TechNote (Archived)

Crash, freeze, or unexpected shutdown while you work in InDesign CS2 (Mac OS and Windows)

Issue

Adobe InDesign CS2 crashes, freezes or shuts down unexpectedly while you are working in the application.

Solutions

Do one or more of the following:

Solution 1: Re-create the InDesign preference files.

1. Quit InDesign.

2. Rename the InDesign SavedData file and the InDesign Defaults file (for example, to InDesign SavedData.old, InDesign Defaults.old) in the following location:

-- Windows: Documents and Settings/[user name]/Application Data/Adobe/InDesign/Version 4.0

-- Mac OS: [user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe InDesign/Version 4.0

3. Start InDesign. InDesign creates new preference files.

4. If the problem persists, you can restore the original preferences by deleting the new files and renaming the old preference files back to their original names.

Solution 2: Install the latest InDesign CS2 update.

The update and installation instructions are available on the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/downloads .

Solution 3: Restart in Safe Mode.

Restart in Safe Mode and attempt to recreate the error there.

For Mac OS X:

1. Restart the computer, and then hold down the Shift key immediately after you hear the startup tone.

2. Release the Shift key when the Apple logo appears. "Safe Boot" appears on the Mac OS X startup screen.

For Windows:

1. Restart Windows: When you receive the message "Starting Windows . . . ," press the F8 key.

2. Select Safe Mode from the Windows startup menu.

Solution 4: Repair disk permissions by running Disk Utility (Mac Only).

Your disk permissions may be incorrectly set or damaged. They should be repaired before attempting to reinstall.

1. Choose Go > Applications, open the Utilities folder, and then double-click Disk Utility.

2. Select the First Aid tab.

3. Select the volume on which you want to install Creative Suite, and then click Repair Disk Permissions.

Solution 5: Log in and run InDesign as an Administrator user.

Log in to Windows or Mac OS X as an administrator, and then start InDesign.

Solution 6: Run InDesign from within a new administrator account.

Occasionally, a user account can become corrupted and prevent the installer from accessing or creating the necessary files and folders. Create a new account, log in to the new account, and then try to install or run the Adobe application.

To create a new user account in Windows, see "To add a new user to the computer" in Windows Helpor contact your system administrator.

To create a new user account in Mac OS 10.4.x:

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.

2. Click Accounts.

3. Click the padlock icon in the bottom-left corner and enter an Administrator password to continue.

4. Click the plus sign toward the bottom of the window on the left.

5. Enter the user name (for example, type test). Make sure to enter a password that you'll remember, such as test.

6. Select the checkbox next to Allow User To Administer This Computer. This makes the test user an administrator.

7. Click the Create Account button to finish creating the account

8. Close the Accounts window.

9. Choose Log Out from the Apple menu.

10. When the log-in screen appears, choose the test user.

To create a new user account in Mac OS 10.3.x:

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.

2. Click Accounts.

3. Click the plus sign toward the bottom of the window on the left.

4. Enter the user name (for example, type test). Make sure to enter a password that you'll remember, such as test.

5. Click the Security button at the top and select the checkbox next to Allow User To Administer This Computer. This makes the test user an administrator.

6. Close the Accounts window.

7. Choose Log Out from the Apple menu.

8. When the log-in screen appears, choose the test user.

To create a new user account in Mac OS 10.2.x:

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.

2. From the View menu, choose Users, and then click New User.

3. Enter the user name (for example, type test).

4. Click the Password tab, and enter a password that you'll remember, such as test.

5. Select the checkbox for Allow User To Administer This Computer. This makes the test user an administrator.

5. Click OK and close the Accounts window.

6. Choose Log Out from the Apple menu.

7. When the log-in screen appears, choose the test user.

Solution 7: Remove and reinstall InDesign.

Remove and reinstall InDesign CS2 from Safe Mode. For further instructions, refer to the following documents:

-- 331310 , Troubleshoot installation problems (InDesign CS2 on Windows)

-- 331287 , Troubleshoot installation problems (InDesign CS, CS2 on Mac OS X)

Solution 8: Troubleshoot fonts (Windows only).

See document 328607 , "Troubleshoot font problems (Windows)"

Solution 9: Install InDesign with base fonts (Mac OS X only).

Disable all font management utilities and move fonts out of the Fonts folder in the Library folder before installing InDesign.

Disable the fonts that are managed by the system, and then install InDesign. Once the installation is complete, you can re-enable the fonts.

To disable the fonts managed by the system:

Mac OS X v10.4.x:

1. Start Font Book from the Applications folder.

2. In the Collection column, click Computer and then select all the fonts in the next column.

3. Click Disable selected fonts at the bottom of the Font column.

4. Run the InDesign installer.

Note: If steps 1-4 do not resolve the problem, repeat steps 2-4 for User and Classic in the Collection column.

Mac OS X v10.3.x:

1. Start Font Book from the Applications folder.

2. Click the triangle to the left of All Fonts.

3. In the Collection column, click Computer and then select all the fonts in the next column.

4. Click Disable at the bottom of the Font column.

5. Run the InDesign installer.

Note: If steps 1-5 do not resolve the problem, repeat steps 3-5 for User and Classic in the Collection column.

Mac OS X v10.2.x:

1. Create a folder on the desktop named Mac Fonts.

2. Open the Library/Fonts folder.

3. Choose Edit > Select All, and then drag the contents of this folder (fonts and subfolders) to the Mac Fonts folder on the desktop.

4. Restart the computer.

5. Run the InDesign installer.

Note: If steps 1-5 do not resolve the problem, repeat the steps, moving the contents of the Users/[user name]/Library/Fonts and System Folder/Fonts folder to the Mac Fonts folder on the desktop in step 3.

Solution 10: Troubleshoot third-party font management software.

Deactivate all fonts in the font management application, then attempt to recreate the error:

-- If the problem recurs, the font management software may be causing the problem.

-- If the problem doesn't recur, a font may be causing the problem.

Disable the font management application, then attempt to recreate the error:

-- If the problem recurs, the problem is not associated with the font management application.

-- If the problem doesn't recur, the application may be damaged or need to be updated to a compatible version.

For information on how to deactivate fonts in your font management application and the application itself, refer to the documentation included with the program or contact the manufacturer for support.

Solution 11: Troubleshoot InDesign third-party plug-ins.

See document 322235 , "Troubleshoot InDesign third-party plug-ins"

Solution 12: Use Troubleshooting guides for additional tests.

Refer to the following documents for additional troubleshooting steps:

-- 328320 , "Troubleshoot system errors or freezes in InDesign (CS2 on Windows XP)"

-- 331408 , "Troubleshoot system errors or freezes in InDesign (CS2 on Windows 2000)"

-- 331388 , "Troubleshoot system errors or freezes in InDesign (CS2 on Mac OS X)"

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