Customer Reviews

Nero 8 Ultra Edition [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(39)

 

 

Nero 8 comprises several useful utilities for creating, editing and managing all types of media, but it's the most difficult software I have ever installed - and I'm no novice. First, if you have ever used a Nero product (on a drive connected to your current PC), even if your use is/was through a third-party service, such as Audible.com, you must - absolutely must - uninstall it first. If you do, you'll reduce your chances of experiencing the problems you read about here and elsewhere.

Not only do you have to uninstall all previous Nero-related software, you have to make sure it uninstally *cleanly*. This means you have to go beyond using the Windows Add/Remove programs feature.

Before you do any uninstalling/installing, I recommend setting a restore point for your PC. In this way, you can easily return your PC to the state it was in if things go wrong.

I've been working with the software for several days, and I like some of the features. Playing DVD movies is easy with Nero's remote control type interface. With Nero WaveEditor, you can create or edit .wav, .mp3 and a few other sound file types. Burning CDs is easy with Nero Express.

But Audible.com subscribers, like me, who use Audible Manager with a Nero sidekick to burn audiobooks will have to use a workaround once they install Nero 8, so be aware of this. When it suddenly didn't work, I called Audible - a toll free number (take a hint, Nero) - and the techie walked me through a very simple workaround that uses Nero Express.

Overall, I'm glad I persisted in getting this software to work. But if I had it to do over, I wouldn't have purchased the software. It's not worth the effort. I'm also extremely put out by Nero's cavalier attitude toward buyers - telephone support is fee-based even during the first 30 days, e-mail support is sloooooooow or non-existent (8 days and counting with no response), My Nero is a joke (a blog format for community tech support?).

I've used Nero for optical device recording/ripping needs since Version 5. I've tried other applications (Roxio and others), but for Windows users, previous versions of Nero have set the standard in this category of applications.

Version 8 shows some issues that Nero should *not* let continue:

(1) The package can only be described as "bloated". The current downloadable version is over 180 MB. While this is not an issue if you have broadband, Nero inexplicably doesn't include the product's help files in the download content.

So, in order to use Nero's "Help" functions, you then have to download and install them separately. This is quite silly when the help file download size are less than 3MB in size! With the application installer approaching 200 MB, what's 2 MB among friends!

Nero's web site says leaving out the help files is deliberate "in order to to keep the download file small". Note to Nero: the download file is already huge...so please just add the help files.

The bloat comes in many forms, from a CD cover designer to Nero InCD.

Note 2 to Nero: in these days of rewritable DVDs, 4GB flash drives and inexpensive hard drives, do you really think users would still choose a proprietary format CD/DVD packet writer for archiving or storage?), to Nero Home (which it claims can integrate your media streaming through multiple machines), the download, installation -and, ultimately, the overall experience of this product-- is compromised by a large volume of marginally useful applications that detract from what Nero does well: create and reformat data for optical media. Take the time to select the "custom" install option, and leave out those apps you don't plan to use.

(2) Lots of waiting time. Nero installation takes a *long* time. Not a real issue if you only have to go through the process once. But: on a clean Windows XP machine, I had to go through it twice (due to some errors that crept up, directly related to the bloat described above and the Windows resource issues described below).

(3) Slow to launch once installed. It takes a long time for Nero Version 8 applications to launch. Even if you have a fast processor and abundant memory: after you decide to launch the application, be prepared to wait before you start to rip and burn.

(4) Unexplained Windows resource drain. Nero Version 8 runs a background process called "NMIndexingService.exe" This process runs whether whether you've launched Nero or not. When other applications do this, it's often called malware. While this can be disabled by advanced Windows users using the msconfig tool, there's no obvious utility to this service, and no excuse for it being hidden deep in Windows. Shame on Nero for this. Nero's email response to a question about this I submitted took two weeks to arrive. The recommended a reinstall of Nero...but first you have to download a separate utility called "Nero Clean Tool" and then reinstall that. Just as with the help files: an effective uninstaller routine should be a given for modern Windows applications.

(5) For as widely used as Nero products are, their support website is remarkably uninformative.

-Once you get past all this, once installed and launched Nero 8 still is great program for authoring CD/DVDs and ripping MP3s. But the issues above are hugely distracting, and Nero should have more respect for its customers than to make them jump through these hurdles.

-Nero needs to get back to basics, trim the fat, and offer customers what they really want, and what it does best: sound, fast CD/DVD writing. Nero should include the help files, discard the less useful components, and respect users' Windows resources when they aren't engaged in its basic ripping and recording.

-If you have a stable version of an earlier version: Don't move to Version 8.

Not necessarily a slam to Nero, but be sure to do a clean install before installing new version. (I have Windows Vista OS). When I had Nero automatically uninstall v.7, it left all of the files in the registry, thus corrupting the install of v.8. This led to the message "microsoft visual c++ runtime library" ..."THIS APPLICATION HAS REQUESTED RUNTIME TO TERMINATE IN AN UNUSUAL WAY"...program would not work...Forget support...there is no USA support phone # that I could find, either free or toll. Even when I uninstalled v.8, all of the registry files were still in the registry. I manually cleaned out all the version 7 & 8 files from the registry(BE VERY CAREFUL) and reinstalled Version8. Everything seems to be working fine...haven't looked at all the features yet...NEVER BUY ROXIO!

I've been a big nero fan for years, but I've had it with this version. I want a good cd authoring program. I don't need my cd program to come with a tivo-type software, an ASK toolbar (come ON! I PAID for this?!@#?), and every media program under the sun. Shoot, at this point they should just make an operating system and be done with it. I'm sure there's got to be a word processor in here somewhere if I look long enough.

