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Error: "Some problems occurred during installation," "Component install failed," or "Shared components failed to install" (Adobe Creative Suite 3)

Issue

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When you install Adobe Creative Suite 3 or individual Creative Suite 3 applications, you get one of the following error messages: "Some problems occurred during installation," "Component install failed," and/or "Shared components failed to install."

Reason

The Windows Event Viewer and the Adobe Creative Suite installer log are two tools that may help you to determine the cause of the problem. Refer to the Additional Information section of this document for information on locating and reading the Windows Event Viewer and the Adobe Creative Suite installer log.

  • Initially use Windows Event Viewer to isolate the cause of an issue for Windows installations. Use the Adobe Creative Suite installation log if the Windows Event Viewer does not isolate the issue.

Solution

Solution 1: Run the CS3Clean Script.

The CS3Clean Script was originally designed to clean up beta installations of all products within the Adobe Creative Suite 3. The CS3Clean Script has been updated from its original version to repair registry entries and permissions. For more information, see "Using the new CS3Clean Script" (TechNote kb402767).

  1. Download and start the Adobe CS3Clean Script.
    1. Restart your system and close any open applications.
    2. Download the Adobe CS3Clean Script for Windows.
    3. Unzip WinCS3Clean.zip.
    4. Double-click on the WinCS3Clean folder to open the directory.
    5. Right-click CS3Clean and select Run As Administrator.

    Important: The Microsoft Windows Installer CleanUp Utility is required to complete the process. The Adobe CS3Clean Script will check to see if this utility is installed on your computer. If the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility is not installed on your computer, the CS3Clean Script will notify you and then quit. If you receive this notification, go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301 on the Microsoft Support website for instructions on downloading and installing this utility.

  2. Follow the on-screen prompt to complete the script.
    1. Choose your language by entering e for English or j for Japanese. It does not matter if you use lower case or upper case letters anywhere in the script.
    2. Review the Adobe End-user License Agreement and enter y to Accept or n to Decline. Declining will exit the Script.
    3. Acknowledge that you do not wish to exit to uninstall or back up your data by entering n.
    4. Choose cleaning level by entering 2 or 3. It is recommended that you use Level 2 the first time, and use Level 3 only if you cannot install after running Level 2.
      • Level 2 will remove all CS3 program files. It will also clean the registry of any CS3 applications.
      • Level 3 will remove all CS3 and shared components. It will also clean the registry of any CS3 settings.
    5. If you have installed to any custom locations, enter y and on the next screen enter the custom locations.
    6. If you wish to preview what the Script will do, enter y.

      • You will need to run the script again after the preview to do the actual cleaning by starting over at step 3 in these instructions.
    7. If you wish to backup your registry, enter y.
    8. The next screen shows the options you have chosen. Review your selections, then type GO to begin the clean.
      • If you wish to change any of your selections, type quit and start over at step 3 in these instructions.
    9. After the script has finished running, Enter (Windows) to exit. If you were running a preview, then restart at step 3 to proceed with the cleaning.
    10. Restart your system.
Tips
  • Start out at Level 2 and advance to Level 3 only if you continue to have issues installing your CS3 applications.
  • Running this script removes folders created during the installation of CS3 applications.

To determine if the Adobe CS3Clean Script ran successfully, see "Remove CS3 pre-release software (Creative Suite and individual applications" (TechNote kb 401574).

Solution 2: Check the Event Viewer for error numbers.

Check the Windows Event Viewer for msilnstaller errors. For additional information on checking the event viewer refer to the Windows Event Viewer in the Additional Information section of this document.

Refer to the table below for common MSI error numbers and solutions. Although some of the referenced documentation may refer to a specific product, it can be applied to the resource referenced in the event viewer.

Error Number Application Solution
1406 or 1402 Acrobat TechNote 329137
1603 Entire Suite Solution 6
1401 Illustrator TechNote kb402035
1714 Entire Suite TechNote 320310
1309, 1321 Entire Suite Solution 9
1704 or 1500 Entire Suite TechNote 332507
1335, 1311, or 2350 Entire Suite TechNote kb400806
Solution 3: Disable your virus-protection software and all firewall applications before you install Creative Suite 3 or any of its point products.

