Good morning everyone!  Wow, this whole "error 24" issue out of Corel that I figured was a small error I had somehow generated through some magical Vista voodoo ended up being quite the event, not to mention my most commented article to date on this blog.  I want to thank everyone that stopped by to post a comment, be it to thank me for the help or to slap my wrist for helping folks with pirated copies circumvent the error.  All comments are welcome on here as long as they are civil, so no worries.  Anyhow, Corel has posted their final statement on the issue and have offered a deal for anyone that has been scammed by a retailer as long as you have proof of purchase, or if you want to purchase X4 outright.  Please check it out HERE.

At this point, it's obvious that Corel is acknowledging the fact that many users have paid for software thinking it was legitimate when in fact it was not, or people were using valid NFR or demo versions, or you were using a pirated version with a generated serial number.  The application is programmed to expire on these non-retail type passwords June 1st, 2010, hence the shenanigans that kicked up this week. I personally have been using NFR copies given to me directly by Corel since version 12, and quite honestly, this is the first I hear of any kind of expiry on them.  I called Corel this morning and they confirmed that my X4 was a vendor eval version and unfortunately has expired and I can no longer use it.

This is frustrating to me because when I was given this copy, I was not told of any expiry date or time limit, nor did it mention any in the terms and conditions I agreed to when installing the software.  Granted, I was given this software for free, but I don't think it's a far cry to say that I have since sold many copies to potential clients through my constant plugging of this software, not to mention the thousands of views my Corel tutorials and articles have received.  Either way, my X4 has expired so the question becomes, what do I do now?

First up, I've removed my X4 install and re-installed by eval copy of version 12… and low and behold,it works fine with no error.  So it would appear that the expiry date on vendor eval copies is new in X4 (unless X3 had the same expiry date).  Next up, I'll see if I can get a copy of X5 in the same manner, otherwise I'll pick it up… upgrade is $200 from the Corel store, so not a huge deal when compared to Adobe's pricing, although Photoshop has clearly become a heck of a lot more powerful vs Photo Paint, and there's no touching Illustrator.  But I guess when you've been using the same software brand for 15+ years, you get a little attached to it.

OK, moving right along… in terms of folks linking to the dr14.dta file in my previous post about this topic, I'm afraid that because this is a confirmed issue with eval versions expiring or generated serial numbers being invalid, using this workaround is not legal.  I know many of you have paid good money for your Corel software, but you've been unfortunately scammed and need to contact Corel ASAP to get your issue resolved.  So that being said, and after speaking with the Corel rep directly to confirm all the facts, I will be removing all the links to the .dta files in the comments area.  I know anyone can find these doing a simple Google search, but it's not exactly in my nature to support software piracy seeing as it's almost a daily struggle for me to stop people from copying my sites, stealing content etc.

So thats it from me on this issue…  now to get back to writing tutorials!  By the way, in case you are new to this blog and found out about it when you searched for a resolution to the "error 24" thing, thanks for stopping by!  If you're fairly new to the world of CorelDraw and would like to check out some Photo Paint tutorials, check out my complete list HERE!  I also run a huge tutorial search portal with thousands of free tutorials for graphic designers, programmers and webmasters and you can check that out at Pixel2life.com.

Thanks again for all the comments and feedback guys, take care and happy drawing!

Dan

Nothing like settling down to get some work done in Corel and the stupid thing won't start suddenly and you're greeted with this charming error message:

Product Installation Unsuccessful Please Reinstall Error 24

This is a problem we are all experiencing with the date change to June 1st, 2010 and pretty much everyone seems to be experiencing it and Corel is working on a solution as of right now.  The only solution for now is to set your PC clock to February (don't change the date or year), run the program to start it up, then change your date back.  There is a huge thread on this issue on the Corel forums and they have confirmed this is a program issue and they are working on a patch right now.  Gerard Metrailler says to keep an eye on the blogs for the patch when it's released ASAP.