I wish they would just focus their efforts on their core program, which is what they're known for. Or at least make it easier to just install the components that you want. Why bundle them all together and force you through hours, and gigs, of installation just to burn a CD?

I'm done. Nero: you had me, and now you've lost me.

I have the CD version 8 and have attempted to load it on my Toshiba laptop (Wxp) three times. I have checked the internet and followed all the recommendations I could find including using the Nero "Clean Up" program three times as well before installing. I keep getting the same errors that most everyone else experiences. I finally went back to Nero 6 and it works fine.

Nero 8 Ultra Edition [Newest Version]
I purchased this product based on the promotional material stating that it could produce Photo Slide Shows. I had some difficulty getting the photos into the slide show program and after following the instructions and saving the program I ran the Slide Show and found that Nero U8 had cut more than half of each photo off making it virtually useless. Subsequently I could not find the slide show that was saved to see if I could fix it. All during this time after starting up Nero 8 I was bombarded with ads to up grade to various Nero products. I assume they were trying to tell me that an upgrade could fix my problems at a price. I would like to return this product for a refund.

This has got to be the worst piece of software I've ever owned. I recently installed a new DVD-R drive, which came with something called Nero 7 Essentials. When I tried to use that program, I found it was only good for 30 days, so I selected the register/upgrade link, which took me to Nero 8. I purchased that, and that's when the troubles started. It took forever to download (even at broadband speeds). The I had to uninstall version 7 (no uninstall program with it). That also took a long time. Then the installation of Nero 8 took so long I was beginning to think my computer had frozen. Once installed, the program takes forever to open (and I have a Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz, and 2 gigs of ram...not a slow system). Once open, it runs all sorts of call-back programs that tie up the CPU continuously, and you can't kill those without closing the program. The program takes a lot of space, a lot of memory, and ties up systems resources so completely that nothing else will run.

Bottom line...this program stinks...don't touch it!

I tried to give this product no stars but the review page wouldn't let me get by with that, so the one star is under protest.

UPDATE: I asked the company for a refund (not Amazon), and they refuse to refund my money even though I requested the refund within their 14 day refund period. Their reason is that I could have downloaded a trial version and tested it. However, the trial version I downloaded would not function without the registration code. Can you say "Catch 22"?

Dr J A Bergeron

I've always thought Nero was more geared toward the tech geek than the casual/novice user. They're moving more towards also helping the novice, but in this release and updates available for it, it supports burning AVCHD video to DVD. This is the format my digital video camera produces in HD, and very few applications were supporting it when I purchased this program.

I've never had it hang or crash on me. The only draback is that it likes to take over displaying every image, quick time, windows media and other file types if you let it. Just don't let it.

Otherwise, burning CD's and DVD's is simple and easy with Nero. Upgrades and updates always keep you on top of new stuff. Often, the updates are free.

I'd rate this product zero stars if this review system would let me. I have used Nero over the years in its many versions. Nero 8 is just no good! I installed the CD on a new computer that had never had Nero on it. I then clicked on the updater and was told that every aspect of the program needed updating - 175 Mb. This is a big problem for people like me on dialup. I told it to go ahead with their "automatic" process. It stopped twice to get clearance from me to alter Windows firewall settings, stopped again after rebooting itself to wait for me to re-establish an internet connection, and then locked up the entire computer while displaying "checking machine." I restarted the whole process. After 12 hours of updating, it finished. I tried the program. No matter which process I tried to start, I got a message from Windows that there was an error and the program had to be shut down. I restored my computer to its pre-Nero state, and so it shall remain.

I just "upgraded" from Nero 6 to Nero 8. Big mistake. The new version is bloated, buggy, and obnoxious.

First, installation is very slow. Make sure you have a few hours free. 5-10 minutes of unpacking, 3-4 minutes of Nero's installer, and then 5 minutes or so of the Windows installer. After all those steps, it checks for any problems, like the presence of a previous version of Nero. If there's a previous version, it asks if it can uninstall it; you can only have one version at a time, and there's no going back. After the uninstall, it demands that the computer be rebooted. Then you get to do the install all over again.

Then, after the installation, if you want to burn CDs or DVDs from a non-administrator account, you have to enable Nero Burn Rights. Then you get to reboot again.

During installation, Nero tries to install some toolbar from Ask. (You know, Barry Diller's company, IAC, the one that's being broken up.) There's a checkbox to turn this off. Make sure you disable that.

Then Nero tries to become the default program for just about every audio and video filename extension known. Just turn all of those off.
Also turn off all the Nero stuff it wants to put in your toolbar.

Oh, and it tries to get you to sign up for Nero spam.

OK, now we're through installation. But we're not done yet. Nero will have installed several permanently running processes, none of which you want. There's "NMIndexStoreSvr.exe", "NMIndexingService.exe", "NBService.exe", and "IoctlSvc.exe". These have to be dealt with.

"The "NM*" processes are part of something called "Nero Scout", which is an indexing application you don't want. Under Program Files -> Nero -> Tools -> Nero Scout, there's a dialog box with a checkbox to disable Nero Scout. Use that. The useless processes will still be launched at startup, but will stop using time and disk accesses.

Actually removing the launch of those useless processes takes more work, but removal tools exist.

OK, with this turkey installed, we try to make a DVD. The application for this is called "Nero Vision". This is like a weak version of DVDit coupled to a weak version of Adobe Premiere. It's buggy; it generates DVD menus semi-automatically, but when I deleted a clip and added a new one, the menus got out of sync with the clips. And, in fact, so far every video DVD I've made will not play in a regular DVD player, although it will play on a PC.

This product has negative value. DO NOT BUY.