very aggravating experience, feeling defeated by the software: is it full of bugs? I can't get started ! I feel like quitting

Question

I bought the software on January 14, so I only have 8-9 days to benefit from this forum! Which I heard of not so long ago. I wish I had chosen a better time to get acquainted, with more free time for this. I also wished I had read much more before buying it, but I thought reading with no hands on experience was not a good idea. 
 I had no problem downloading or installing, except I installed from the browser and not from the saved downloads on my computer. 
 Until now I have un-installed and re-installed the software 3 times. 
 I started using the software reading "quickguide". My first issue was with the Object reference not set to an instance of an object , so I uninstalled and re-installed (from the computer, not the browser). And tried Solution 2 (reset). This fixed the pop-up msg (object reference...) but didn't make the preview pane to work: now, nothing happens when i click on (click here to generate...) or it gives me the same msg as mentionned. 
 I uninstalled again and re-installed, hoping to be able to start anew with another fresh sample. But the only samples available are the ones I saved according to the instructions, so I cannot start from fresh, or at least I don't know how. So I decided to wait for my Proz.com training on january 29. That went fine. But when i started using my software again with their PDF instructions, now I can't open a "new translation memory", that possibility isn't there any more, and I only have "open translation memory". I finally was able to create it double clicking on translation memory, but I still don't have the option: new translation memory. 
 In the proz training page 24: "open a file": when I try to open the sample files folder on my desktop, i get: &ldquo; this file type is not supported &rdquo;. But if I click on the file on my screen with my mouse, they are all there (packagees, termbase, translating single files, alignment, auto-suggest, coverting glossaries and generating as dict) and each of theses folders open. And now I get this msg all the time, whatever I try to do. 
 So now I'm completely stuck, I can't move ahead, I don't know what to do. 
 Should I de-install again? 
 What should I do for the installation do be done properly? 
 Should I use Solution 1 ? (I don't feel very comfortble doing this) When ? 
 How can I get rid defintively of the quick guide sample(s) provided by SDL which I transformed? I tried to delete them, I uninstalled as instructed, but when I re-install, I don't get fresh samples with the software, it's the ones I saved after making changes that come back. I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO FROM NOW. 
 PLEASE HELP ME, I only have 9 days left for your support. And I would like to benefit from it for more issue than just getting started. 
 Thank you 
 evelyne

Paul · Accepted Answer

Hi Evelyne, 
 The command you are referring to in your image is actually on the Home screen. So to see this you click on Home above Projects, Editor and Translation Memories on the bottom left of your screen. You can also find this by clicking on View -> Home here: 
 
 But I think you need to approach this methodocally as Jerzy suggested. You can find some information here that also takes you through a step by step and has a few short videos for each step : http://goo.gl/nRrgD 
 If this still doesn't help and you really can't get started then let me know and I can set up a webex where I can see your screen and we can walk through this together. 
 Regards 
 Paul

Jerzy Czopik · Answer

I am afraid I will not be able to find any way for you to do this via this forum. 
 Unfortunately I do not fully understand what do you really try to do. 
 Please remember the following: 
 - AutoSuggest dictionaries are, exactly as Translation memories, only available for translation from language A into language B and cannot be used for translating from C to B or from A to C and so on 
 - Word files may have some tricks inside, so not all of those can be opened without any problems (Studio will tell you what the problem is) 
 Without any offense meant, I unfortunately have the impression, that you are working in a very chaotic way. This is something you MUST change in the first place. 
 Start to work systematically. First create a folder for your jobs in your computer. The best would be to get your hard disk partitioned and place the work folder on the partition D:. 
 Now let us assume, you do already have a partition D: 
 Create a folder called "Projects" there. Then create a folder called "Studio resources". 
 In the folder Projects create a subfolder for the work you want to perform, for example named 20130207 (which is todays date, written backwards). Place the file for translation there. 
 In the folder Studio ressources create a set of subfolders, calling them TMs, Termbases, ASDs. 
 In the subfolder TMs create a set of subfolders for your language pairs, for example English-Spanish, English-French and so on. Create exactly the same subfolder structure in the ASDs folder. If you need to divide TMs per customer, insert a subfolder for each customer in the appropriate language pair. For the Termbases folder you do not need any deeper structure, as the termbases can bi multilingual, so we leave the path as it is. 
 The structure will now look like this: 
 d:\projects\20130207\working file.doc d:\TMs\English-Spanish\customer a\ d:\ASDs\English-Spanish\customer a\ d:\Termbases 
 If you have any ASDs, place them in the appropriate folder, paying attention to the proper language pair. Check http://www.translationzone.com/en/openexchange/ for additional ASDs and Termbases - you may very well find there some in your language pairs. 
 Start Studio. Chose "Open Documen". Select the Word file in d:\projects\20130207\working file.doc After you've chosen the file, you will see this screen: 
 
 Select the language pair you need and press this button 
 chose New TM: 
 Enter the desired name and use the path specified before: 
 
 Press Finish 
 If you have an ASD for this language pair, press Advanced now: 
 Make sure you see this (you can open the items by pressing the small + sign beside them): 
 
 Use the Add button to add the ASDs you stored previously in d:\ASDs\English-Spanish\customer a\ 
 If you have Termbases, open the All Language Pairs item in that very screen, click on Termbases and add them there. 
 Now click OK to close and once again OK to open the file. This should give you the ability to work with your file as desired.

Paul · Answer

ebardoul said: 
 Hello Paul, 
 Please check my answer to Jerzy's extended response to me. I got stuck once again, but each time at a different stage of the process with :FILE TYPE NOT SUPPORTED". I will accept your help if you're still willing. Maybe over the week-end? I'm just totally drained now. And I need to review first where things are going wrong for me and try to list them. 
 Thanks 
 Evelyne 
 
 Hi Evelyne, 
 Unfortunately I'm at the airport and about to start a long haul back to Europe so this weekend is out I'm afraid. But if you can make time first thing Monday I'll happily clear the decks and help you through this. I'm sure that once you have done this once or twice you'll wonder what all the problems were! 
 Regards 
 Paul

Jerzy Czopik · Answer

The folders are there, but you may use any folder of your desire. 
 There is just one file which will be kept in "My documents" - this is the projects file, which has the only purpose of listing the projects (this means files you open in Studio or projects you create there) and to keep some settings. So you may simply forget about all these folders. 
 If you already have a decent folder and file structure, keep it by any means, but keep it lean. 
 A decent file and folder structure is a crucial point to our work, which is widely underestimated.

Paul · Answer

Hello Evelyne, 
 Question #1 : If you use Open Office you won't be able to preview Office files, or handle PDF/RTF file formats. But otherwise you can use Open Office if you like. 
 Question #2 : The sample files are part of a project created in your Studio folder here: 
 c:\Users\[USERNAME]\Documents\Studio 2011\Projects\ 
 So after uninstalling if you want to make sure they are gone just removing the Sample Project from this folder as well. Don't delete the entire Projects folder if you have any "real" work in there or you'll lose it. 
 Regards 
 Paul

ebardoul · Answer

Hello Paul, 
 Please check my answer to Jerzy's extended response to me. I got stuck once again, but each time at a different stage of the process with :FILE TYPE NOT SUPPORTED". I will accept your help if you're still willing. Maybe over the week-end? I'm just totally drained now. And I need to review first where things are going wrong for me and try to list them. 
 Thanks 
 Evelyne

Trados Studio > 1. Trados Studio

very aggravating experience, feeling defeated by the software: is it full of bugs? I can't get started ! I feel like quitting