Sometimes you just really have to wonder what the heck those minds at Avid were thinking? I have recently tried upgrading to Media Composer 6 and learned that it is incompatible with any current or previous installations of Pinnacle Liquid, Pinnacle Studio, or Avid Studio. But there is an easy solution.
Let me recant my tale from the beginning...
Back when the dinosauers still ruled the planet, I upgraded my editing system with Avid Media Composer version 5. Previously, it had been running Avid Liquid as well as Pinnacle Studio 12. Prior to the (paid) upgrade to 5.0, there had even been an older version of Media Composer 3-something. Back then, I was running Windows XP Professional. All of these children got along well both in the classroom and at recess. There were no software conflicts. I could even run a couple of these programs simultaneously!
Due to the lack of Win 7 replacement drivers, I had to postpone my long desired upgrade my editing computer to Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. We had a lot of (then) custom components, and the 7 drivers for them had been unavailable.
But eventually the manufacturers got around to offering new drivers for their (now) legacy components, and we were able to upgrade. In actuality, since my system uses removable SATA drives, we just created a new C drive with Windows 7 and the new drivers. We held onto the older XP drive just in case.
I had just recently acquired Avid Studio in order to coach one of my clients, as well as for quickie projects, but that editing program didn't run efficiently on my other desktop, even though it was quad-core with lots of RAM. Didn't care for the graphics card, I suppose. So I transferred Avid Studio to my new Win 7 drive on the older editing system. And it worked great!
Now, it was time for me to install my (free support upgrade from MC 5) version of Avid MC 6. My editing system met the spec requirements, so I began the mysterious ritual of downloading the new installer program for 6, unzipping it, and running the install software. It appeared to install without any hiccups, or so I thought.
When I attempted to open the program, all that I got was an (Avid) window that was gray and blank. At the upper left hand corner was a single menu heading that said "HELP". The Windows 7 spinning circle just kept on spinning. And spinning. The program never fully loaded, nor ever got past this blank gray screen. The Task Manager indicated that Avid was not responding.
So I tried all the usual computer remedies. Reboot. Uninstall. Deep uninstall with CCleaner and Revo Uninstaller. System Restore. Re-download the Avid 6 Installer files (maybe the first download got corrupted?). Re-install Avid 6...
And there again came the gray screen of death (or Avid coma).
So I searched all over the internet, and finally found the cause and solution of the problem
Avid hates its own children!
We are all familiar with Avid Media Composer's inability to cohabit a boot drive (C drive) with its sibling, Pro Tools. You would have thought that the executives at Avid would have screamed bloody murder at the engineers to clear up this mess. They had it fixed in previous versions of MC, but the problem came back with the last couple of "improved" releases.
Well, it turns out that Avid hates its other products: Pinnacle Studio, Pinnacle Liquid, and even the recently released Avid Studio. If you have ever installed any of these products onto your drive, even if you have uninstalled them later, they left a hidden data file with their license information.
Avid Media Composer versions 5.5 and 6.0 refuse to open if it detects this license. Shame on us for pruchasing other Avid family products!
You see, when they wrote the code for Media Composer, they still called their license file "Pinnacle". Would have been too easy to name it something like "Media Composer".
So here is the solution to the problem. First, change your computer settings to "Show all hidden files". If you do not know how to do this, just use the shortcut. Open the Start Menu of Windows on your taskbar, and just type in "Show hidden files" into the search box. It will take you to the proper settings dialogue box.
On your C drive, search around for C:\ProgramData. In that folder, find "Pinnacle". Rename the " C:\ProgramData\Pinnacle" folder to something different, such as
" C:\ProgramData\AvidStudiorenamed" or whatever.
That's the solution. Now, go ahead and install Avid 6. It should open just fine. At least it does on my system!
Should you ever want to run your older Pinnacle or Avid Studio software, you need to reverse the name changes. First, rename the (Media Composer) Pinnacle file to something like MedComposer. Then rename your old Pinnacle file as "Pinnacle".
Yeah, the whole thing is stupid. Welcome to Avid. The company that succeeds in spite of itself, not because of itself.
But we work in Hollywood, and Avid is still the standard. In spite of its quirks, it is still the program of choice for the big stuff.
Please, do not leave comments telling me that I should have gone with Final Cut or Premiere. I have heard all of that before, and those programs are just fine for small independent projects. But to play in Hollywood, you need the sheer power and special capabilities that Avid delivers.
But unlike many Final Cut fanatics out there, I separate religion from technology. Should the industry adopt a new editing software standard, I would migrate in a minute. I am not emotionally attached to Windows, nor Avid. I use them because they are currently the tools of choice, not because I worship them. Base your decisions on what works best, and what keeps you employed. Be loyal to your dog, but treat your editing computer like a machine.