I'll post an update as soon as the patch is released.

Take care!
Dan

UPDATE! Looks like if you have a demo version (which is what I have direct from Corel) or a naughty pirated version, you're SOL.  The issue doesn't seem to exist "apparently" for folks that have the regular retail edition.  You can read the official post HERE.  Looks like I'll be calling Corel tomorrow!

UPDATE 2! There is a patched dr14.dta floating around on the net that fixes the issue by replacing the old one on your system, however all known download links are no longer functional.  Please contact me if you have it (select contact the webmaster from the dropdown on the contact page)!

UPDATE 3 – Another solution!

Hey guys… ok here's a little something I just found that allows you to run an application under any date and time you specify but WITHOUT changing your actual system date.  It's called RunAsDate and it's free… unfortunately it will only run on 32 bit Windows versions so I can't use it myself as I am on 64bit Vista, but looks like a neat little app that won't mess with your system's actual date.  Check it out and download it at http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/run_as_date.html

UPDATE 4 – FINAL FIX!

Thanks to everyone that has posted comments and links to the patch!  You can find it here: *link removed*

Simply overwrite the old one in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Corel\CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 or wherever your "All Users" is located.  In vista and Windows 7 it will be in C:\Users\All Users\Corel\CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4

NOTE – If you do not see the "All Users" folder, it's because it's a hidden folder and you have your Windows Explorer set to hide hidden files and folders.  You can change that setting by going to Tools > Folder Options > View and then click on Show hidden files and folders.  Hit OK and you're good to go!

UPDATE 5 – For those of you using this fix and you have a legit version of Corel, you should still contact Corel directly to report the issue.  I just called them and they confirmed issues with buyers that purchased from legitimate big box locations, so this is a serious problem.  So please contact Corel directly if you have bought a real copy and you are having this issue, it's important.  For anyone that has a stolen/warez copy, come on guys…  help support the programmers that made this product and pony up for a legit version or haggle Corel for a NFR copy!

UPDATE 6 – Guys, just finished speaking with Corel about what's happening with my eval copy and the issue in general.  Please read my new post by clicking HERE. Please don't post links to the dta file in the comments as it's no longer needed… Corel will help anyone that is having the "error 24" issue and has proof of purchase for the software.  Just call them up and they will help you.

Hey all!  Because of all the work Nick and I do over MSN, we were constantly getting nagged by MSN any time we would try to transfer anything beyond a .jpg file so he whipped up a quick and handy little bypass utility.  It’s a simple .exe file made in C++ that simply returns 0 and exits without anything actually running.

You can download the file by clicking HERE.

Full installation instructions:

1) Download the app: click HERE

2) Extract the .exe to a location of your choice (My Documents).

3) Set the anti-virus in Windows Live Messenger:

- Go to Tools > Options > File Transfer
- Check the Scan files for viruses using option
- Click Browse… and select the DoNothing.exe application you extracted.

Enjoy!
Dan

Hey all! One of my most popular articles/tutorials is a rather large write-up on the difference between DPI and screen resolution because it seems like almost everyone is a a little confused on what the two mean and how they affect each other (or rather how they DON’T). The tutorial was called “Learn how to use the right DPI for Printing or On-Screen Graphics – Making Sense of the DPI Equation” and you can check it out by clicking HERE.

A TON of you have posted comments and questions and added more information on this article and I thank you all for your contributions! Recently I received an email from a fellow designer named Steven and he was a little confused about the tutorial and had a question regarding how to apply this article to his current project of printing our business cards. I thought it was a great question and one that I have received many times in one form or another, so I thought I would share it on here for anyone else that was having a similar issue. Here is the original email I received:

I loved your tutorial at 13dots.com about dpi and printing. Truthfully, you seem far more patient and methodical that many others on the net, many thanks.

*Dan blushes furiously*

I followed the links to Danrichard.com. There was one important piece of info that I felt was missing, and that’s why I’m writing.

