22: Sibelius crashes when starting (Windows)

PROBLEM: You are not running the latest version of Sibelius.
SOLUTION: If you are currently running Sibelius 4.0 or 4.1, you can update to Sibelius 4.1.5 - click here for details. If you are using a version earlier than Sibelius 3, you can download a free update to v3.11 here. If you are using a version earlier than Sibelius 2, you can download a free update to v2.11 here. If you are using a version earlier than Sibelius 1.4, you can download a free update to v1.4 here.

PROBLEM: There is another program running when you start your computer.
SOLUTION: If you are running any virus killers, etc. on startup, try disabling them before starting Sibelius in order to determine whether anything is causing a conflict. You can use the Task Manager (press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to bring up the window) to shut down all memory-resident programs (although you should leave Explorer, Rundll, and Systray running). You could also try temporarily moving programs out of your Startup folder in the Start Menu so that your system doesn't boot with all programs resident by default.

PROBLEM: There an incompatiblities between certain system set-ups and the current version of PhotoScore.
SOLUTION: Check the file startup.log in your Sibelius program directory ("C:\Program Files\Sibelius Software\Sibelius" by default) by opening it with WordPad, and if the last line reads ">>gt; Loading plug-ins", then this is the problem. Try uninstalling the PhotoScore plug-in (you can do this from Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel) and then try starting Sibelius again.

PROBLEM: There is a problem with your installation of Sibelius.
SOLUTION: Try completely uninstalling Sibelius and starting again. To do this, first use the provided uninstallation routine (click on "Uninstall" in the Sibelius program group in your Start Menu) and then manually delete the directories created during installation: open "My Computer", double-click on your C: drive, double-click on "Program Files", double-click on "Sibelius Software", single-click on "Sibelius 4" (or "Sibelius 3", "Sibelius 2" or "Sibelius" depending on your version) to highlight it, and then press the DELETE key. Answer "yes" to the following question (whether you want to delete this folder and all its subdirectories). Now put in your CD and select "Install" when the AutoPlay pop-up appears. Install Sibelius as usual, and hopefully when you start up again, Sibelius will run beautifully.

If none of the above suggestions help, then please email technical support.