error message on computer

[earsdon]

Does anyone know what this means
Abnormal program termination
It comes on the screen when I try to use Photoimpact.

[vehelpfulguy]

The message says it all really, it is an abnormal program termination.

Programs usually include code so that they fail gracefully if an EXPECTED error occurs - if maybe one of the important files it needs is missing, something like that.

What you are getting is an UNEXPECTED error, one the program was not expecting, a major error that means it cannot continue and cannot recover from it.

It could be almost anything, something wrong with your hardware, or maybe with Windows.

Your error may be caused by something you have changed on the computer, have you added or removed a piece of hardware, or maybe installed or uninstalled a piece of software. Have a think if you have done anything like this since it last worked.

As neildownx says, try a re-install or repair.

Failing that do a FULL uninstall, tidy up your PC (remove any files and directories the uninstall leaves behind), then REBOOT, and then do a re-install.

[webdude]

I suspect from your question you may not be an experienced PC user, if this is the case I would urge caution before you do anything as drastic as re-installing the entire machine.

I would suggest you buy registry cleaning software to check your registry settings, as this often solves this sort of problem. Alternatively if you are running Win XP you could uninstall Photoimpact then use the system restore tool to restore your PC to an earlier date and try re-installing Photoimpact.