This tidbit might be helpful to my fellow SZ amigos:

I could not load my MP3 player software yesterday.

I kept getting this error message:

"Invalid Floating Point Operation"

I have three separate back-up computers with the same exact Software Program on it and all 3 kept giving me the same error message.

This occurred on all 3 computers at the same exact day & time!

The MP3 Playback Program I have, and do NOT recommend that I had been using is: "Visiosonic PCDJ Blue Version."

As you probably guessed by now.. the Programmer wrote a "Kill Code" into the program that after 10 years the program would NO longer load files.

This "Kill Code date" was NOT mentioned in any of my legal purchased documents/receipts.

I paid in full for this Software and was only using my Legal Copy for my own personal use!

Tech Support from Visiosonic PCDJ has been frustrating...their response in the past has been the same standard line: "We NO longer are offering support for this product" and they would try to push me into buying their latest new product. [a la Windows new versions etc]

Bottom line: I was able to over ride their Programer's "kill code" by changing the date on all my computers and rolling the date back to an earlier year date. [This will now have to be rolled back all the time, and I am going to roll the year back to a full 10 years from here on in so hopefully I don't have to deal with this surprise for another 10 years.]

In my 30+ years of using Legally paid for Software I have never experienced such an oddity.

Especially since the error code I was getting from all 3 of my separate computers gave NO indication that the reason for the "lock out" was their own designated "kill date" period.

I hope this never happens to my fellow SZ amigos' but felt obligated to share this "war story" just in case you have a simultaneous error message on any particular Software program you are using.

Ron, in Port St. Lucie Florida

roll back the clock to last week, or a year ago, and voila, for now !!!

Good point re: "Voila,for now"

¿I'm not sure what other surprises the software designer could have hidden into the program?

I am a software developer myself and it is unbelievable that someone would build in an expiry date into their software. I would certainly never buy software from them again.

Nigel,

I agree what a bad policy re: hidden "Kill Code" written into a legal copy of Software.

I have been using musical Software programs for the past 33 years, and never dreamed that a legally paid for personal use Software program company could have been this deviant!

I'm just fortunate I discovered this on an off day, and not when I turned on my laptop on a gig night.

Ron, in Port St. Lucie, FL

Nowadays I wouldn't think about buying MP3 player software, there are so many free ones available. I would think iTunes would do everything you need plus there are others.

Nigel,

Good point re: "Why think about buying MP3 player software when there are so many free ones."

I guess the reason I liked the program I had been using for the past 10 years...
BTW I now see that they are NO longer a presence via a Google Search: PC DJ Visiosonic
It appears that their web home page has vanished!


Anyhow..getting back to why I was using their Software. At the time I purchased it, I was not versed with surfing for free trial versions etc...
But, one thing it does allow me to do...that maybe, I can still do with another designer's software is:
With this version of PC DJ Blue by Visiosonic, out of St. Petersburg Florida, is while playing the keyboard with my left hand, and with my right hand only...I could load the next song via DOS "hot keys" without have to take both hands to "drag" a song into any 'A" & "B" player screen.


Nigel, as I said, I probably can do the same thing with one of the free programs such as: Virtual DJ.

I guess I just have to experiment with the newer software.

Thanks again for hosting your great site. It has been such a valuable help to me.

Ron Finn in Port St. Lucie, FL
www.RonFinn.com