TechNote (Archived)

Photoshop, networks, and removable media (7.x and CS)

What's covered

Issues when working from networks or removable media

Recommended workflow

Suggestions for troubleshooting

Saving or opening files across a network or off of removable media involves many variables. Because of this, some problems (for example, damaged files, denied access, or slow performance) occur more frequently when you work from a network than they would if you worked off a local hard disk. For example, Adobe Photoshop may return one of the following errors:

-- "Could not complete this operation because this file is in an unknown format."

-- "This document has been damaged by disk error. The most likely cause of this error is a defective disk drive, SCSI, or SCSI termination. Pixels may be damaged. Open anyway?" (When you click OK, Photoshop may not open the file.)

However, problems opening or saving Photoshop files across a network or off of removable media may not happen immediately and may be intermittent. Adobe Technical Support only supports using Photoshop on a local hard disk because of the difficulty to re-create or accurately identify network- and peripheral-configuration problems. Adobe Technical Support does, however, support using Photoshop CS with Adobe Version Cue, a file version management feature in Adobe Creative Suite and that enables you to work with files in Version Cue workspaces on other computers. (See "Recommended workflow" for more information about Version Cue.)

Issues when working from networks or removable media

Photoshop is a resource-intensive application, requiring more RAM and hard disk space than most other applications. While Photoshop will work with networks and removable media, doing so compromises the application's performance and reliability. For example, because Photoshop reads and writes image data while you work on an image, the faster the access speed of the disk containing your image or the Photoshop scratch disk files, the faster Photoshop can process image data. Internal hard disks have fast access speeds than network servers (a hard disk accessed over a network) or removable media.

Additional variables when using networks

There are many different types of network configurations (for example, multi-launch, client-server, or peer-peer) or types (for example, ethernet, token ring, or IP) made by many different companies. Each configuration requires specialized software and hardware, with varying set-ups, preferences, and updates. This additional layer of software and hardware increases the chances of an error occurring (for example, from line noise, RF interference, or packet collisions).

Data transmission along a network is affected by file servers, routers, bridges, network cards, software, cables, connectors, power cables, and power supplies. Network connections can suddenly become unavailable, increasing the risk of data loss and application errors. During transmission and reception, network software verifies that data has been sent and received. The depth of verification depends on the network software package, and may not be accessed by the operating system. When you try to save files across a network, you may receive the error, "Could not complete the request because the file is locked," or "Could not save because of a disk error." However, the network and operating system may not notify you if a Photoshop image or scratch disk file contains damaged or incomplete information.

Additional variables when using removable media

There are many kinds of removable media (for example, external parallel [Windows], external/internal SCSI, internal IDE) manufactured by many companies. They all require cables and device drivers to be recognized by Windows or Mac OS. Also, removable media are more easily damaged than internal disks, increasing the risk of damaged image data or scratch disk files.

Recommended workflow

If you use Photoshop CS with Adobe Creative Suite, you can work with files in Version Cue, a file version management feature in Adobe Creative Suite that makes files available to everyone in your workgroup or team in a single workspace. You don't have to leave Photoshop CS to work with files in a Version Cue workspace -- you can preview files, search for files based on metadata, such as author name, keyword, or version comments, and set permissions from within Photoshop. For more information, visit the Adobe Web site at www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/main.html, or refer to Adobe Creative Suite documentation.

If you use Photoshop CS without Adobe Creative Suite or Photoshop 7 or earlier, Adobe Technical Support strongly recommends working in Photoshop directly on the local hard disk to prevent data loss. Save files to your hard disk first and then transfer them to the network or removable drive in the Finder or in the Windows Explorer. To retrieve files, copy them in the Finder or in the Windows Explorer from the network or removable drive to your hard disk then open the files in Photoshop. This will also avoid problems that may come from differing network system setups (for example, Windows NT Server, Netware, or AppleTalk) and removable media device drivers not being completely compatible with the operating system or Photoshop.

Suggestions for troubleshooting

If you decide to work directly with networks or removable media, you may run into errors or damaged data. Compare the results of the suggestions below with your network- or removable media-based workflow to narrow the cause of a problem. Many different factors can cause problems, including memory conflicts between device drivers, damaged or conflicting files, operating system software, and hardware problems. If you believe the problem is not related to your network or removable media, see Related Records for more troubleshooting information.

Disclaimer: The following instructions are provided as a courtesy. Adobe Systems does not provide support for networks and removable media.

-- Make sure that you are using the latest version of Photoshop. Free Photoshop updates are available from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/downloads/. An upgrade, however, may solve a wider range of problems. You can purchase upgrades from Adobe Authorized Resellers and from Adobe directly:

-- To locate an Authorized Reseller, visit the the Adobe website at http://store.adobe.com/store/customerregistration/other_places.jhtml http://store.adobe.com/store/customerregistration/other_places.jhtml or call Customer Services at 800-833-6687.

-- To purchase an upgrade from Adobe, visit the Adobe Store at http://store.adobe.com/store/products/master.jhtml?id=catPhotoshop or call Customer Services at 800-833-6687.

-- Transfer the file from the network or removable disk to an local hard disk. Then, open it in Photoshop.

-- Use another computer connected to the same network or type of removable media.

-- Set the scratch disks to a local hard disk.

-- Check with your network administrator to see if there are any known issues with the network or if any network configurations (for example, updated drivers or changed access privileges) have been changed.

-- Make sure that Photoshop is installed on and running from a local hard disk, and try to replicate the problem. If you can, troubleshoot the problem on the local configuration. If you can't, your problem may be caused by working off of removable media or a network.

Note: Once a file has artifacts, they may permanently be part of the image data. Replicate your image in a new file using the local hard disk.

Additional Information

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321957 : Error "Mprexe.exe caused an Invalid Page Fault in Module Kernel32.dll..." and Freeze in Windows 98

318243 : Optimizing Performance of Photoshop (Windows)

317280 : Optimizing Performance of Photoshop (Mac OS)

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