire Uninstall key.

6. Quit Registry Editor.

7. Verify that the reference in the Add/Remove Programs tool is no longer visible.

You may have to contact the manufacturer of the program that you want to remove if you need to clean up the disk and registry entries. The procedure described in this section does not remove all the files and registry entries used by the program; it removes only the reference in the Add/Remove Programs tool.

Edited May 4, 2006 by raintheory

[hokutonoken]

Thank you so much! Your reply worked to remove SonicStage from the Add/Remove Programs list. I actually tried to download SonicStage again after rebooting but it gave me the same error message as before, and actually an error message popped up saying "SSsetup.exe" has encountered a problem and needs to close..." If the contents of the error report would be helpful, let me know and I'll paste it in (although it is extremely long). Thanks again for your help! I only wish the SonicStage installation would work...

hokutonoken

[hokutonoken]

I just wanted to add, for all those interested, that I successfully reinstalled SonicStage by getting my hands on an installation CD for SonicStage 2.3. So after removing ALL components of the version I had (including OpenMG Secure Module and Limited Patch), I installed the whole package from the CD. After that installation was successful, I just went to www.connect.com and successfully upgraded to version 3.4. Aloha!

hokutonoken

[poe]

hokutonoken if you try any other installs of SS not only do you need to shut off your antiv and fire wall you also need to shut off any antispyware and antiadware programs. In my case SpyBot Search And Destroy stops regristry edits and I encountered similar problems as yours.POE