Sep 11, 2022

Installing older programs to Windows 10 and 11 computers

 How I installed the older software programs of Microsoft Digital Image 2006 and the PCCrafter Hugbug Deluxe Browser to both my Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers.

Microsoft Digital Image is a discontinued and no longer supported program by Microsoft. It was discontinued in 2007.  It can still be found on Ebay.  

I have found it to be one of the most user friendly photo/graphic editing programs I have ever used. 

But it does lack many of the features and options of more popular programs, like Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Corels Paintshop Pro, and others.  

But because it's so easy to use, I have always wanted to continue to keep using it as long as I could even as the Windows operating system kept changing. So every time I get a new computer I try installing Digital Image to the new system.  I was fine doing it, up to Windows 8.1.  But then when I got my Windows 10 computer in 2019, I couldn't install it as usual. So after searching on the web, I found a hack that someone posted showing how to get the program to install to Windows 10 and I was successful - Yea!!   And recently I got a Windows 11 computer and I went about following the same steps and I was successful again - double YEA!!!  


Now another very old software program (utility) that I like having on my computers is the Browser that crafters who purchased Clipart collections from a website called PCCrafter used to view their collections of images.  It wasn't a necessary utility to have, but it made it easier to view your collections all in one place and it had a fair search utility to use, for searching for themes and images on it.  PCCrafter went out of business in 2011.  The Browser itself needed to be activated when installing to a new computer. And the way to do it when PCCrafter was in business, was to use our pccrafter's account email and password.  That ability to use that option was discontinued in late 2010, so PCCrafter sent out a new activation code for email and password that could be used after PCCrafter closed and their servers were no longer accessible for activation.   So with each computer I got after 2010, I installed the Browser on each one using that new activation code(s) . Sometimes it took a few tries to get it activated, but I have been successful.   And I was able to install Browser on my new Win 11 and it is working just fine. 


Installing Microsoft Digital Image software to Windows 10 or 11


Steps I followed to successfully install MS Digital Image Suite 2006 to both my Windows 10 and new Windows 11 computers




* First close all running programs and open documents.


* Double click on the Digital Image Suite setup file from your original disk.  

* If the User Account Control prompts you to give permission, just authorize it.


* Select a few options available.  I chose Full Installation.  And the Installation screen should appear to start installing the program

Then a screen should appear after the programs seems to be loaded about halfway :

Where it says

“The Windows Update: Internet Explorer and Internet Tools cannot be installed on this computer. This product does not install on 64-bit platforms.” message, then click OK button to continue.


* You will get the second usual error “Setup has detected that Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 installation was not completed. The installation may have been cancelled, or you may not have enough free space on your disk.”  DO NOT CLICK IT!!!.


Return to your desktop, press the Win+X from your keyboard, click on Shut down or sign out > Sign out. **But DO NOT actually Sign Out of your computer.


* on a Windows 10 or 11 wait for intervention and cannot carry out the operation (it will show you the programs that are still running, which would be your installation attempt of Microsoft Digital Image). Wait a few seconds, click on Cancel button > then OK on any message on your Screen. Now the installation should complete.   


p/s I have 2 disks for the MS Digital Image Suite 2006 program, so when I selected full installation, I was prompted during the installation to insert the 2nd CD to have the full program on my computer. 

Also note when I was installing, the installation screen was stalled at about the half way point, and I had to move the screen to see the error messages or notes about it not being able to install etc. And follow the steps I outlined.   So if you don't see those screens, move the installation screen, if you see the installing screen stuck at loading half way for a long time.  And if you are doing a full installation with 2 cds, then be sure to note when the message comes up to insert CD 2.  


My Windows 11 computer didn't come with a CD/DVD drive, so I have a portable CD/DVD usb drive that I used to hook up with my new Win 11 computer. 



Installing the PCCrafter Deluxe Hugbug Browser on a Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer - this version of the Browser requires Activation. Note: If you have the Free lite version, it doesn't require any activation to install, but it lacks some of the features of the Deluxe version.


You will need the .exe (Application) file for the Browser and you will also need to have all of your PCCrafter files installed to your computer.  What I do with every computer I have owned with PCCrafter files on them, is I save/copy the entire PC HugWare folder that is created when you install your first ever Creatable or HugWare CD to your computer.  Once that initial folder is set up, from then on, every time you installed a new collection, it followed a path to install the images to the separate folders within that main folder of PC HugWare.  Its in that folder that you’d find, Collections > Images > and then the subfolders of Black, Color, Painted and Tiff.  The collections released prior to July 1, 2006, had the bw line art that went into the Black folder, and the muted no shading color images that went into the Color folder, and the jpg format full color images went into the Painted folder.  Beginning in July 2006, PCCrafter no longer released new collections with the b/w line art or the color images. They offered both a JPG collection of the images, or a PNG (transparent background) of the images for the buyer to download.  When the user downloaded the JPG collection, it installed to the Painted folder as usual, the PNG collections installed to the TIFF folder.  The Browser was unable to use the search utility on the TIFF folder, so I and others usually downloaded both the JPGs and the PNGs, so at least we could search using the Browser’s search option on the JPG images we got after mid 2006.  But even that wasn’t working on collections in the Painted folder that were released from about Oct 2009 through all of 2010, when PCCrafter stopped releasing any new collections in Dec 2010.


So if you have all of your image collections on your computer, and are successful in installing and activating the HugBug Deluxe Browser,  the first  thing you do after installation and opening, is click on the Options button and choose Scan for Collections. That action scans your computer, looking for those installed collections, and once it finds them, it sets up a path to that location and when you close the Browser after the scan and reopen, your Collections should show up.


