Finale questions?

[Rick F]

I'm finally replacing my 10 y.o. Computer (WinXP) with the latest -- and not so greatest -- Windows 10 Machine. It's going to take some time to get used to the new version Windows, but that's a whole other problem.

On my old XP machine I've been using Finale 2001 for many years. ( I know that I need to get a new copy of either Finale or PrintMusic - not yet decided on which for the Win10 machine.) In the meantime, I've copied over 100s of PDFs I generated with Finale. Some of these open okay on the new machine, but many others do not display correctly and give me an error, "unable to locate Maestro font".

I've copied over any font with the name "Maestro" in it to the same folder as was on the XP machine to the Win10 machine. I still get the same error. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Also, if I choose PrintMusic over Finale will I be able to open all the MUS files made with Finale 2001?

Thanks guys.

Thanks.

[Rick F]

Thanks Mark,

Well, all's if fine now. I called Finale (or Make Music), and was able to upgrade to the latest version of Finale, ver. 2014.5. Even though my product is 15 yrs old, they checked registration and allowed me to upgrade for much less than what it would be retail... like $149 vs $600. Once 2014 was installed all the font problems went away. Now I just have to learn the new software. Lots of things are different than I've been used too.

BTW, all my old files .mus open just fine. There may be a few things that I may need to edit, but looking good so far.

Thanks again.

[MaryAnn]

That's good to know...I have 2005b FInale on my old mac that smelled burning-funny last time I turned it on (ready to die, I think.) I was wondering about how much hassle there would be if I tried to upgrade and put on my mac pro (but the screen is so small.....) I still have my serial number, which I assume I'll need.

[Rick F]

Hi MaryAnn,

Yes, they ask you the serial number so they can look up who owns that copy. Smelling something on you Mac could just be something on the power supply. Don't know about Macs particularly, but on a PC a power supply is pretty easy to replace. Just a possibility. Good luck.

[MaryAnn]

Thanks....smelled like hot capacitor to me. I haven't been in the mood to mess with it, and I doubt my OS will handle the new Finale. Very old OS, the highest that machine can handle. If I get ambitious again I may just get a large monitor to use with the laptop.

[FarahShazam]

This is my suggestion.

Find a copy of Finale 2004. You will never need to register it because there's a glitch that allows you to use trial period forever.

The fonts will work properly.

The trick is to find a copy of Finale. Look on eBay or ask your friends to borrow their copy. since you aren't registering it, you won't be using their serial number.

Our you could try and install the font package from finale's website. This happens when updating to an new OS.

As for opening MUS files, I once found a program that opened and saved the files to open in another program. It is some kind of editing program. Not easy to figure out but not impossible .

[Dan Schultz]

I haven't had any problems migrating older Windows 7 or even XP programs into Windows 10. Finale was not a problem. I'm even using a Win 2000 version of Front Page to maintain my web pages.

I've heard some 'interesting' things about Finale 25 that was just introduced. Can anyone confirm that Finale no longer supports scanning?

[Rick F]

I haven't had any problems migrating older Windows 7 or even XP programs into Windows 10. Finale was not a problem. I'm even using a Win 2000 version of Front Page to maintain my web pages.

I've heard some 'interesting' things about Finale 25 that was just introduced. Can anyone confirm that Finale no longer supports scanning?

This is true Dan. I've been reading some on Make Music (Finale) forum and Finale 25 DOES NOT support scanning. They're concerned about copyright. For this reason many feel ver. 25 may not sell well. By the way, they're no longer naming newer versions with the year of the update. Instead it's chronologically numbered... 25 is the 25th and latest version.

Most of my XP programs installed okay on my Win10 PC. Even MSWord 2006 installed okay. Roxio Creator did not however.

[Dan Schultz]

.... Can anyone confirm that Finale no longer supports scanning?

This is true Dan. I've been reading some on Make Music (Finale) forum and Finale 25 DOES NOT support scanning. They're concerned about copyright. ....

Hmmm.... I contacted Finale through their Facebook page and confirmed this. Basically, I've told them they will lose a customer over the silly notion that being able to scan music into Finale is a copyright issue. The only reason why I do it is to create transpositions for tunes that the publishers refuse to offer bass clef tuba parts for. My argument here is that I will continue to create transpositions that I cannot buy from the publishers even if I have to do it by hand.