TechNote (Archived)

Troubleshoot system errors or freezes (Photoshop Elements on Mac OS X)

What's covered

Beginning and intermediate troubleshooting

Advanced troubleshooting

This document can help you resolve system errors that occur when you use Adobe Photoshop Elements in Mac OS X. System errors can manifest themselves in many different ways, including (but not limited to) the following:

-- A blank or flickering dialog box

-- A frozen cursor or screen

-- An error such as "The application 'unknown' has unexpectedly quit."

Different factors can cause system errors, including conflicts among device drivers, software, and hardware, and corrupt elements in specific files. Although a system error may occur only when you work with Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Elements may not necessarily be the cause--it may be the only application that is memory- or processor-intensive enough to expose the problem.

To benefit most from this document, perform the tasks in order. Keep track of the tasks you perform and the results of each task, including errors or problematic behavior. Adobe Technical Support can use this information to better assist you, should you need to call.

Beginning andintermediatetroubleshooting

The tasks in this section can help you resolve the most common system errors. Before performing any of these tasks, back up all personal files (for example, Photoshop Elements files you created). Always restart the computer after a system error occurs to refresh its memory. Continuing to work without restarting the computer may compound the problem.

1. Check system requirements.

Photoshop Elements may not run correctly if the system doesn't meet the following requirements:

Photoshop Elements 3.0

-- PowerPC processor (G3, G4, or G5)

-- Mac OS X v.10.2 - v.10.3.4

-- 256 MB of RAM

-- 200 MB of available hard-disk space

-- 1,024 x 768 color monitor with 16-bit color or greater video card

-- CD-ROM drive

Photoshop Elements 2.0

-- PowerPC processor (G3, G4, or G4 dual)

-- Mac OS X version 10.1.3 or later

-- 128 MB of RAM (192 MB recommended)

-- 350 MB of available hard-disk space

-- 800x600 color monitor with 16-bit color or greater video card

To check how much RAM is installed, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu. The Memory value indicates the amount of installed RAM.

2. Use the Console utility to identify software conflicts.

If the problem causes Photoshop Elements to freeze, the Console utility can identify software that causes the conflict.

To use the Console utility to identify software conflicts: (Mac OS X v.10.2.8)

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

2. Choose Console > Preferences, and then click the Crashes tab.

3. Select Log Crash Information in ~/Library/Logs/, and then select Automatically Display Crash Logs.

4. Restart Photoshop Elements, and try to re-create the problem. If the problem recurs, reinstall or update the software identified in the crash log.

To use the Console utility to identify software conflicts: (Mac OS X v.10.3 or later)

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

2. Choose View > Show Log List

3. Open ~/Library/Logs by clicking the triangle to the left of the line.

2. Open CrashReporter by clicking the triangle to the left of the line.

3. Select Photoshop Elements [version].crash.log

4. Identify any third-party software listed in the crash log, and reinstall or update the software.

3. Re-create the Photoshop Elements preferences file.

You can re-create the Photoshop Elements preferences file to eliminate problems caused by a damaged preferences file.

Note: Re-creating the Photoshop Elements preferences file restores settings to their defaults.

To re-create the Photoshop Elements preferences file:

Photoshop Elements 3.0

1. Quit Photoshop Elements.

2. Drag the Photoshop Elements 3.0 Prefs file from the Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Photoshop Elements 3.0 Settings folder to the Trash.

3. Restart Photoshop Elements.

Photoshop Elements 2.0

1. Quit Photoshop Elements.

2. Drag the Photoshop Elements 2.0 Prefs file from the Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Photoshop Elements 2.0 Prefs folder to the Trash.

3. Restart Photoshop Elements.

If the problem recurs after you re-create the Photoshop Elements preferences file, the problem isn't related to the preferences file. To restore custom settings, drag the file you moved in step 2 back to its original location, and then click Replace to the alert "An item named 'Adobe Photoshop Elements [version] Prefs' already exists in this location. Do you want to replace it with the one you're moving?"

4. Allocate more memory to Photoshop Elements.

You can allocate a larger percentage of memory to Photoshop Elements to eliminate problems caused by low memory.

