Can't get the product Key from Evrsoft

[mufasa]

Hi,

I tried the previous version of 1st page a couple of years ago. It was nice, but lacked visual editting, so I put it aside. I have setlled for the built-in HTML editor in visusl Studio .NET for a while. Recently, looking for another editor, I came across this new version 3 and was impressed with the concept of visual editting. The ability to synchronize the cursor between the text and preview windows is this small thing that makes a vast difference!

However, there is this little problem: This product seems to be purchase-proof! :-)

I payed for the software a week ago, but never got the unlock key. I filled the contact form at the Evrsoft site but never got a reply. I called 2CO (the e-commerce agent). They gave me the money back, saying the Evrsoft responded: "Details: Refund due to delayed availability". I don't know what that means, and neither did the person at 2CO.:-) I called the number at the Evrsoft site, and got this woman In Australia who said it was the wrong number, and she hoped I did not pay any money, because I was not the first caller... Being ever the optimist, I payed again today. As one may expect- no unlock key So far. So I called 2CO again. To be continued...

Has anyone of you guys managed to buy this product? How did you do it?

Avner.

[Terminator1138]

well you don't have to pay for it, just a nag screen and you can click okay to proceed...there is not clear direction on what the product comparisons area. There is a thread about those who have payed and never got key either.

My advice called or email 2co again and get a refund asap.

[Galactic]

However, there is this little problem: This product seems to be purchase-proof! :-)
Avner.
Avner, your choice of words :) is a good description of the experiences reported on the thread mentioned by Terminator1138. No one yet has reported to the forums that they have been able to get the program. It does not seem to exist. Also no one has reported being able to communicate with Evrsoft since some time in January. Terminator1138 is the forum moderator but he says his knowledge about this is the same as the rest have reported. I agree with his suggestion, try out the free and only available version of 1st Page 2006 3.0.

I paid for the software a week ago, but never got the unlock key. I filled the contact form at the Evrsoft site but never got a reply. I called 2CO (the e-commerce agent). They gave me the money back, saying the Evrsoft responded: "Details: Refund due to delayed availability."
Avner.
If 2CcheckOut.com gave you an immediate refund that is good news. One reported on the other thread being told to wait 48 hours and then being asked to wait an additional 24 hours before they would credit his card. I feel that by now 2co.com should have figured out that they should not even be accepting the orders in the first place.

Thank you for contributing to this continuing story.

About installing 3.0: You must first remove any beta versions of the 3.0 release by using the remove tool for the program accessed via the Windows Control Panel and then you deleting the program directory using Windows Explorer, because remove does not completely remove all the files. You should be using the loader/installer that is on CNET’s Download.com. That is the source linked from Evrsoft’s site page for v3.0 downloads. You need a newer version of Windows. Most will recommend Windows XP (any up to date flavor of that) and Windows 2000 seems OK. I would not use Windows ME, although Evrsoft says that version will work in its system requirements.

Sooner or later you will start getting a Nag Screen on program start and program close that requires you to wait 5 s. Then you can click on the OK button and the program starts (if on startup) or exits (if on shutdown).

Glad you found these forums. Right now what has been learned and reported here seems to be the only current information available about 1st Page. These are Evrsoft's forums but they have been open, moderated in arrears, and even non-members can search the content here.

If you try this program I will look forward to hearing your experiences and thoughts about it. If you experience any instability (buggy behavior) I probably have something that will clear that up for you—a special way to remove old versions of 1st Page and then a special way to setup and configure the program after it new install.

[tin60]

Has anyone of you guys managed to buy this product? How did you do it?
Avner.

Can you tell the same story - no key, no answer - nothing. Author of this software seems to prefer absent - as said in an other thread: Newer saw this before.

tin

[Terminator1138]

here is what I would do, now this is only stating what I would do in your situation. Give feedback on download.com so others can read the review if they don't find these forums first, then contact 2co and let them know the whole story and provide links back to these same topics covered here so they know more than just your story. I'm sure they will appreciate that research has been done. :)

Also make sure you give them as much details and screenshots as needed. Ask them if they have had many with the same issue. Just some thoughts on this all.

