Hi everyone - Y'all may think I'm strange when I say this, but does anyone know of a way to get Poser 6 to work on a Windows 8 machine? I think I prefer it, over the newer versions of the program. I've got Poser Pro 2010, and I'm not a fan of it. It seems too.... gimmicky. And perhaps buggy, too.

I seem to spend far more time trying to work out some new weird thing it does, than creating anything. I mean, I have it running in the background as I type this, and I can't even get my libraries to open properly. Why is a separate window even necessary for my libraries? I Open Poser Pro 2010, and then I have to separately open my libraries to even access any content. Even though the library window opens, sometimes the individual libraries (character, props, materials, etc) open, and sometimes they don't. It's as if the thing has a mind of it's own, and only functions when it feels like it. Here lately Poser has done nothing but frustrate me.

I have Poser 6 installed on this same machine and when I try to open it, it teases me, as if it's going to open, but then just stares at me, with a blank, gray screen. I wish I could get it to work, mainly because of the whole issue with my libraries.... in that version of Poser, when the program was open, so too were my libraries. None of this separate window stuff. And why on my desktop are there two icons, one labeled Poser Pro 2010 and the other Poser Pro 2010 (x86). Don't know what that means, or if there's a difference between the two.

It's now 1130pm where I live, and I've spent the last half hour opening and re-opening my libraries window, in a vain attempt to get it to display all my content, to no avail. All I wanted to do was to load up Michael 4 and work on a project I have in mind for him. But it hasn't happened. Some of my character content opened, but the process hung up before it could open my "People" folder, and thus my precious little free time has once again been spent in frustration. And now it's bed time so I can get up and go to work in the morning. I'd much rather use Poser 6 if I could get it to open up. If anyone has any ideas, I'm listening (reading).

Thanks -

I went from Poser 7 to PP2010 and at first I hated it...had to wrestle my mind around all the new stuff...but it was worth it. There's a big jump you have to make but it will be worth it. 

The x86 is the 32 bit version. The other will be the 64 bit, which you should use.

Persevere, and relax. It will be worth it. 

You can change the libray from external to internal in General Preferences. => It is all in the manual. LOL.

Open General preferences, and set Library to Internal.=> Solved.

But you have Windows 8...... ANd Windows changed
So it might be that you run in a Windows issue with IE11.
Then you have to revert back to IE10.

Oh, And if you update Adobe AIR and Flash? Be sure to install the IE versions!!!!! Wheither you use IE or not.

On installation you should have been given the option as to whether you wanted to install the 32bit version.  If you choose not to you will not see the (X86) reference.   Since moving to the 64bit version I have never installed the 32bit version.

Poser 6 should work fine if you install it in a different location other than Program Files.  I have P7 working on a Win 8.1 PC. No problems.  

Library issues, is your Library loading with the content folders open?  This can potentially crash Poser if you have fairly large runtimes.  

Update to the most current SR as posted.  

Unless you have Adobe updates blocked, those updates will should automatically popup whenever Poser Pro is accessed.  There are no version selections, as Vilters mentioned.

Now for the fun part, describe where PP and your content is located.  Old time, conventional install no longer applies with Window versions Vista and up.  You must select an alternate installation when installing your software otherwise, you will have major problems just accessing the app.  The more info you can provide, the better.  I have PP2014 running on Win 8.1; I have minor glitches but the software is fully functional when in use.

Hi everyone - Y'all may think I'm strange when I say this, but does anyone know of a way to get Poser 6 to work on a Windows 8 machine? I think I prefer it, over the newer versions of the program. I've got Poser Pro 2010, and I'm not a fan of it. It seems too.... gimmicky. And perhaps buggy, too.

I, too, came from Poser 7 to PP. (2012) At first, I didn't like it. It was a little confusing and I had to wrestle with relearning how to do certain tasks. I couldn't render worth a ____, either! I was frustrated and just didn't do much at all with it. But, then I decided to try to learn the "new stuff" and to get it to work well for me. It took awhile, but now I'm at least as competent with it as I was with P7. I wouldn't go back now, either. It's capabilities are just that much more significant. (Gamma correction with ease, realistic lighting models, indirect lighting, etc.. It "solves" many problems with older versions, for me.)

