Finale 25 - what exactly is different from the previous?

[Deacon Don]

Aside from Finale "not responding", not saving my files without an "Error 3" message and not being able to print my music I'd like to know what the differences are between 25 and the previous 2014(?) edition.

I'm have a horrible time with Finale 25.

[Michel R E]

I, for one, am having fewer crashes, more ease making recordings, faster response times, dashed slurs, and 64 bit compatibility.

[BuonTempi]

Aside from Finale "not responding", not saving my files without an "Error 3" message and not being able to print my music I'd like to know what the differences are between 25 and the previous 2014(?) edition.

Those are not documented features of F25, so you may be able to get them fixed. Contact MM for support.

There's a full list of new features here:
https://usermanuals.finalemusic.com/Fin ... _s_new.htm
While the list may not be ground-breaking, all these little things, together with many, many bug fixes, cumulatively make the experience of using Finale much more enjoyable and productive. There are notational improvements, functional improvements and new features.

Finale 25 is the only version that is being continually updated and improved. If you do have a pet bug that you want squashed, or a feature you'd like MM to implement, then that's only going to be seen in future updates to F25.

[Deacon Don]

Those are not documented features of F25, so you may be able to get them fixed. Contact MM for
support.

I was being facetious. They've not been very helpful. They say it's a Microsoft problem. Microsoft
hasn't been very helpful, either.

After 25 years of being a Finale user I guess I need to go back to a Mac. It's quite frustrating.

[motet]

The Mac version of Finale has problems of its own, perhaps more than the Windows version from reports I've seen here.

"Error 3" may be related to a problem with Finale's temp folder being pointed to the default temp folder. Try creating a temp folder of your own just for Finale in, say, My Documents, then pointing Finale to that in Preferences/Folders/Temporary Files. Others have reported similar errors and this seems to fix it (it is definitely MakeMusic's problem, despite what they say).

[Deacon Don]

The Mac version of Finale has problems of its own, perhaps more than the Windows version from
reports I've seen here.

No doubt. I'm venting frustration of a problem that must be more difficult than I thought.

"Error 3" may be related to a problem with Finale's temp folder being pointed to the default temp
folder. Try creating a temp folder of your own just for Finale in, say, My Documents, then
pointing Finale to that in Preferences/Folders/Temporary Files.

I'll try to do this tonight.

Others have reported similar errors and this seems to fix it (it is definitely MakeMusic's problem,
despite what they say).

It's definitely their fault.

I'm also having trouble printing parts. Nothing appears in the print window.

[motet]

That could be temp file issues as well. Let us know what happens with the new temp folder.

[MikeHalloran]

Two Windows users discussing how bad the Mac version is and one of them doesn’t use 25.

Really?

It works pretty well, guys.

[BuonTempi]

I'd say that Mac versions from 2012 to 2014.5 were riddled with platform problems, causing crashes, slowness, and other issues. Much of the work done in F25 has fixed a lot of those problems. There are still some issues, but F25 on the Mac is a lot more stable and responsive than Finale has been for 5 years, at least.

[N Grossingink]

I'm also having trouble printing parts. Nothing appears in the print window.

Take a look at this:
https://makemusic.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/ ... x-Windows-

N.

[Vaughan]

I agree with the two posts above. I'm quite happy with the Mac version of Finale 25: not only have I noticed a number of bug fixes but I make use of many of the new features. Finale doesn't seem sluggish on my system, either.

[Deacon Don]

Try creating a temp folder of your own just for Finale in, say, My Documents, then pointing Finale to that
in Preferences/Folders/Temporary Files.

Thanks. I believe the problem is solved.

Here are the steps I took:

1. Created FinaleTemp and put it in
ThisPC>C:>Users>My personal file>Documents

This didn't work at first so I restarted the computer

2. Then I remembered you said go to Preferences. It took forever for my to find this. It's in
Edit>Preference>Folders

3. I select (on the right of Folders) Backup and Auto Save. I changed the setting where I wanted the
file to go.

IT WORKED! I opened several files and they all worked.

Bad news! I still can't print. Bummer.

[zuill]

The slot for Temporary Files at the bottom of the list of slots is what you really want to set to the temporary files folder.

Zuill

[motet]

Yes, sounds like you changed the wrong thing.

I'm also having trouble printing parts. Nothing appears in the print window.

What exactly is in the print window? Is it completely blank, or you mean there's nothing in the list of things you can print? Perhaps you can provide a screen shot if changing the Temporary Files folder doesn't help.

[Deacon Don]

Yes, sounds like you changed the wrong thing.

I'm also having trouble printing parts. Nothing appears in the print window.

