No.

Does 2006 authorize through the serial number or do you log into the license server? 

I don't have 2006 but do have a number of old versions installed on my G4.

Hi Mike,

Thanks for answering. 2006 is authorized by serial number. There may be some Mac memory issues I need to look at. Curiously other programs don't seem to be affected. Oh well, I've got other versions (including newer) of Finale, just don't have them on this Mac.

thanks,

Paul

If software or directory, these issues usually happen after you install something unrelated. Let's look there first.

Reset the Finale Preferences. Should be online somewhere. I recommend finding them and moving to a desktop folder. Finale will rebuild them—if successful, trash the old ones.

Try a Safe Boot. Boot while holding the Shift Key and log in when prompted. This rebuilds the desktop, resets corrupt paths and resets caches to default. Finale won't run in Safe Mode so don't try. After your desktop looks normal, shut down and reboot.

I hate to recommend DiskWarrior ever as it's horribly slow on a G5 but if you already own it, try and see if rebuilding the directory works. Do not buy it for this. If you have AppleCare for this machine, you got a license for TechTool and can update it on the MicroMat web site. TechTool Pro is the commercial version. It has a directory repair tool, also.

If still nothing, look for a conflict. Open Console.app. As Finale loads, you will see every process. Look for something that is failing during the load. Google anything you see that looks odd.

If hardware..

Can you boot from another drive? Internal is best but an external FireWire drive works or the 10.5 DVD if you have it.

Boot from external and run Disk Utility on the entire drive, not the mounted volume(s) below. If anything shows up red, you need to replace the drive but you might be able to get it going for awhile longer. DU fixes one problem at a time so, if you get the exact same red errors three times in a row, give it up. Drive is toast. If the red errors change, keep running till everything is green. Then back it up one more time and replace the drive. Even if Finale works and everything is fine, you are running on borrowed time.

BTW, if you have DiskWarrior and it actually repairs the directory to the point that Finale works, you were given a warning. Replace the drive.

Bad RAM can cause all sorts of problem but this isn't one of them. If your Mac crashes during a Safe Boot, that's  symptom of bad RAM.

Hi Mike,

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions. I'll look into what you've said. Last night I discovered that  6gb of my 8gb ram was bad (why don't know).

I replaced with 2gigs of old 512 ram to get me through the next few days. Yes, I have DiskWarrior. It's bit a while since I've had a hard drive (or worse, computer) problem so I need remind myself of "detective" procedures. I'll report back when I know more....or have more questons!

again, thank you,

Paul

Sure thing. Although I'm an experienced Mac tech, most of what I learned was in the process of trying to keep my G5 alive with those horrible Seagate drives of the day. WD was better but I could never keep one alive after 2 years — thank goodness for the 3 year warranty. Heat is the real issue (killed your RAM, too) and nothing runs hotter which is why Apple went to Intel — a friend was on the team that made the decision.

When I replaced it and needed a legacy machine to run old apps, I chose a G4 instead. Sure, it runs slower but much cooler and I can make a dual-boot machine with OS 9.

HI Mike,

So I'm back! Checked the system drive by external boot drive and running DU. Everything came up good (green). I said before I substituted good ram for bad (new ram via Ebay). I think possibly the last couple times I tried to reinstall Finale 2006 as a custom (without the extra programs they include) and not the full install might have been an issue. But I'm back, thank you so much for your help, and reminding me about the process. I do have a couple backup G4s if I have a catastrophic breakdown. I had bought Finale V25 for my wife's laptop, but I guess I should think about updating mine an putting it on there too. BTW we are musicians too. My wife's a singer, I went to college as trombonist but ended up going on the road as a keyboard player.

again thank you for your time,

Paul

www.ritzstudioproductions.com

Great! 

Yes, both installers in the package should be run so that the paths are properly set. That could have been your real issue.

> My wife's a singer, I went to college as trombonist but ended up going on the road as a keyboard player.<

Ha! I was a voice major who married a piano major. I spent years on the road as a string player who sang.