Thank you, Jeff. I have recovered my lost Magix-generated .mph etc files from an old backup on a stored USB drive. But I still think it is worthwhile for others, and especially Magix themselves to see the consequences of their deliberate policy. Like you, I keep every photo, every document and every other file which depicts my family or any detail about us, on a separate encrypted drive. There, neither online hackers, nor Windows Updates, nor Magix' policies, can grab or harm them. But to make Magix has to create and store files somewhere, and stupidly in my view, it chooses to store everything that Magix itself generates on C:\\Users\Me\Documents\Magix. This sub-folder called Magix is the one which Magix' choice of name causes it to get wiped and destroyed. This is because Magix refuses to install until you un-install your previous version. When you tell Windows to carry out that un-install, the entire \Magix folder gets removed, and cannot be retrieved, not by System Restore nor by Recuva nor by anything else. It makes no difference if I direct Magix to create its \Magix sub-folder elsewhere than C: - when Windows un-installs the old version, that Magix folder will get wiped. Then all previous projects are lost, although your raw data - your photos - may be intact elsewhere, but any file that Magix needs to load your old slideshows - is lost. So you cannot even load your old slideshow, and Export it afresh in a higher resolution which has only become possible in the latest version.

Magix makes every version a stand-alone, never an upgrade, and it does not promise that files created by earlier versions will be readable. Worse, unless you recognised this failing, and made copies of your Magix-own date elsewhere, all your old projects simply disappear. This puts repeat customers at a unique disadvantage - we cannot retain our old version, nor can we expect our previous Magix-generated data to be even there for the new version to load. I have not encountered any other company that does this.

I contrast Photostory with Band-in-a-Box. Both enjoy a captive market, no serious competitors in their niche. Band-in-a-Box also makes every year's release a stand-alone, and Windows 10's recent evolution probably gives them no other choice. But BiaB offers reduced prices to those with a previous serial number, and it guarantees that each new version can read the previous version's date. And the BiaB data folder does not get deleted, because it is not a sub-folder called \Band-in-a-Box under \\Documents which Windows Uninstall (and Revo Uninstaller) will recognise and obliterate, BiaB puts all data - yours and its own - in C:\bb. Rudimentary good sense, so why does Magix not do the same? All Magix need to do is to change the name and location of their data folder so as to put it beyond the reach of Windows Un-Install. Not a big ask.

@oldstrummer535

Thanks for the update and I'm glad that you have been able to restore those missing projects.

However, I have to disagree that your problem was caused by something the update did by default. Yes, every recent new version of most/all Magix programs does remove the previous one. This policy has caused many users to complain, especially if the "new" version exhibits real problems. But, in my experience, ALL "data files" associated with the "old" version (project files, effects, templates etc., etc.) are NOT removed by the installer for the new version. I run several Magix programs and have never lost any of these ancillary data files in any update/upgrade, unless the specific data file is no longer compatible with the new version. I think this forum would be absolutely overwhelmed by users understandably bitterly complaining if what seems to have happened to you also happened to them.

I did notice you wrote you tell Windows to carry out that un-install. This suggests that you used the Windows Uninstaller to uninstall the old version, and not, apparently, the uninstaller built into the new version installer. Is that correct? If so, I wonder if that is the source of your problem? The Windows Installer log will include details of ALL the files, folders and registry entries associated with the original installation and thus will remove them, I think. The part of the new version installer which includes the uninstaller for the old is most likely written to avoid removing those "data files".

Jeff

@oldstrummer535

Hi

I have to agree with @emmrecs, the upgrade of MEP would in no way remove existing projects from the Magix folder.

What has affected some users is when a Windows update is in progress, Windows creates and uses a temporary user profile to do the update which once complete does not revert back to the normal user profile.

This results in an apparent loss of user documents and any desktop icons that the user placed on the desktop.

The Windows un-installer should never remove files and folders that are within the Documents folder - this is a special protected folder where all your documents project files etc should be.

If you have your data stored in any location outside the Documents folder then they are not protected from be removed. It is common, however bad practice, to put files and folders on the desktop. This should never be done as the desktop can be reset at anytime by Windows if there is an issue with it loading, resulting in loss of the files and folders.

John EB
Forum Moderator