TechNote (Archived)

Personalization errors occur when starting Photoshop (CS on Mac OS X)

Issue

When you start Adobe Photoshop, it returns one of the following errors:

-- "Could not fully start the application because of invalid personalization information."

-- "Could not personalize your copy of Photoshop because of missing or invalid personalization information."

-- "Could not complete your request because certain required files were not found in the Adobe Photoshop CS Required folder. Please reinstall Photoshop to restore those files."

Solutions

Do one or more of the following solutions:

Solution 1: Removeand then reinstall Photoshop.

If Photoshop's serial number is not displayed on the bottom of Photoshop CS's splash screen upon opening Photoshop, you may have another version of Photoshop CS on the computer. Empty the trash, remove the copy of Photoshop and reinstall it. It is especially important to remove any beta copies of Photoshop you may have.

To remove and then reinstall Photoshop:

1. Move any personal files from the Adobe Photoshop CS folder(s) on the hard disk to another location.

2. Delete all Adobe Photoshop CS folder(s) in the Applications folder.

3. Drag the Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CS Settings folder to the Trash.

4. Insert the Photoshop CD-ROM, double-click the installer file in the Photoshop folder on the CD-ROM, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Solution 2: Remove and then reinstall Photoshop in another location.

If you uninstall and reinstall and still get personalization errors, or if you cannot locate an installed copy, uninstall any copies you find, empty the trash, and then remove Photoshop, and then reinstall Photoshop in another location that is alphabetically in front of any other installation.

To remove Photoshop and install it in a new location:

1. Move any personal files from the Adobe Photoshop CS folders on the hard disk to another location.

2. Delete all Adobe Photoshop CS folders in the Applications folder.

3. Drag the Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CS Settings folder to the Trash.

4. Create a subfolder in the Applications folder, that is named differently from the default Photoshop install folder (Adobe Photoshop CS), and is is alphabetically in front of the other version of Photoshop, such as \Applications\aaaa\Adobe Photoshop CS.

5. Reinstall Photoshop CS and select the new subfolder (created in Step 4) as the install folder when prompted for the installation location.

Solution 3: Use the ImageReady personalization file.

If Photoshop's serial number is displayed on the splash screen, or you performed the solutions referred to above, the cause of the errors is a personalization file that is not written correctly or is damaged. If you can successfully open ImageReady, you can use ImageReady's personalization file for Photoshop.

To Use the ImageReady personalization file:

1. Ctrl+click the Adobe Photoshop CS application file in Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS and choose Show Package Contents.

2. Open the Contents folder, and then open the Resources folder.

3. Locate the USERREG file in the Resources folder, and drag it to the desktop. Keep the Resources folder open.

4. Ctrl+click the Adobe ImageReady CS application file in Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS and choose Show Package Contents.

5. Open the Contents folder, and then open the Resources folder.

6. Locate the USERREG file in the ImageReady Resources folder, and copy it to the Photoshop Package's Contents/Resource folder.

7. Close all open folders, and restart Photoshop. Restart ImageReady to make sure that the USERREG file was copied, not moved, to the Photoshop Package's Contents/Resource folder.

Solution 4: Replace the Photoshop .sif file.

If Photoshop does not open without error, also replace the .sif file:

1. Ctrl+click the Adobe Photoshop CS application file in Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS and choose Show Package Contents.

2. Open the Contents folder, and then open the Resources folder and the ASN folder in the Resources folder.

3. Locate the PS.SIF file in the ASN folder, and drag it to the desktop. Keep the ASN folder open.

4. Ctrl+click the Adobe ImageReady CS application file in Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS and choose Show Package Contents.

5. Open the Contents folder, and then open the Resources folder and the ASN folder in the Resources folder.

6. Locate the PS.SIF file in the ASN folder, and copy it to the Photoshop Package's Contents/Resource folder.

7. Close all open folders, and restart Photoshop. Also restart ImageReady to make sure the PS.SIF file was copied, not moved to the Photoshop Package's Contents/Resource folder.

Background information

These errors are caused when a version of Photoshop CS is already on the computer, such as a beta copy, or if your registration information file does not get written properly or is damaged. If multiple copies of Photoshop are in the Applications folder, or if a beta or tryout version is installed in addition to the regular version, the system and Photoshop may confuse which files to use to verify personalization. This confusion can lead to personalization errors when launching the application.

The Photoshop CS installer personalizes the Photoshop CS application within the Applications folder in alphabetical order. If multiple instances of the Photoshop CS folder are present, only the first one alphabetically will be personalized. New installations of Photoshop CS (which folder falls alphabetically after the first installation) will not be personalized.

A damaged or incorrectly written personalization file (userreg or ps.sif) can also cause Photoshop to return a personalization error when you start it.