Since I was able to install SQL Server 2005 Express on Windows 10 (http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windowslive/forum/gallery-wlinstall/photo-gallery-cant-start-because-microsoft-sql/738fe2eb-370c-4cd1-af92-6ca8baaa6b68) the original thread is no longer describing the current problem. Perhaps that's why I get no more help?

So I repeat the current circumstances here, and hope for real help. Please do not advise me just to reinstall or use the fixup program, I've followed those instruction numerous times. There has to be something else to it, and I'd really need to know whether Windows Essentials Photo Gallery is supported by Windows 10.

If it's not, there is no idea to go on with this. If it is supported, I'd really like to go on using it, but the times I've installed it, it always ends up with Photo Gallery "hanging" at a Loading-screen and nothing more happens.

Below is the full question repeated from a previous thread with a subject that is no longer suitable (but that nevertheless still requires an answer, since SQL Server 2005 is not supported according to Microsofts own pages).

Hi,

Yes, please, I really need help with this.

The Windows 10 version of the computer where I'm trying to install Photo Gallery is 1511 (OS-version 10568.36).



The release-notes link ( http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/essentials-2012-release-notes ) does not mention Windows 10 at all. I guess that the release notes page might not have been updated for a few years, since it doesn't say anything about Win10.

After installing Windows 2005 (despite the warning about incompatibility), Photo Gallery went through all images, looking for people tags (it said so in the bottom left corner). It took about 12 hours I would guess. Then the program looked like this (see image below), that is a few blurry thumbnail images out of thousands of images total. Almost all images were just presented as grey boxes in the overview, as you can also see below.

However, holding the mouse pointer over a grey box, a correct pop-up preview was shown:



The second time I start Photo Gallery [AND EVER SINCE] after the screen shot above was taken, the program just froze. Forcing the program to stop, and restarting it got it into the same frozen state again. It says LOADING like this:




It's taking no CPU resources, and it's not responding at all. The window can't be moved.

I've gone through all tips I could find, and this is the fourth complete re-installation of Photo Gallery on this computer, with a few alterations between them (shutting down the firewall, running as administrator etc... whatever tip I could find).

Between the complete uninstalls / reinstalls I have also repaired the installation using the repair option, and run the "fixup" utility.

What does the developers of Windows Essentials 2012 and Photo Gallery say about compatibility with Windows 10? Will there perhaps be a new Photo Gallery release soon, that does not require SQL Server 2005? Or what should I do? I really need a program like Photo Gallery for all the name tags we've got on our photos.

Thanks,
Andreas