• Registered: 2022-07-26
  • Posts: 2

Topic: Book files (ppb) will not open in Windows 10

I dreaded the day when Serif PagePlus would not work. It seems to have come, but I hope this is unique to my computer and that someone has suggestions to help. Up until a few days ago, I was using PagePlus daily, with a number of ongoing book projects. All are multi-chapter and use ppb files to organize the contents and paginate them.

Suddenly, ppb files will not open. Windows still shows it as a registered file type associated with PagePlus.

I tried creating a new ppb file. Nothing happens.

I tried reinstalling PagePlus. The install does not complete.

Over on my Windows 11 machine, everything works fine. I already had PagePlus installed there -- I copied the job folders and files there and everything works just fine.

I suspect a recent Windows update may be the culprit, and dread that a similar update in Windows 11 will repeat the same awful result.

Specs on my system are:
Edition    Windows 10 Pro
Version    21H1
Installed on    8/14/2020
OS build    19043.1826
Experience    Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.4180.0
Processor    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2320 CPU @ 3.00GHz   3.00 GHz
Installed RAM    16.0 GB
System type    64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch    No pen or touch input is available for this display

Has anyone else seen this problem? Has anyone solved it? Thanks!

  • Registered: 2022-01-21
  • Posts: 95

Re: Book files (ppb) will not open in Windows 10

Sorry to hear about your recent problem.  the same as you however on Win11 after a recent windows update several apps including the settings app, file explorer and Whatsapp refused to open I tried everything i could think of to resolve the issue.  I only restored everything as should be after doing a full System restore.  I am sorry I cannot help you with your problem as PagePlusX9 was not effected.

Always searching for the keys of knowledge
  • Registered: 2022-06-20
  • Posts: 288

Re: Book files (ppb) will not open in Windows 10

I don't use PagePlus much.  I didn't know anything about ppb files .. but I managed to create one just now.  I'm running Windows 10  21H1.
My last windows update was about 2 weeks ago. 

As far as I can tell.  All is well with my PagePlus x9.

  • Registered: 2022-07-26
  • Posts: 2

Re: Book files (ppb) will not open in Windows 10

Thanks to pberk for confirming that PagePlus X9 was working fine in Windows 10.
This prompted me to do a lot of housekeeping, deleting unused programs and cleaning up registries -- the usual suspects.
It turned out that I had, at some point, "minimized" a ppb file instead of closing it, and then ended a PagePlus session.
So ever since that time, every ppb file, old or newly-created, was at the bottom of the screen in a minimized condition. It appeared as a blank white screen and clicking it yielded nothing. This time I right-clicked, saw the maximize-minimize button, and, voila!, the ppb book file pops up.
Once I ended the session by properly closing the ppb file and restarted PagePlus, any ppb file opens just fine, and creating a new ppb file creates a new screen just as it should be.
So the happy news is that PagePlus is working fine after all -- and after all this time unsupported by its creators.
Why would any sane person persist in using such an unsupported DTP program? I produce long books with many footnotes (real footnotes, not end-notes), and many chapters, and PagePlus handles these beautifully -- I have done over 1,000 footnotes in one project without anything crashing. I also use the ppb files to organized contents from various books into new books, and the ppb repaginates everything and even lets me impose the styles from one chapter onto all the other chapters. And I like the text editor.
Affinity Publisher has many wonderful features, but they have failed so far to provide footnotes and the kind of chapter and pagination control that I am used to in PagePlus. The alternative, I know, is Adobe InDesign, but I simply do not want to have to start over.
I am glad this Forum is here. Thanks again.

  • Alfred
  • Alfred
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  • Registered: 2022-01-21
  • Posts: 1,333

Re: Book files (ppb) will not open in Windows 10

poetspress wrote:

So the happy news is that PagePlus is working fine after all

Happy news indeed! Thanks for the update.

"Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?"
― Tennessee Williams
  • Registered: 2022-01-21
  • Posts: 95

Re: Book files (ppb) will not open in Windows 10

That's good to know. Long may it reign.

Always searching for the keys of knowledge