The email and password needed for Activation is

email:m5s7uMMvHQur1TUaOiazR


password:f1PPhYqrwx9ICrwXS4GDK



And I find it easiest to copy and paste those codes into a word document and then copy and paste from the document into the Browser windows

For my most recent activation of the Browser on my new Windows 11, it activated on the first try. On my Windows 10, it took a couple of tries at various times of the day, but eventually it activated. 


Click on photos/screenshots for viewing larger


Installing MS Digital Image 2006 to my Windows 11

 

My Windows 11 computer didn't come with a CD/DVD drive so I had to use a portable usb drive connected to my laptop - I have a USB hub, so I could plug in multiple external drives, flash drives and this drive to transfer or install files and programs from to the new computer.

And I was successful in the Installation 
and the program is working fine
I use Digital Image to make my screenshots with notations
 on them for posting pics of how I do things in various programs.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Installing and Activating the PCCrafter Hugbug Deluxe Browser 
using the .exe application file
for the Browser






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have uploaded to my Google Drive,  a zip file of 
the Hugbug Browser .exe file 
(the name of the .exe file 
for the HugBug Deluxe Browser is pchugbugbrowserdeluxer780 ) . 
You are welcome
to download and unzip,  if the drive is accessible via the link
and if you have your PCCrafter collections on your computer or saved to an
external drive and can copy to your computer drive, you can see if you are able
to install it to your computer and activate and then use the option in the Browser of
Scan for Collections, to see if you are successful as I was. 

Ebay search results for Microsoft Digital Image (stick with the 2006 Digital Image Suite or Anniversary Edition, or even the Digital Image Pro 10 version is comparable - older versions may not work.)

post created 9/11/2022

Good Luck and Happy Computing!












Apr 27, 2022

How I download Bundle deals from sites like Design Bundles

This is how I do things when downloading Bundle deal files

For this example I am showing how I downloaded a Dec 2021 Free Bundle deal from DesignBundles.net (available for limited time, if reading this now in April 2022, this particular deal is gone)  designbundles.net/free-design-of-the-week



I created folders on my computers just for the websites I download from. This way I know where I obtained a file from and can give credit if needed to the source of the file.

So I have a 4 DesignBundles.net downloads folder and in that I sometimes create subfolders for collections

Once the Zip file is downloaded I extract it - unzip all the files



I only use Cutting files and Print then Cut files in my crafting projects - so I choose to only save the SVG (for Cut files to use with my Cricut machine) and the PNG and sometimes the JPGs (background papers if included are often in JPG format) and I might also keep the PDFs as they sometimes include instructions etc. ) - So once unzipped, I search for the file formats that I don't use - which include the .dxf, .eps, .ai  formats.  Now if you personally do use those formats, then certainly don't Delete them ;) .

So these screenshots show what "I" do and what I save from these Bundles of images





















I download bundles or single zip files to Folders I create on my External Drive (I prefer downloading to a portable ext drive or a smaller zip/flash drive vs to my own Computer hard drive)  that are named for the websites I obtain them from.  So for example I have a 4 Design Bundles folder, a 4 Creative Fabrica Folder, a 4Hungry Jpeg folder etc.  For Etsy sites, I have a main 4 Etsy Purchases, and then inside that I create a folder named for the designers I purchase from.  I also buy lots of png image sets from the NitwitCollections.com website and I created a folder just for that site.  Because I keep the image sets and / or bundles in folders named for the websites I obtain them from, it is easy for me to give designer/website credit for them when I use them in a project with my Cricut machine.  

The biggest problem I have with some files, is after extracting the files, the images themselves may be poorly named, sometimes they are just numbered or not very descriptive. So its difficult to search through bundles.  I spend a lot of time, renaming files that I know I will be using. There are of course so many images in some bundles that I will never find a use for them.  Same thing with Fonts from Bundles, I install them, but certainly won't use all of them. So unless I know I am going to use them in the future - I don't bother to rename them. If I come across them at a later time, looking through my downloaded files, and want to use them in Cricut Design Space, I will rename them and upload them to Design Space with the new name.  When I upload an SVG or an Image like a PNG or JPG, I also add the Tags/Keywords in the description and name the website and also add other words that will help me find it at a later time, using the tag word and the filter of Uploaded.  So I would be able to search "Design Bundles" and filter by Uploaded to see all the files I have uploaded from just the Design Bundles website.   I have deleted whole folders from some Bundles, as I don't like the images and know I will never use them.  

I also try to download the example pics provided on the website of the file images if available or of a font sample pictures too.   I right click on the pictures from website and save to the folder I downloaded the Bundle to.    I can change the names on the pictures I download, to also help me for searching for them on my external drive at a later time. 

It is easy to be swayed by offerings of Free bundles or $1 bundles etc.  But try to limit yourself to deals that will really be used in your crafting.   And even if downloading to an external drive, or to a cloud drive, remember any drive can fail, so if its really important to you or irreplaceable, then back up to more than one spot.  

Note too: I use a Windows 10 computer, and have an SVG viewer extension on my computer, so that when I click on View of a Folder of SVG files, I can see the images as thumbnails - they show on my computer with the Microsoft Edge icon on them. But if you don't have a svg viewer, your SVG files may identify as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer HTML documents, those are the SVGs that you would want to upload if using Cricut Design Space. If you have a Silhouette, you can use the DXF files for that machines software, I believe.   

See this Fields of Heather 2018 blog post for information about obtaining the SVG viewer extension for a Windows computer >> How to view thumbnails of SVGs

Free files available often from:  


Creative Fabrica >  Freebies of Fonts, Images and SVGs

Daily freebies & $1 deals > Daily Gifts and Dollar Deals  

Design Bundles  >  Free Design Resources

Font Bundles  > Free Fonts

The Hungry Jpeg  > TheHungryJpeg Freebies