Keep at it. It's worth learning how to use. The longer you're stuck in older versions, the longer it's going to take you to get up to speed and the more limited your capabilities are going to be become.

PS - You are going to have to learn how to configure your system properly and how to troubleshoot library issues, especially those surrounding Flash problems and permission (security) issues. There's no way around that. But, once you get those things solved, your experience will improve, dramatically.

I'll try to re-install Poser 6 in a different location and see if that helps. I have Poser Pro 10 installed in "program files" and program files (x86) which if I remember correctly, it did on its own, when I installed it.

One of the big issues I have with Poser pro 10 and/or Windows 8 (I had to move to a Windows 8 machine, from Window 7 about a yr ago when my old PC crashed.... couldn't find a PC with anything but Windows 8 or newer) centers around duplication of content. I mean, when I open my libraries window, there are separate runtimes for Poser Pro 10, Poser 6 and my own personal runtime. In Poser 6/Windows 7 there was simply a single runtime, in which I could place content and move it around to my hart's content.... it was easy. But in the new version and Windows 8, I have runtimes located in the following places

C:usersstevemy documentsposer 6runtime....

and

C:program filessmith microposer pro 2010runtime.... and my own personal runtime on my desktop (which I found out through forum inquiries that I needed to do if I was ever going to share any content I made.

I know I made my own, but what about the other two? Why did Poser and/or Windows 8 decide to make two separate runtimes? IMHO it just makes everything more confusing.

Search the net for "Windows UAC", and read all about it.
Windows likes apps to be installed in programm Files.

It prevents end users to write there.
So all your own stuff goes into your shared documents folder, including the PP Runtime..
When installing Poser, it installs 2 runtimes.

The first one in Program Files "FOR ITS OWN USE....."
And a second "end user Runtime"  ina location of your choise, but NOT in Program Files folder.
You can put it on an external disk, in your public folder, whereever you like, but NOT in Program Files.

If you do? Windows will indeed double the content in a "virtual folder", to prevent you to write in Program Files folder.

Search UAC, and read all about it. Poser is just complying with the Windows 8 requirements.

Same goes for a default Poser6 installation on a Windows 8 machine. => Windows will prevent you to write in your Poser6 Runtime, and coy yoour stuff over to its Virtual folder structure.

Poser has it's own runtime native runtime plus the Download runtime both located within the Poser folder, a hold over from pre-Vista days.  But Vista through Win 8.1 has security measures installed which prevent read/write access to any application installed in either Program Files or Program Files (x86).  As a workaround, SmithMicro upgraded Poser to optionally create a runtime folder in a share location away from Program Files so as to maintain functionality without reprogramming the core application.  Right now, yes, you will see multiple runtimes, however, your content should go into the share runtime, not the main runtime as you would perform for Poser 6. 

Your Win7 installation would follow the same rule before it died, there shouldn't be anything different.  For P6, try setting it's compatibility to an earlier OS.  Win 8 has a compatibility troubleshooter which might facilitate the process.  This feature can be found under the icon's properties panel.

I've purchased every version of Poser and I couldn't even imagine going back to Poser 6.   I'm not sure if this solution has been posted, but right click on the Poser 6 Icon and run it as an administrator.

Poser Pro 2010 is incompatible with the Flash version used in Windows 8, which is why the Library doesn't work. SM's fix is to buy a new version. :/  You can use an external library script, such as Shaderworks Library Manager, but I believe you will need to add runtime folders manually by editing LibraryPrefs.xml.  Of course, it will be running in a separate window, which is what you don't want.

You need to install pre-Poser 8 versions outside of the Program Files Hierarchy, such as in c:/Poser, in Windows Vista and later.  Also, try XP compatibility mode...

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/older-programs-compatible-version-windows