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this fixed my "crashing at startup" problem

go to username/library/application support/idvd and drag the "installed themes" folder to the trash (or desktop if that makes you nervous).

Try starting iDVD. Check to be sure all the themes are there, and look to see if the contents of the folder have been replaced. then you can trash the original folder.

iDVD has worked fine ever since.

Looks like some nice improvements this time around. extra flexibility in button selection, able to use different fonts/sizes in the same menu, etc., and best of all higher quality encoding options!

20" Intel Imac / 15" Aluminum Powerbook, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Aug 8, 2007 2:45 PM

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30 replies

Aug 8, 2007 3:51 PM in response to David Yellen

I posted this in another discussion, and I'll likely get chastised for double posting, but to that I will respond "Well, Apple, get your iDVD software workin' and we won't have any more double-posts out of me!"

This is how I solved this problem:

"Episode 2: "Seems It's The Themes"

OK, I seemed to have found what wasn't working on my system...

Seems that my back-collection of old iDVD themes wasn't compatible with the new iDVD. I have owned every version of this program, so I had all themes present.

This is how I isolated the problem:

I opened two folders and had them on my desktop:

Folder A) The "username/library/application support/idvd" folder, where you will see a folder called 'installed themes'.

Folder B) The other folder is the system's library folder, it's path being: "(yourhardrivename)/Library/Application Support/iDVD/Themes"

They may seem very similar, but the key is that the SYSTEM'S folder (folder B) keeps the actual themes, new and old, within it.

At first start-up, iDVD will create a folder within the USER'S folder (folder A) called "Installed Themes".

So, here's what I did to solve my problem: I moved "Installed Themes" from folder A to the desktop.

In my Folder B, the system's collection of themes, I had seven folders: "iDVD 1," "iDVD 2," and so on, up through "iDVD 7" I moved them all to the desktop and restarted iDVD.

It worked, and it also created a new "Installed Themes" folder within Folder A (user folder).

However, upon clicking 'create project,' a dialog box came up saying there were "no themes installed, please install again or find themes?" or something like that.

A-ha. So I placed the "iDVD 7" theme folder that I had rested on my desktop back into Folder B, "Themes." This again is the SYSTEM folder's application support folder, not the user's.

iDVD opened correctly, and I quit out and placed more "iDVD x" folders that I had originally placed on my desktop back in to folder B.

Some snags: Long story short, the only ones still compatible (it seems, haven't tried each and every one, but nothing prevents iDVD start-up) are the following Theme folders:

Still seem to work, won't prevent iDVD 08 from opening:

iDVD 7
iDVD 6
iDVD 5
iDVD 3

All other theme folders left in Folder B will cause iDVD 08 to rewrite the "Installed Themes" folder in Folder A, and it will again become corrupt and prevent iDVD 08 from opening... This is easily solved, however, by throwing away the newly sullied "Installed Themes" folder, limiting your 'theme' folders on the above list in Folder B, and restarting iDVD 08, forcing it to write a new "Installed Themes" folder in Folder A.

So, in a nutshell, remove the theme folders iDVD 1, iDVD 2, and iDVD 4 from Folder B, toss out the "Installed Themes" folder from Folder A, and restart iDVD 08.

Good luck, I hope this is something that will work for you, I tried to make it clear, but let me know if I can clarify anything. "

Aug 10, 2007 1:30 PM in response to William McMullen

Kudos to William !! This fixed the "Never did startup" problem

+Seems that my back-collection of old iDVD themes wasn't compatible with the new iDVD. I have owned every version of this program, so I had all themes present.+

+Folder A) The "username/library/application support/idvd" folder, where you will see a folder called 'installed themes'.+

+Folder B) The other folder is the system's library folder, it's path being: "(yourhardrivename)/Library/Application Support/iDVD/Themes"+

+So, in a nutshell, remove the theme folders iDVD 1, iDVD 2, and iDVD 4 from Folder B, toss out the "Installed Themes" folder from Folder A, and restart iDVD 08.+

Aug 10, 2007 2:01 PM in response to David Yellen

I tried removing the theme folders in both the main and my libraries and idvd still crashes on start up - the splash screen opens for a split second then vanishes.

I don't have the installed themes folder though - I only have a themes folder, but removing that did nothing.

My mac is at the low end of the specs - G5, 2ghz dual with OS 10.4.10, 4gb ram and 600gb internal HDs, but the other ilife08 products work.

Aug 10, 2007 10:25 PM in response to William McMullen

William, THANKS. Like you, I had every version of iDVD on my computer. Long story short: I didn't do it exactly the way you did it, but you led me to the solution which I would have never found by myself. Once I got it up and running with only iDVD 7 I was OK. Opening the app. again I was given the option of loading the old themes from the install DVD. I did, and I'm using one (Projector) I needed from maybe version 1 or 2. I rebuilt the DVD I was trying to make more copies of and it's processing right now. Here's hoping it works.
Thanks Again!
DS

Aug 11, 2007 1:23 AM in response to David Sisson1

I have two Macs and iDVD '08 on the MacBook Intel Core 2 Duo worked fine first time. For my PowerPC G5 I had to trash the iDVD library and cache files and then re-install iDVD using Pacifist.app (including all the extras) to get iDVD up and running. I used 'update' rather than 'replace' to avoid having two iDVD applications on my drive. If the problem is with old themes, I wonder why I didn't have the same problem with the old themes on my MacBook!

Aug 15, 2007 1:30 PM in response to David Yellen

I followed apple article, but it didn't solve the problem. Then I scanned all iDVD files in all 3 libraries. I also trashed everything connected to the application(Themes, cache folders & plst file. I left the app. alone. Then slotted the iLife DVD back for futher install. I notices that a folder with 345mb was copied the first time. So I installed.
I lunached the application & it worked this tim. I quite & relaunched few times. No problem.
I hope this will be helpfull.

this fixed my "crashing at startup" problem

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