After all, when I asked for a refund on another company, I collected tons of evidence :), screenshots with claims and also screenshots of their behavoir and email replies and more. I then presented this to 2co and guess, what go satisfaction and a refund. As a side note, I would opt to perhaps make sure download.com knows this also and they might even pull the listing if enough complain about it, but that is just something I would do if I was ticked enough :)

[mufasa]

Thank you all, guys!

Yes, posting to CNet is a good idea.

this all looks pretty odd, though. Perhaps the author is seriously ill? But then, is there only one developer? Does not seem likely...

[Galactic]

Give feedback on download.com so others can read the review if they don't find these forums first...
I had noticed that no one had posted a vote on download.com in quite some time. I thought that the Community was holding back, I have been, in hopes that someway 1st Page would survive the crisis. If you write a review, also vote.

If I were writing a review at the present moment I would say that 1st Page shows a lot of promise but there are peculiarities in dealing with Evrsoft and it is not certain that issues will be addressed. I would mention to not attempt to buy a pro version of 1st Page and then mention the general link to these forums and to the particular thread that has revealed that although you can pay for an advance version you cannot get it. I would explain that the Nag Screen is a toll gate. You have to at the gate for 5 seconds but then an OK button lights up. If you press the OK button you are free to proceed,. :)

If I were going to advise against trying 1st Page in a review, I would provide a suggestion in my review on Download.com for where to go to find lists or discussions of alternatives. One such list can be found on that thread in these forums.

If I were to give up on 1st Page (or more likely Evrsoft), I would not go away from it without providing an account of my experiences in a farewell post here on the forums and also provide a review article at CNET's Download.com.

If I had had the experience of having paid 2CheckOut.com for a program I could not get, I would do everything that Terminator1138 has suggested and ask them to stop selling it for Evrsoft. I also would probably send a signed receipt snail mail letter to 2CheckOut.com. Their street address is given in a a post by me on that thread. If I did not get a response that was acceptable from them, I wouild file a complaint on-line with the BBB for a Customer Service problem.

[Terminator1138]

Thank you all, guys!

Yes, posting to CNet is a good idea.

this all looks pretty odd, though. Perhaps the author is seriously ill? But then, is there only one developer? Does not seem likely...
I hope hesnot ill, but would explain absence etc or on vacation etc to explain his absence etc....however only time will tell

[Galactic]

Thank you all, guys!

Yes, posting to CNET is a good idea.

this all looks pretty odd, though. Perhaps the author is seriously ill? But then, is there only one developer? Does not seem likely...

That the developer could be ill has occurred to me. I have a perception that to a large extent there is only one developer behind 1st Page. You can find info about that within these forums but as a practical matter, the bottom line is that we have not heard from Admin since some time in January. The program can be made to work, it seems, and could be worthwhile "as is" once one learns how to make it work, if one likes the program that much. I just posted some views on writing a review as a response to Terminator1138's response to your post. If you write a review, you might consider also posting it to these forums with a link back to the Download.com page.

[ModemGuru]

Admin's Last Activity: 01-23-2006 09:23 PM

[mufasa]

Review on Cnet is currently at http://www.download.com/First-Page-2006/3640-2048_4-10490780.html?pn=4&sb=0&v=0 (it may move, though).
BTW, There is another complaint on the same issue already there.
My program has no nag screen, but then, many menu options do not work, including help, register and file-open. Which make it useless. I'm off.

[mufasa]

oops! Should be "review on CNet"

[Galactic]

...many menu options do not work, including help, register and file-open. Which make it useless. I'm off.
You may not see this, but if you do or for any with the same problem.

The two most common issues reported with 1st Page 2006 3.0 are
1) Unstable program
2) Splash Screen hangs and / menu functions are not available

I now believe that the issues arise mainly from an install process, that should be managed by the Loader/Installer that does not take of some matters automatically. We can do these things for it, and then these issues may be gone.

