Adobe PhotoDeluxe 2.0 and Windows XP

    I got PhotoDeluxe some years ago and it does everything I need quite nicely.   I spent some time learning it and I do not want to change to another program unless I absolutely have no other option. 
    I moved it from Win98SE to a computer with Windows XP SP2 but when I tried to start it I would get an error message saying "There is not enough RAM to open PhotoDeluxe". Well that was a surprise as the machine had much more RAM than the old one.  It took quite a while of tinkering but I found the solution.  I will make a long story short.
    The problem is not solved by changing the amount of RAM but by changing the setting for the Virtual Memory. I am guessing that PhotoDeluxe requires a minimum amount of Virtual Memory which is a multiple of the installed RAM and, as RAM grows, so must the Virtual Memory.  That or PhotoDeluxe does not account correctly for RAM and/or Virtual Memory, which also could be.
    In any case, my machine now has 768 MB RAM and setting the Virtual Memory to 2620 MB PhotoDeluxe runs fine so, my advice is to tinker with the Virtual Memory settings until PhotoDeluxe works for you.  In my case, as you can see, the Virtual Memory is set to 3.67 times the RAM so you might want to start with a similar amount and tinker from there.  It is a bit of a pain because every time you change that setting you have to restart the computer.
    To change the virtual memory settings, right click My Computer, Properties, Advanced, Performance, Settinhgs, Advanced Virtual memory - Change


    I still use Photodeluxe regularly and it does everything I need.  It is a shame that we are forced to stop using perfectly good programs and purchase and learn new programs to do what we were already doing perfectly well. I try to continue to use my old programs whenever I can.  Netmeeting, and Imaging, are others.
   

    Update
    Microsoft has published an article titled "Third-party programs that require lots of memory do not run in Windows XP Service Pack 2". It seems the problem occurs when a program needs to reserve hundreds of megabytes of contiguous memory. From the description it seems very likely this is the cause of the problem with Photodeluxe. In that page Microsoft provide a hotfix for this problem.
   
CAUSE
    This problem occurs if the third-party program has to reserve lots of contiguous memory. For example, the problem occurs if the third-party program has to reserve several hundred megabytes of contiguous memory. The new Xpsp2res.dll file that is added in Windows XP SP2 loads into memory at location 0x20000000. This causes the virtual memory that is available to the third-party program to be fragmented.
   
RESOLUTION

Hotfix information

Important This hotfix includes a new Xpsp2res.dll file that dynamically finds a memory location to reduce virtual memory fragmentation. Before you apply this hotfix, we recommend that you ask the vendor of your programs to verify that this solution is acceptable.

This hotfix enables the new Xpsp2res.dll file to find a memory location dynamically and reduce virtual memory fragmentation.

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem, submit a request to Microsoft Online Customer Services to obtain the hotfix. To submit an online request to obtain the hotfix, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451

    It seems they say this hotfix will be included in the next service pack (SP3) which is due to come out soon so there is no need to install the hotfix if you can wait for SP3. Once you have installed the hotfix of the SP you can test to see if you can change the virtual memory settings and Photodeluxe will still work without problems.
    I have not tried this hotfix and I would like to hear from anyone who has tried it whether it does or does not resolve the issue.
    Some months ago I added some RAM to my system and I again had to mess with the virtual memory settings to get Photodeluxe to work. Now that it is working I do not feel like messing with it. Maybe I will try it in the future or just wait for SP3.
   

Problem with TEXT

    In my latest installations I am having a problem which I never had before and it is that when I use the TEXT function to superimpose text in an image it gets corrupted and some of the text is duplicated below the original.  It does not happen and is not visible while I am working on the image in PDL but it happens when I export the image as BMP or JPG or other flat format.  Here is an example:
    You can see text1 and text 6 are fine but parts of text2, text3, text4 and text5 are repeated periodically further down.  It seems there are horizontal bands where the text will be fine and others where the text will be repeated.  Text1 would be in the safe band as well as the upper part of text2 but the lower part of text2, text4 and almost all of text3 would be in a "corrupted" band.  It is interesting to note that the period of repetition of graphics in the original image is 218 pixels in every case, regardless of the size of the text.
    This is happening in all my computers running Windows XP Pro SP3.  For now I have no idea why this happens or how to fix it.  One workaround is to create the graphic text externally, for example with MS-Paint, and then import it to PDL as a graphic layer.  It works but it is a PITA and not a good solution if you are superimposing a lot of text labels.  You need to work with the color of the text and the background and then with the right transparency so it shows well in PDL.  I use Irfanview and MS-Paint extensively but none of them support layers and PDL was the program I used when I needed layers and transparency.
    It is a shame because superimposing text labels on images was one of the primary uses I had for Phodeluxe.  An Internet search yields no answers or even other users with the same problem.  I suppose there are very few users of Photodeluxe 2 left.  I might have to consider learning and using other image editing software but I was hoping to hold on to Photodeluxe while I am with Windows XP and then, when I transition to Win 8 in three or four years renew some of the older software.
    If you had this problem and know how to fix it please let me know.
   

Updated
11 September 2011: Added problem with text.
8 March 2008: added update on Microsoft article and hotfix.
2 February 2007: added how to set virtual memory.