Photoshop will not load...

[tobes484]

I want to start out by saying that I am a consultant and this is on a client computer not my own.

The problem is that Photoshop Elements stops loading on "Reading Preferences". It will load under safe mode under a different user account though. I have deleted the preferances and attempted to reinstall but that didnt work. Can you guys give some suggestions on what to do from here?

Thanks,

Sam

[Wendy]

Hi Sam ...

... and welcome to the forum :)

I guess that we could do with a little more information ...

Which version of Elements are you using and which platform Mac .. Windows ?

Is this a new install that won't work or has it in fact worked before today ?

Wendy

[GaryK]

Hi Sam

Welcome to the forums.

I am wondering if the user has access to the drive/folder/files that Elements is in. I'm not saying this is the problem but if they don't have access then Elements may not (if you get my drift).

I also recall some people having issues with multiple users, I just can't remember if there was a solution other than using the admistrator account (I am talikng Windows here)

Sorry I can't remember :mad:

[tobes484]

Sorry, the computer has Windows XP SP2 and it is version 3.0 with the 3.01 update.

Does the user have to be an administrator? (I dont know if he is or not, I assume that he is)

What are the known software conflicts, if any?

Ideas on what to try?

[tobes484]

It has never worked for him, he tried to install and it didnt work, then I reinstalled it.

[kayser]

Hopefully a real expert will come along to help you. In the meantime, here are some ideas to look at:

Mike posted instructions for uninstalling and reinstalling to make sure that all files were really removed. You might check out his instructions and see if there's anything you can use.

You probably need to remove PSE completely from your system. The Windows uninstall program won't remove all the PSE system files. Also, some temporary files may remain that the install program can't overwrite. So you will need to remove all of these.

Also, when you reinstall the software make sure that you disable all anti-virus and spyware programs. These may prevent PSE from installing properly. I have Ad Aware and it caused problems during a recent install.

Follow these instructions...
To remove the system files, before running the Windows Add / Remove Programs routine, move all of the files you have added to PSE yourself, including images and plug-ins to location outside of PSE.
Then run the Windows Add / Remove Programs routine.
Check whether Windows removed the PSE folder at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 3.0 / 4.0. If the folder is still there delete it manually.
Restart Windows and then clean your PC of all temporary files. If you don't have a program that does this then go to Start > Search > Files and Folders. In the "All or part of file name" window type *.tmp. Then click on More Advanced Options and check the boxes next to "Search system folders", "Search hidden folders and files" and "Search sub-folders". Hit the Search button. When the search is finished, go to Edit > Select All and then delete the files. Close the Search window.
Go to the Recycle Bin and empty it of all files.
Go to the folder C:\Documents and Settings\[Owner or User]\Local Settings\Temp. Delete any of the following folders and files you find there:i.. Folders - _istmp [x] .dir
ii.. Files:
_ins [x]._mp

_inst32i.ex_
_inz [x] ._mp
_isdel.exe
_istmp [x] .dir
_setup.dll
_setup.lib
_wutl [x] .dll
~ins [x] .~mp
where " [x] " is any number



.. and finally reboot the PC... then reinstall the software.

Let me know how you get on...

Mike
And here's the whole thread, if you want context:

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7466&highlight=reinstall

Also, I'm assuming you've already looked through the Adobe support documentation and haven't found any leads? Just in case you haven't, here's a link someone posted the other day that might give you some ideas:

http://busca.adobe.com/search?site=AdobeCom&client=AdobeCom&filter=0&output=xml_no_dtd&proxystylesheet=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adobe.com%2Fspeci al%2Fsearch%2Fadobecomsupport.xsl&restrict=Adobe_com_Train&as_epq=Photoshop+Elements&q=freezes+elements+3.0&x=7&y=13

[tobes484]

I will try that complete removal. I did run through all the adobe stuff, sans reformat, and that didnt work. I didnt realize that anti-virus and anti-spywear would cause problems so I will check that when I reinstall...

[kayser]

Good luck. Let us know how it goes!

[tobes484]

Is there anything else I should check for? Settings, registry entries, etc.?

[tobes484]

Thank you everyone for your help. It turns out the problem was because Norton Internet Security was enabled. Once I disabled this the program ran great. So I guess you can chalk another up to Norton.

[TonyW]

Thank you everyone for your help. It turns out the problem was because Norton Internet Security was enabled. Once I disabled this the program ran great. So I guess you can chalk another up to Norton.

That's quite funny since Adobe and Symantec have just announced a partnership (http://www.publish.com/article2/0,1895,1933231,00.asp). Maybe they'll sort each other out :)

Tony

[kayser]

Glad you got it worked out!