Recipes in PSE2 Quit working after W2000 SP4 update… or?

BS
Posted By
Barlow_Soper
Apr 23, 2004
Views
298
Replies
9
Status
Closed
I found that after installing Service Pack 4 and a bunch of Critical and Security Updates (direct from Microsoft) onto my home Windows 2000, Pentium 4 machine (1-gig ram, two internal 80-gig drives, twin monitors, etc.) that PSE2 Recipes now longer work, but had work flawlessly up until then. This is an example error message: "Cannot find: ‘ File:///C:/Program%20Files/Adobe?Photoshop%20Elements%202/RE cipes/Categories/GetHelpID(0112-9381-0483-7260-124)’. Make sure the path or Internet address is correct." (without the quotes, of course), when trying the contrast of color pic recipe.

What I’ve done to date: Confirmed the same problem with similar updates on a second machine at work (maintained by corporate IT staff), confirmed that all files are where they have always been, despite error message that suggests they aren’t. Uninstalled, reinstalled PSE2 so many times and in different places that I’ve nearly memorized the 24-digit install code. I’ve also spoken with the author of Hidden Elements, but none of his suggestions work either, no virus checker running on install, etc. Again, the rest of PSE2 works fine on every install–except RECIPES–YIKES!

ANY ideas? All suggestions will be tried, and reported back here.

Many, Many thanks for any help that can be given.
Related Tags
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BS
Barlow_Soper
Apr 23, 2004
Anyone else seen this before? A "known" glitch, or?????

As further info: I done a virus check with the Latest Norton definitions, have run the latest Adaware, Spycop, PestPatrol, and Spybot S&D, and have found nothing. I run a pretty clean boot on the home machine with only 19 or so processes running, each I can identify, and a HiJackThis scan has been labeled by the "experts" as clean. I don’t know what else I can do.

I can live without Recipes, but Hidden Elements works off them, as well and I’d really like to use those.

Guess that’s all.

Thanks, again.
BH
Beth_Haney
Apr 23, 2004
You sound like a really savvy user of both computers and Elements, so I hesitate to ask, but did you delete the Preference folder for Elements? That one does not get removed during a "normal" uninstall, and we have had people post with problems that weren’t cleared after an uninstall/reinstall routine until they went back and removed that folder. However, this particular problem is one I don’t remember ever hearing about before, so I have no idea if getting rid of that folder was/is/would be/could be related or not. It’s a very simple process, though, so if you think it may not have already been done, it’s definitely worth trying. Nothing else seems to be doing the trick. And, I speak Mac much more fluently than Windows, so I have no other bright ideas to offer! But I sure wish you good luck!
BB
brent_bertram
Apr 23, 2004
Barlow,
I had a similar problem with SP4 except with my installation, Norton Speeddisk would no longer work. I reverted to SP3 and after a couple months, I re-applied SP4 and so far all is well. You might reverting and re-installing. Even Windows 2000 ( my favorite ) ain’t perfect ! <G>

🙂

Brent
BS
Barlow_Soper
Apr 26, 2004
Thanks Beth and Brent. I appreciate your suggestions.

I’ll look at the Preference directory and also consider the reversion, thought I originally updated for security purposes, I’d hate to do the latter. Is prefs located outside the Elements folder? At one stage I deleted everything I could find that had any obvious connection with Adobe in anyway.

I once had a problem installing HP scanner software in W2000 because on an uninstall, some parts were left in place that had to be removed manually, and there was no documentation of that. However, HP, unlike many others, have superb, personalized support and I had the solution from them within a few hours.

I guess, if all else fails, I can install Elements and Hidden Elements on my wife’s W98SE machine and use it, or my notebook, but I sure hate leaving my good graphics machine/setup to do anything with pix. Oh, well…

Thanks and I’ll try your advice. Any other thoughts, please, let me know.
LL
Lane_Lester
May 25, 2004
Barlow, did you ever get a solution to this problem? When I installed the trial version of PSE2, the recipes worked just fine. Now that I have uninstalled that version and installed the purchased version in a different directory, recipes (and the Welcome screen, too, for that matter) do not work. I get the same kind of path error you reported. I have allowed Win 2000 SP2 to install some automatic updates, and I’m wondering that’s what has broken my system. I’ve tried deleting the Preferences (with Ctrl-Alt-Shft at startup), uninstalling/reinstalling the whole PSE2, and reinstalling just Recipes with no effect. I’ll probably reinstall Win 2000 if I have to to get the recipes back, because I want some of the third party ones.

Lane
MR
mikael_runsten
May 26, 2004
The prefs are outside the Elements folder, look under:
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop\Elements\Adobe Photoshop Elements Prefs\

Micke
LL
Lane_Lester
May 26, 2004
Thanks, Micke. I deleted that folder and restarted PSE. Nothing in the Welcome screen works. For each button, I get an IE error that it can’t find …/Welcome/PlayBuiltInCommand(showFileBrowserPalette) or something similar, depending on the button.

In the index.html file in that directory, the Browse button is tied to this code:

<PlayBuiltInCommand(showFileBrowserPalette)>

Hmm, I see that the code doesn’t display, but rather is executed. Oh, well.

Lane
MR
mikael_runsten
May 26, 2004
I had a similar problem when i did a Wise repack of Elements 1 on a NT 4.0 computer, after installation of the Elements package the users could start Elements but recepies where missing and I couldn’t use any help or tutorials unless they had "administrator" rights.

They could use the help and tutorials if they opened them from a filebrowser/explorer window.

I suppose you have tried the "Restore prferences" thing? (press and hold down Alt+Control+Shift immediatly after launching Elements. Click Yes to delete the Elements settings file)

Micke
LL
Lane_Lester
Jun 25, 2004
Late reply, I know, but deleting the prefs didn’t help. Thanks, anyway, for the suggestion.

Lane

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