Listen to this very carefully:
If you need to remove the CS3 app just to free up space on your hard drive, it’s time for you to get a bigger hard drive.
Full Stop.
Laudable, but not always possible on a laptop: especially older ones.
I know from experience!
I plan on only using cs4 so why have an entire program sitting there. If I am not going to use a program I usually remove it. My question is how removal effects cs4. I don’t remember being asked for my old cs3 serial number so I am wondering if you need the program to operate cs4.
"Laudable, but not always possible on a laptop: especially older ones."
I have to wonder how old a laptop you can have and still run PS CS4? And ANY laptop’s HD can be upgraded…if you have or can outsource the skills needed to do so! 🙂
Bruce…
You may safely remove the PS CS3 .exe/application. Just make sure you save all of your brushes, styles, gradients, actions etc. first so that you can load and use them in CS4.
It may just be a matter of dragging the .exe to the trash, but it’d be smart to keep checking back on this thread to see if there are any "gotchas" you need to be aware of.
You would be amazed how many users were still using CS2 to cover removed (eg ImageReady) or broken (eg printing) features in CS3.
If you must get rid of the earlier version, at least wait until you are 100% satisfied with CS4. You can’t know already.
And ANY laptop’s HD can be upgraded…
not usually cost effective. laptop prices coming down and all, it’s almost worth it to get a new one, if you’re that strapped for space.
Bruce: De-activate CS3, use add/remove to uninstall, when asked, keep shared files, re-boot and delete CS3 directory after backing up any custom brushes etc. as per above.
Thanks for the advice. My laptop is only 8 months old with twin 160gb hard drives. I keep my photos on D but my main HD is 80% full for some reason. It sounds like I am better to keep the CS3 and find other ways to make room. Thanks a lot.
my main HD is 80% full for some reason
You mean you don’t know what’s filling it up? You are over the upper limit there 20% free space is barely enough these days.
Have you got some old Photoshop temp files left on there from improper shut-downs? They can be in the gigabyte range.
I would suggest a disk clean-up and defrag anyway.
my main HD is 80% full for some reason
Agree with John. That sounds very much like temp files accumulating. CCleaner is an excellent little free utility for such things. It has been recommended here before.
CCleaner is an excellent little free utility for such things. It has been recommended here before.
And you can consider this another recommendation. The price is right and it does the job.
Bob
I fought shy of registry cleaners for a long time (fear of bricking the computer) but CCleaner is good and lets you know what it’s doing. You can clean up in easy stages too.