To allocate more memory to Photoshop Elements:

1. Start Photoshop Elements.

2. Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Memory & Image Cache.

3. In the Memory Usage section, increase the value in the Maximum Used by Photoshop Elements text box.

4. Click OK, and then restart Photoshop Elements.

5.Run Photoshop Elements while no other applications are running.

To maximize available RAM and reduce the chance that another application may conflict with Photoshop Elements, force quit open applications, and then restart Photoshop Elements.

To force quit open applications:

1. Press Option+Command+Esc.

2. In the Force Quit Applications dialog box, select an application, and then click Force Quit.

Note: Don't select the Finder, which is the core Mac OS component.

3. Click Force Quit again when Mac OS returns the alert "Do you want [application] to quit?"

4. Restart Photoshop Elements, try to re-create the error, and continue as follows:

-- If the error doesn't occur, the application you selected in step 2 conflicts with Photoshop Elements.

-- If the error occurs, repeat steps 3-4; or, if you've quit all open applications, proceed to the next task.

6.Remove third-party plug-ins from the PhotoshopElements plug-ins folder.

Remove third-party plug-ins from the Photoshop Elements plug-ins folder, and then restart Photoshop Elements. If the problem doesn't occur after removing third-party plug-ins, one or more of them conflicts with Photoshop Elements. Contact the manufacturer of the plug-ins for information about updates.

7.Reinstall Photoshop Elements.

An incorrect installation can cause errors when you work in Photoshop Elements. Reinstalling Photoshop Elements can eliminate these errors.

To reinstall Photoshop Elements:

1. Move any personal files from the Adobe Photoshop Elements [version]folder on the hard disk to another location.

2. Delete the Adobe Photoshop Elements [version]folder on the hard disk.

3. Complete steps 1-3 in task 5 above to force quit open applications.

4. Drag the Photoshop Elements Prefs [version] file from Users/[user profile]/Library/Preferences/Photoshop Elements (Photoshop Elements 3.0) or Users/[user profile]/Library/Preferences/Elements 2.0 Prefs (Photoshop Elements 2.0) to the Trash.

5. Double-click the installer file in the Photoshop Elements folder on the application CD.

6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

8.Log in as a user with access privileges.

If you lack access privileges, Photoshop Elements may be unable to access necessary files. To determine if limited privileges cause the problem, log in as a user with access privileges, and try to re-create the problem. If the problem doesn't recur, the account you were previously using lacks access privileges. Contact your system administrator to grant you access privileges.

To log in as a user with owner privileges:

1. From the Apple menu, choose Log Out.

2. Click Log Out when the system returns the message "Are you sure you want to quit all applications and log out now?"

3. When the log in screen appears, select a user with access privileges, type the appropriate password, and then press Return.

9.Troubleshoot fonts.

A system error can occur if Photoshop Elements accesses a damaged font. You can troubleshoot fonts to determine if they cause the problem.

To troubleshoot fonts:

1. Drag the contents of the Library/Fonts folder to a new folder on the desktop. (If you manually added fonts to the Library/Application Support/Adobe/Fonts folder, also drag those fonts to the new folder.)

2. At the Finder, choose File > Find.

3. Type AdobeFnt.lst, select the system drive, and then press Return.

4. Delete all AdobeFnt.lst files found (for example, AdobeFnt06.lst or AdobeFnt07.lst).

5. Restart the computer.

6. Restart Photoshop Elements. Photoshop Elements creates new AdobeFnt.lst files.

7. Try to re-create the problem, and continue as follows:

-- If the problem doesn't recur, move one font back to the Library: Fonts folder, and then repeat steps 5-7 until you identify the problematic font.

-- If the problem recurs, move the contents of the new folder on the desktop back to the Library: Fonts folder.

10.Troubleshoot ICC profiles.

A system error can occur if Photoshop Elements accesses a damaged ICC profile. Troubleshoot ICC profiles to determine if they cause the problem:

1. Move all profiles from the following folders to another folder:

-- Library/ColorSync/Profiles

-- Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles

2. Restart Photoshop Elements, and try to re-create the problem:

-- If the problem doesn't occur, move one profile back to its original folder, and then repeat step 2 until you identify the problematic profile.