What program works well for downsizing for print? My photos are at 2048×1536 at 72dpi. Because of you, I understand that the dpi is essential here. I want to print these in business card sizes, without losing detail. So I’m thinking 300 dpi (likely the max of the colour commercial laser printer I’ll be using) is my goal. 300x2in (height) is 600dots vertical by 900 dots horizontal…(hmm that doesn’t seem to help me, please disregard). What program (open source would be best, like gimp) will reduce to 3″x2″ at 300 dpi? I’ve spent the last 8 hours trying to do this, using gimp, browsing so many tutuorials, etc. My images look so blocky and lose so much detail.

Many sites said to use photoshop (Image> Image Size menu. Click on Resample Image and choose Bicubic Sharper from the drop-down menu). Is that the only way? I’m so trying to stay open source.

Legit question right? Here’s my windy answer…

The first thing you need to let go of is the screen resolution vs DPI, it’s meaningless. So if your native digital image is 2048 x 1536, then that is it’s screen size no matter what the DPI is… DPI is for printing, it has no bearing on screen size. So if an image is 2048 x 1536, then it will be that size no matter what the DPI happens to be when measuring it for printing in inches or CMs for example. So, now, what you want to do is calculate how big your native digital images needs to be in pixels to achieve a 3 x 2 inch image at 300 DPI.

By the way, first let’s see how big this image is at 72 DPI in inches, the math is very easy:

2048 pixels / 72 DPI = 28.44 inches wide
1356 pixels / 72 DPI = 18.83 inches tall

If you do the same thing with 300 DPI, then the image would print out to this size:

2048 pixels / 300 DPI = 6.83 inches wide
1356 pixels / 300 DPI = 4.52 inches tall

So, this means that if you were to print out this image in its native resolution, you would end up with an image 28.44″ x 18.83″.

The question is, how big does it have to be in pixels to be equal to a 300 DPI 3″ x 2″ image. So now we do the reverse:

3 inches x 300 DPI = 900 pixels
2 inches x 300 DPI = 600 pixels

So your image on your screen would be 900 x 600 pixels and when you print it out, you either set the image to 3″ x 2″ at 300 DPI or simply set force the image to print at 3″ x 2″ and it will automatically work at 300DPI. Do you understand what I mean by the difference of DPI for printing vs on your screen? The image on your screen is 900 x 600 no matter WHAT you set the DPI too. The only time DPI matters is when you go to print!

Now, on the other hand, your native image is a lot bigger than 900 x 600, so it would be a shame to limit yourself to 300DPI, why not go to 600DPI? If you do that, then you simply double the pixel count to 1800 x 1200 and if you print that out in 600 DPI, you would get a 3″ x 2″ print out.

You can easily do this with Gimp or any other program Just do a regular resample or resize to whatever size you need and you should be fine.

I hope this makes sense!
Dan

So basically, you don’t need any fancy filters or effects to do this… just do a regular image resize to the proper pixel size and it’s done. I mean really, you could even do this with MS Paint! Then from there depending on the program you are using, you either set the image from within the software to 3″ x 2″ at 300 or 600 DPI and print directly, or if the open source application does not allow you to do that, use the printer settings directly to force the image to the size you want in inches and the DPI will be automatically adjusted.

Hope that helps guys!
Dan

What is about Symantec products that are almost as annoying to remove as the worst Adware or Spyware out there? You would think using the uninstall tool would… well, you know… uninstall it right? Pretty much anyone that has worked extensively in Windows repair can tell you that Symantec Norton products most definitely do not completely re-install most of the time and Symantec knows it. So tonight my next useful bookmark post is a link to the handy little Norton Removal Tool.

This tool will completely nuke all Norton 2009/2008/2007/2006/2005/2004/2003 products, Norton 360 and Norton SystemWorks 12.0 from your computer. (Note: this list updates as new products are added to the removal tool – duh) Download it by clicking HERE.

Enjoy!
Dan