Plaintive Shop Pro -- Waaah, I Need to Reinstall PSP!

[AHunter3]

A couple years ago, needing a basic graphics-file viewer and editor and TWAIN-scanner driver container application to use in VirtualPC, and being way too much of a cheapskate to consider Photoshop (if I need that much graphics oomph, I'm exiting to Mac to do it there), I looked up Paint Shop Pro's web site and downloaded the program (version 6).

Unlike some software vendors who provide their s/w as shareware (you pay to get an installation code to enable full use or use beyond a trial period) or require an install key to make use the freely downloadable installer program, PSP's non-demo version could only be downloaded by providing credit card number. Once you've got the installer, you've effectively got the program--no activation key or installation code necessary.

Fast forward to a couple months ago. I get sick and tired of making some trivial change in my settings and having Windows95 say "Please insert the Windows 95 installation CD", and from various sources (including the Win-savvy folks here at SDMB) I've gathered that this is not the intrinsic behavior of Windows95 but is a result of using a bare-bones installation option. So I get the clueless Macintosh-user kind of idea to simply reinstall Windows on top of itself with the "typical installation" option instead, blithely assuming that everything that worked before will keep working. So innocently sure of this am I that I don't bother backing up the virtual hard drive first

OK, so after a bit of fiddling with a robust, completely installed full-fledged Windows95 that will run Notepad and not much else without complaining of misplaced DLLs and whatnot, trying to reinstall all the software, I decide it might be easier to revert to the last backup I made of the virtual hard drive, which was a bit over a year ago.

I do a quick comparison check of which programs run under which copy of the C drive and discover that Paint Shop Pro is missing in action in both versions -- the earlier C drive predates the time when I acquired it, and the other one won't run PSP because the "JCMYK.DLL file is linked to missing export " something-or-other.

Also missing in action is the original installer file, at least as far as I can ascertain. (It WOULD be useful to know the exact name of the installer file, but there aren't that many places it could be hiding). I have a nasty feeling there was an original EXE file that was a self-expanding archive that put the real installer file in TEMP, which doesn't bode well, does it? Well, now what? I can't just go to the web site and download a new copy because I have no code to prove I purchased one! I don't even know what bloody credit card I used or what month I got it.

::sits and sulks::

OK, I'm feeling rather stupid and inept, enough so that I'm not even able to formulate a good question here, but if anyone has practical suggestions, please put 'em here.

[astro]

I don't have an immediate answer but just so others viewing this aren't mis-understanding (as I did briefly) you have no true windows hardware and are running a WIN95 emualtor on top of a MAC OS and the PSP was running within this emualor via your VirtualPC emulator software.

I would suggest calling or emailing PSP with your user name and address and seeing if they can help you over the phone.

Failing that there were some threads a week or so ago about some freeware graphics programs that might help you. Finally if you want I have one or two Photoshop LE editions on CD that came with digital cameras which I never installed because I have the full PS. I'll mail you the LE edition gratis if you are in need.