-- If the problem occurs, move the profiles back to their original folder.

11.Optimize scratch disks.

Photoshop Elements uses a scratch disk file (that is, temporary disk space for storing data and performing computations) when insufficient RAM is available for image editing. Photoshop Elements can create 200 GB of scratch disk files on up to four hard disk partitions.

The hard disk partition you specify as the primary scratch disk should have free space equal to five times the size of the average image file; specify additional scratch disks if you have additional hard disk partitions. If disk space is insufficient, remove unnecessary files from hard disks.

To specify a scratch disk in Photoshop Elements, choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks.

12.Defragment and check hard disks for damage.

A damaged hard disk can cause Photoshop Elements and other applications to freeze or return an error. Defragment and check hard disks by using a disk utility, such as Apple Disk Utility, Symantec Norton Utilities, or Micromat Drive 10.

Disclaimer: Adobe doesn't support third-party disk utilities but provides the following instructions as a courtesy. For support, contact the developer of the disk utility.

To check for damage by using Apple Disk Utility (included on the system CD):

1. Start the computer from the system CD.

2. Choose Installer > Open Disk Utility.

3. Select the disks to be checked, and then click the First Aid tab.

4. Click Repair to check and, if necessary, repair selected disks.

13. Reformat the hard disk using HFS+ formatting, and install only Mac OS and Photoshop Elements.

Reformat the hard disk using HFS+ formatting, and then install only Mac OS and Photoshop Elements from the original installation media. Reformatting a disk erases all files it contains, so be sure to back up all personal files first. Also make sure that you have all application and system disks.

Note: Don't install additional software or hardware until you're sure that the problem is resolved. Don't back up the hard disk and restore Mac OS and Photoshop Elements instead of reinstalling them; if the problem is caused by an application or Mac OS, and either one is restored instead of reinstalled, the problem may recur.

After you reformat the hard disk and install only Mac OS and Photoshop Elements, try to re-create the problem:

-- If the problem no longer occurs, install other applications one at a time, and try to re-create the problem after each installation. If the problem occurs after an installation, the recently installed application may be the cause. Contact the developer of the application for information about an update.

-- If the problem recurs, the cause is hardware-related, and you should contact the hardware manufacturer or an authorized reseller for assistance. Before contacting the manufacturer or reseller, however, you may want to try one or more tasks in the following section.

Advanced troubleshooting

If the tasks in the previous section don't resolve the problem, hardware may be conflicting with Photoshop Elements.

Disclaimer: Adobe doesn't support hardware and provides these tasks as a courtesy only. For further assistance, contact the hardware manufacturer or an authorized reseller. If you troubleshoot hardware problems yourself, you may void the computer's warranty.

Note: Before you remove or rearrange hardware, turn off the power to the computer and any peripherals.

1.Check for SCSI problems.

If you have a SCSI card for internal or external SCSI devices, verify that the settings for the card are correct, ensure that the SCSI chain is properly connected and terminated, update SCSI drivers, and check for hardware or cable damage. For instructions, contact the SCSI card manufacturer.

2.Check for damaged expansioncards.

Damaged or incompatible expansion cards can cause system errors. To check expansion cards, turn off the computer, remove any processor accelerator, cache, or other expansion cards installed in the computer, and then restart the computer.

3.Check for problems with RAM SIMMs or DIMMs.

Ensure that the RAM SIMMs or DIMMs are installed properly and aren't the cause by doing one or more of the following:

-- Change the order of the installed SIMMs or DIMMs.

-- Remove all but the minimum number of SIMMs or DIMMs needed to run Mac OS and Photoshop Elements, and test to see if the problem persists. If it does, replace the SIMMs or DIMMs you removed and remove the others, testing again to see if the problem recurs. If it doesn't, one or more of the removed SIMMs or DIMMs are the cause. For assistance, contact the RAM SIMM or DIMM manufacturer.

4.Use a different hard driveor computer.

Run Photoshop Elements from a different hard drive installed in the same computer or the same hard drive installed in a different computer. If the problem doesn't recur, the hard drive or the motherboard you were using previously may be the cause. For assistance, contact the manufacturer.