The first requirement is a clean install. There are descriptions of clean installs on the forums, some by me, that seem adequate. I have a newer more detailed version but the one available is probably adequate.

The second issue is addrssed, after one has a clean install, by on the very first start of 1st Page 2006 3.0, clicking through to get to the menus in the first place in an optimal way and then setting some menu options. Several including me suggest that you arrange for the program on open to open with a scratch.htm program. It can do nothing or it can display Hello World or whatever. I try to define every option that 1st Page offers. I define a startup directory for example. I learned that you cannot do that without a web file in the directory. (A small bug.) I put my scratch.html program there. I also call for setting up the external browsers. I setup an image editor. I define a default file extension, mine is htm. I also set my program to startup in advanced / expert mode. There may be more setups on my list but these come to mind. I have not had an apparent malfunction of the program since I did these things. Others have done these things, or steps that are a part of these things. There are no reports that I know of that these steps do not work.

I mentioned on the first start of the program doing an optimal series of clicks. Here, they are, more or less:

1st Page 2006 3.0 is configured to start with a Splash Screen displayed and a Start Manager window opening after the program has loaded. (Hangs of the Splash Screen used to be reported. That either related to an earlier version of the final program or to a failure to ensure a clean remove of existing first page programs, at least versions of what became 3.0, before installing the program.) From the list of templates displayed by the Start Manager, right click on one of them and designate it as the default template. Now click on the "define default document" button. Define an existing htm document, preferably in the 1st Page default directory for htm files, as the start file. Uncheck the box that says open program with Start Manager. Check the box that says open the program with a file.

Important point: Reports on the forum are that unless you can get the program to go all the way through the first open and eventually close it successfully, that the changes made in the program options are not saved. If the program crashes the first time you try to close it, it may continue to do that. Crashes are one of the things that a clean remove and new install seems to address.

I posted a comment yesterday that a prerequisite for getting into using 1st Page 2006 3.0 seems to be a lot of motivation. There are reasons why people who look into 1st Page 2006 3.0.go on to leave. Most of us may do that. However, if you are motivated, and check for the steps for a successful program install, 1st Page 2006 3.0 seems to work. Not working, though, is not the only reason why people decide not to use this program.

The Nag Screen will start appearing eventually. It does not appear in the beginning. When you do see a yellow Nag Screen, wait 5 seconds and then click on OK. Nothing further is required.

I am not certain that 1st Page 2006 3.0 will work on Windows versions other than Windows XP (any up to date flavor) and it probably does OK with Windows 2000.

As this has become a general kind of reply, check elsewhere on the forums to know for sure that you do not want to "buy" this program and what to do if you have tried to. Terminator1138 is the only active moderator. His authority is limited. He has done what he can to help the users with problems they have reported here.

[BillSamuel]

The "availability delayed" means just that. The obvious intention was to have two versions available at the same time - free and professional. But the professional version, the one you pay for, has been delayed. Everything was set up for the Pro version to be available, so you get the option of purchasing something that doesn't exist.

I think there is more than one person involved in developing FP, but I don't think Evrsoft really has any fulltime employees (although there is an ad on the site for several positions), and I think the developers are scattered in different places. As near as I can determine, they don't really have any revenue source. FP appears to be their only product so far, and it's never been sold. So they're hard to contact, and if the main developer has had health problems or an accident, I'm not sure things are set up for someone to fill in the breach.

[Kaabi]

If 1st Page really is a popular application they must have at least 4 or 5 full timers. 1stPage is their only product? I thought Evrsoft was bigger.

[Tarmithius]

Evrsoft as far as I know is one person.

[Flapperkewiet]

...and wasn't the sole EVR Soft developer stinged by some sort of a flat fish a couple of weeks ago ? :jumpy:
Flapperke

[Tarmithius]

...and wasn't the sole EVR Soft developer stinged by some sort of a flat fish a couple of weeks ago ? :jumpy:
Flapperke

That is just flat out rude. A guy died in a tragic way and you can only poke fun and be completely off topic, nice thanks for joining.