New Photoshop Error Message

CW
Posted By
Chris_Wise
Apr 28, 2004
Views
449
Replies
9
Status
Closed
I recently upgraded my Windows 98 to WinXP. After I did, I get the following error when opening Photoshop 7.0

The handle is invalid

I searched the documents and there are a few references to that error but they pertain to photoshop elements and so does the way to fix it.

Photoshop 7.0 is an upgrade from an earlier version of photoshop (6.0) which is an upgrade from 5.0 which is an upgrade from a full installation of 4.0. I’ve uninstalled all versions and have reinstalled them. I’ve even cleared them completely from the registry and i have the same problem. Any ideas?
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RL
Robert_Levine
Apr 28, 2004
I recently upgraded my Windows 98 to WinXP.

How? If you did an upgrade installation on top of Win98 I recommend that you back up all your data and fonts and do a clean install of WinXP.

Upgrade installations of operating systems will bring you nothing but headaches.

Bob
CW
Chris_Wise
Apr 28, 2004
Never mind – i found the Fix. It appears that if you have Wacom tablet drivers installed at the time of the upgrade, you’ll get the above error. All you have to do is uninstall them. and Photoshop will start working right away. It appears to be a known problem.
CW
Chris_Wise
Apr 28, 2004
Bob – it was an upgrade version of XP.. so I couldn’t do a full install. But thanx anyways – I figured it out.
DM
dave_milbut
Apr 28, 2004
you can (and should) do a full install of xp. you can do it with the xp upgrade disk. i’ll ask you to temporarily put in a previous os disk for verification.
RL
Robert_Levine
Apr 28, 2004
Chris,

As Dave as already pointed out, upgrade disks simply ask for a previous version for verification. The installation is a piece of cake. You can leave it if you want but that upgrade will come back to bite you…most likely at a very bad time.

Bob
JJ
John Joslin
May 1, 2004
I have upgraded several PCs with earlier versions of Windows to XP and, provided you follow the instructions to the letter, there is never a problem. If you diverge from these you will get problems. Of course it also depends on running the compatibility check and acting on the results first. For some unaccountable reason, quite experienced people seem to think they know better!

Cheers – John
RL
Robert_Levine
May 1, 2004
"For some unaccountable reason, quite experienced people seem to think they know better!"

Unaccountable? It’s like crossing a busy street without looking. You might get across, you might not. I’d prefer to look both ways.

IOW, If you want to take the chance go ahead, but the proper advice for installing an operating system is to NEVER do it via an upgrade.

Bob
DM
dave_milbut
May 1, 2004
the "unaccoutable reason" is that we ARE experienced with this. I’ve seen xp upgrades go fine, but I seen more that fail sooner or later or expeience weirdness. I’ve had no trouble with clean installs. Microsoft Engineers themselves "unofficially" recommend a clean install on MS’s boards. There’s some "accountable reasons"…
RL
Robert_Levine
May 1, 2004
And the kicker is that a clean install of XP is just as easy, if not easier than an upgrade.

Bob

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