What exactly is in the print window? Is it completely blank, or you mean there's nothing in the list of things
you can print? Perhaps you can provide a screen shot if changing the Temporary Files folder doesn't help.

No instruments were listed. But things have changed. Finale wasn't recognizing the computer. Now it is.
Peculiar thing, the instruments still don't show up in the queue but they are printing.

Oy! Thanx for the help.

[BuonTempi]

I'm also having trouble printing parts. Nothing appears in the print window.

Did you read the MM help page linked above, which mentions this problem's cause and a solution?

[Deacon Don]

I'm also having trouble printing parts. Nothing appears in the print window.

Did you read the MM help page linked above, which mentions this problem's cause and a solution?

Yes, it helped. Thanx.

[jzucker]

I'd say that Mac versions from 2012 to 2014.5 were riddled with platform problems, causing crashes, slowness, and other issues. Much of the work done in F25 has fixed a lot of those problems. There are still some issues, but F25 on the Mac is a lot more stable and responsive than Finale has been for 5 years, at least.

on windows, i've *NEVER* had finale 2014.5 crash and I've written 2 books with it. Never had the previous version crash either and I wrote 3 books with previous versions.

So sorry, i'm not buying the "25 doesn't crash" as a feature. As far as I'm concerned, paying to upgrade based on the fact that it's 64 bit with promises of quicker updates hasn't panned out. I haven't seen a single feature added that's compelling for jazz authors.

[Deacon Don]

on windows, i've *NEVER* had finale 2014.5 crash...

Come to think of it, neither did I. I liked 2014.5.

So sorry, I'm not buying the "25 doesn't crash" as a feature...

I'm a professional arranger and 25 has slowed me down considerably with the problems mentioned
above. "Not responding" is another problems I'm having. Finale has to be restarted several times
per hour.

So far none of the inconveniences can be traced to Windows 10, which I don't like.

[BuonTempi]

I'm a professional arranger and 25 has slowed me down considerably with the problems mentioned above. "Not responding" is another problems I'm having. Finale has to be restarted several times per hour.

From your previous posts, it seemed like you had solved two of your problems. As said, your experience is not usual, so any remaining issues may also be fixable.

on windows, i've *NEVER* had finale 2014.5 crash. So sorry, i'm not buying the "25 doesn't crash" as a feature.

As I said, I'm talking about the Mac platform.

[Deacon Don]

... As I said, I'm talking about the Mac platform.

Which I'm thinking about changing over to. I used a Mac Classic in the late 80's and early 90's but
Finale became too big and I needed to upgrade. Windows was affordable at the time so I changed.

[N Grossingink]

You say you "liked" Finale 2014.5. If that version worked well for you, why aren't you using it? Just because you own version 25, doesn't mean you have to put up with the kind of substandard performance you describe.

N.

[miker]

N,
Many people purchased 25 based on the promised features. It’s not really fair to say that they should have stayed with the old version, if it worked for them. I’m sure they felt the new version would work even better.

They have every right to complain, if they are having issues beyond the refund window, and MM is slow in correcting the problems. Although I agree, at some point, you cut your losses and go back to the version that worked.

[Deacon Don]

You say you "liked" Finale 2014.5. If that version worked well for you, why aren't you using it? Just
because you own version 25, doesn't mean you have to put up with the kind of substandard
performance you describe.

N.

I paid for 25 and I expect it to work as well as the previous version. It's Finale's duty to see to it
that their product works/performs as advertised.

That's not asking too much.

[BuonTempi]

I paid for 25 and I expect it to work as well as the previous version. It's Finale's duty to see to it that their product works/performs as advertised. That's not asking too much.

Actually, it is. The support that MM offers is far above their legal obligation.

THE SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED SOLELY ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION MATERIALS IS WITH YOU. YOU ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION OF THE SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION MATERIALS TO ACHIEVE YOUR INTENDED RESULTS, AND FOR THE INSTALLATION, USE, AND RESULTS OF THE SOFTWARE.

Every computer is unique, with its own combination of software, drivers, settings and errors. Remote diagnosis of issues, particularly ones that are individual, intermittent or non-specific, can be difficult if not impossible. You've mentioned three problems, I think, here, two of which have been fixed, and it's likely that the remaining issue could also be fixed.

You are the system administrator of your own computer, and it is as much your 'duty' as Microsoft's or MakeMusic's to ensure that things run smoothly and well. You may be best served finding a local Windows expert who can assess your computer and Finale's interaction with it.

As not everyone has these problems, you should hopefully be able to get them fixed, and get back to productive music making.