Did you try resetting the preferences? (see the FAQ)
And what else on your system has changed since it last worked?
Where and how do I do this if I can’t open the programme in the first place? (Or can you give me a hyperlink for the relevant FAQ?) To the best of my knowledge, nothing else has changed on my system.
Roland, the procedure is simple, but you have to do it very quickly. Many people have a problem with that, so let me explain how to make it work the first time.
1) Move the mouse pointer on the PS desktop icon, but don’t click yet.
2) Position 3 fingers over Ctrl, Alt, and Shift (either set will do).
3) Double-click the mouse to start loading PS, then immediately press and hold the 3 keys down.
4) In a few seconds, a window will pop up asking whether you want to delete the settings file. Release the 3 keys and click on the Yes button.
To prevent the file from becoming corrupted in the future, always shut down Photoshop before you shut down the computer. Also, you should have a battery backup unit to prevent unexpected shutdowns due to power failures.
If that doesn’t work (or maybe before you try) start Photoshop and watch very carefully what is loading before it dies. Is it a font? Corrupt fonts can cause this, among other thin
EDIT: And when you get the chance, update Photoshop to 7.0.1. The update is on this site.
Joe’s solution worked! Thanks for everyone’s help.
Roland
It was there in the FAQ all the time! B)
However, from the number of people who have problems like this, I think the wording of the answer in the FAQ needs expanding along the lines of what Joe wrote.
I even have a piece of boiler plate for this eventuality.
I won’t post this in the FAQ suggestions nobody reads them! 😉
"…along the lines of what Joe wrote."
<rhetorical>
Why, John, how could you possibly improve on my brilliant post? 🙂 </rhetorical>
As I recently pointed out in another thread, the invitation to peruse the FAQ does a poor job of calling attention to itself; that entire gray block could use a thoughtful rewrite.
The answer provided in the FAQ is correct, but the "while starting Photoshop" phrase is a bit vague. Considering the number of times the question comes up in the forum, my guess is that many people logically (but incorrectly) assume that "while starting" includes the time the big, pretty graphic block is on screen. Ergo, all the "I tried, but it didn’t work" posts.
The actual reset procedure within Photoshop should include an option to create a backup of the current settings before deleting them, and an option to restore those settings in case deleting them did not fix the problem.
How about it, ‘Dobe? Here’s your opportunity to cut the forum traffic in half! Well, maybe not, but it sure would make CS3 a slicker product.
Better yet, there should be a button or something on the Startup screen that allows one to reset Preferences while starting up, without holding down keys, etc. Maybe I’ll add that to the features request.
BTW I keep a clean copy of my Settings that I can quickly paste into the right place (in Documents and Settings) to quickly restore or even trash the corrupted Prefs.
Good idea, Ed. Tell ’em to make it blink, or nobody will see it! 🙂
I back up mine regularly, too, but have never needed to restore because I have a battery backup and I always shut down all programs before turning the computer off.
Joe Zydeco is the man!! I was having the same problem and I called photoshop and they couldn’t help me great great post!!
