Captivate Stopped Launching - Procedure Entry Point Error Message re CaptureUI.dll

[LagilCC]

I have six Captivate files that need converting to HTML5 over the next couple of weeks (as part of a larger, longer-term project to republish a whole bunch of Presenter and Captivate courses to HTML5). Today, I was working on opening each of those six files and running the HTML5 Tracker to see which slides were going to require fixing, in order to be able to republish that course to HMTL5.

I opened the first four files (using Captivate 9 in Windows 10) with no problem. When I went to open the fifth (by double-clicking on the file in Windows Explorer, like I had with the other four), nothing happened. I tried this a couple of times. I also tried using the "Open With" option and choosing "Captivate.exe," but that didn't work either. Finally, I tried opening Captivate first, and then opening the file from within Captivate, but that just crashed Captivate.

So I then closed everything down and rebooted my computer, thinking that might fix my problem. But now, when I try to open Captivate (from the Start menu), I get the error message shown below and can't launch Captivate! (And, of course, trying to launch my Captivate courses by double-clicking on them in Windows Explorer doesn't work either.) Does anyone know what happened and what I need to do to fix this problem ASAP?

Thanks, in advance, for any help -- I'm about at the end of my rope with all of the problems I've been having, first with Presenter, and now with Captivate, as I work on the larger HTML5 conversion project!

[RodWard]

Since you've been having so many problems I think you're NOT going to want to hear this...but...you should really be updating your Captivate version to 2019.  Captivate 9 is too old.

Your current issue might be resolved simply by uninstalling and reinstalling Captivate 9 (assuming you still have access to install files).  But for the modest cost of the subscription I would strongly recommend upgrading to the latest Captivate version you can get your hands on.

[LagilCC]

Thanks for responding! I had a feeling an uninstall/reinstall was going to be the answer. Upgrading is not an option right now, since that version hasn't been approved yet for use at my company. (Going through the process to get any software, or software upgrade, approved at my company is way worse than having root canal surgery. **sigh**)

[RodWard]

The reason I am suggesting upgrading is that once a Captivate version gets as old as yours is Adobe stops issuing patches and updates for it.  So if there happens to be some update for the Windows OS that breaks functionality or some DLL in the windows system directory Captivate uses but this DLL also gets updated in a security patch, then you could easily find yourself with an unusable Captivate version.  Adobe is not going to come to your rescue for a version as old as yours.

I understand all too well the issue with large companies and their IT inertia.  I'm facing a similar problem with the company I am currently contracted with.  But I also believe a large part of the problem should lay at the feet of the learning developers who become a little complacent when their current software versions seem to still work, so they don't push for upgrades.

When the death of Flash was announced several years ago, this should have sent red flags through learning departments that they were going to need to be ahead of the curve by 2021.  Sadly, as we are now seeing in the forums, many people did not act quickly enough.

[LagilCC]

I saw the "red flag" early on, but more urgent conflicting work priorities prevented me from being able to prioritze conversion work sooner. I haven't developed a course in Captivate in several years (in fact, the ones I'm trying to convert now came over with an acquisition my company made several years ago and it was at least a couple of years before that since I had created my own Captivate e-courses), so my motivation to put myself through the hell involved in getting a Captivate update approved and implemented wasn't very high. I did put myself through that hell to get Adobe Presenter 11.1 updated, packaged, and deployed (as I'm my company's Adobe Presenter "Product Steward"), and that took well over a year and half to get mostly done and I was still dealing with aspects of it for another several months after that. So, I guess my point is that it's not always a matter of "complacency," as you've characterized it.

[Lilybiri]

Totally agree with Rod. CP9 was one of the first versions supporting HTML output, but since that one version 10, 11 and 11.5 (which is almost a completely new version) have been launched, each with many improvements for HTML output.