How to fix "Windows Photo Gallery has stopped working" ?

Anonymous
2008-12-26T16:44:42+00:00

Windows photo gallery is one of several programs I use while working with my photo files and I find it useful, is some instances more than the expensive programs. But it has stopped working and I'm looking for a fix, preferably without having to reinstall the operating system and having to reload everything on my hard drive. Anyone have any suggestions? I can still open files and edit them, just can't "go to the gallery".

Thanks

Windows for home | Other | Music, photos, and video

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Anonymous
2008-12-31T11:37:08+00:00

Hi Photofan,

Do you have another user account that you can try Windows Photo Gallery and see if you get the same error message?  If you do try it with another account and don't get the message try going through the following steps and see if it resolves your issue.

    1. Click the Start orb

    2. Type folder options in the Start Search box, and click the Folder Options program

    3. Select the View tab

    4. In the Advanced Settings window, underneath Hidden files and folders, select Show hidden files and folders

    5.  Click OK

    6.  Navigate to the following folder ( %user% is the name of the account having the problem):

    C:\Users%user%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Photo Gallery

    7.  Copy any files in here to another location as a back up and then delete them from the Windows Photo Gallery directory

Once the files are deleted, try to start Windows Photo Gallery.

After that go back in to folder options and select Do not show hidden files and folders

Let us know if you have any other problems.  Thank you

Shane

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-12-31T02:50:48+00:00

    Hi James David (and if he is gone hopefully this will help someone else),

    One shouldn't apologise for advancing age. Happens to all of and I know what he means. I, too, got stuck at Step 6, but eventually figured it out.

    Step 6 "Navigate" means

    1. Click on the Start orb, then double click on each of the following files as they appear (as you go along);  2. Computer   3. Drive "C"   4. Users  5. Your name - or however you identify yourself on your computer   6. AppData   7.Local   8. Microsoft   9.Windows Live Photo Gallery

    Now you're at  Shane's Step 7.

    Hope this helps.

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  2. Anonymous
    2008-12-26T17:27:03+00:00

    Try running SFC

    The System File Checker tool

    To determine whether the issue that you are experiencing is caused by one or more system files that are used by Windows Vista, run the System File Checker tool. The System File Checker tool scans system files and replaces incorrect versions of the system files by using the correct versions.

    To run the System File Checker tool, follow these steps:

    1.Click Start, and then type cmd in the Start Search box.

    1. Right-click cmd in the Programs list, and then click Run as administrator.

    3.If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue

    4.At the command prompt, type the following line, and then press ENTER: sfc /scannow

    When the scan is complete, test to see whether the issue that you are experiencing is resolved.

    Mark L. Ferguson MS-MVP

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-04-02T10:53:12+00:00

    I had the problem of it starting and then message that it's stopped working. Solved it by

    1. Removed all folders that WLPG scans apart from My Pictures under "include folder" in menu. Otherwise it's looking practically everywhere for pics & vids
    2. Moved all video files out of video folder. Video & Pictures folders cannot be removed from WLPG, so if you have a file that is causing the crash in either of these 2 folders, you will have to move it elsewhere, where WLPG will not scan

    Basically, it's happening because there are files that it can't handle, so best to remove anything other than straight jpegs and then add them back & test to see.

    I found I could initially stop it crashing by clicking on one of the picture files shown on left. That way I could access menu.

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  4. Anonymous
    2008-12-28T13:21:13+00:00

    While this simple 10 minute try at fixing Photo Gallery might work for you, there are certainly many other factors to consider. Installing an incompatible application that you will probably find listed in "Programs and Features" could be conflicting with Photo Gallery. Looking at "Default programs" in Control Panel may indicate the problem for you.

    Mark L. Ferguson MS-MVP

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