Virus-protection software exists to stop errant applications from installing on your system. If your virus-protection software believes your Adobe application is a virus, the product will not be installed correctly. Furthermore, if the virus scan software is scanning a file or registry entry to be updated, it will deny access. Remove your Adobe Creative Suite 3 product if you did not turn off your virus-protection software before you installed, and disable your virus-protection software and firewall. After both are disabled, reinstall the software.

The Adobe Creative Suite 3 includes a program called Version Cue. It installs a service called Bonjour that searches the network for other Bonjour-enabled machines. The installation of Version Cue can fail if your firewall is unaware of this protocol and blocks it. Turn off your firewall while installing to prevent this from occurring.

Solution 4: Verify that you have sufficient disk space and, if not, clear disk space on the target drive or install to a drive with sufficient disk space.

Refer to the System Requirements information for the Adobe Creative Suite 3 product you are installing. Make sure you are installing to a volume that meets the minimum requirements. System requirement information is listed on the Adobe.com product pages http://www.adobe.com/products.

Solution 5: Remove pre-release Adobe software.

Refer to "Remove CS3 pre-release software (Creative Suite and individual applications)" (TechNote kb 401574) to remove any Adobe pre-release or beta software from your computer.

Solution 6: Remove Google Desktop.

Google Desktop can prevent the installation of the Adobe Creative Suite 3 products.Refer to system documentation to remove Google Desktop before installing the Adobe Creative Suite 3 product.

Solution 7: Check the installation media.

Creative Suite 3 installer may fail if the Creative Suite 3 disk is bad or damaged or if the computer hard drive is defective.

Perform the following steps to determine if the installation media is corrupt:

  1. Check the DVD for dust or damage. Clean the DVD with a soft, lint-free cloth. Check the back of the DVD for warping, smudges, scratches, or discoloration.
  2. Copy the contents of the DVD to your hard disk.
    • If you get errors during the copying, contact Adobe Customer Services at 1-800-833-6687 for replacement media.
  3. Attempt to install the Adobe Creative Suite 3 on a different computer.
    • If the installation fails, then contact Adobe Customer Services at 1-800-833-6687 for replacement media.
    • If it is successful, then the issue could be with the file system or hard disk drive on your original computer. For additional information, refer to the Hard Disk Check Utilities in the Additional Information section.
  4. Attempt a desktop installation. refer to "Install Adobe Creative Suite 3 from the desktop (Windows XP and Windows Vista)" (TechNote kb400609) or "Install Adobe Creative Suite 3 from the desktop (Mac OS X)" (TechNote kb400613) for additional information on creating desktop installations.
  5. If the purchased software was an electronic software download (ESD), download the software again. A file damaged during the download process will cause errors during installation.
Solution 8: Remove previous versions of Flash Player.

If your error in the installer log includes the following, you need to remove previous versions of the Flash Player:

1: 0 2: Install Flash Player 8 Plugin.msi 3: {91057632-CA70-413C-B628-2D3CDBBB906B} 4: {91057632-CA70-413C-B628-2D3CDBBB906B}; 5: 0 6: 1 7: 1 8: 0
Error 1714.The older version of Adobe Flash Player 9 Plugin cannot be removed. Contact your technical support group.

To remove Flash Player:

  1. Remove any log files in the \Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Installers folder. These files will contain or end in "log" or "gz." Delete the files unless you are currently using them to locate error messages. If you are currently using them, move them out of this folder and in to a new folder on the desktop where they are accessible.
  2. Download and install the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility.
  3. Run MSIZap on the Flash Player product code.
    • Windows XP
      1. Choose Start > Run.
      2. Type C:\Program Files\Windows Installer Cleanup\MsiZap.exe T {91057632-CA70-413C-B628-2D3CDBBB906B} and click OK.
    • Windows Vista
      1. Choose Start > Search.
      2. Type MsiZap T {91057632-CA70-413C-B628-2D3CDBBB906B} and press Enter.
        Note: The product id {91057632-CA70-413C-B628-2D3CDBBB906B} varies, depending which version is blocking the install. Use the product ID from the installation log entry.
  4. Repair or Install Creative Suite 3.
Solution 9: Update the user privileges to files.

If the error in the installer log or the Event Viewer includes the error message, "Windows Installer Error 1321 'The Installer has insufficient privileges to modify the file C:\Windows\system32\Macromed\Flash\FlashPlayerTrust\AcrobatConnect.cfg,'" then update the user privileges to the specific folders. The following is a sample from the Adobe Creative Suite installation log or Event Viewer:

Action 11:21:48: InstallValidate. Validating install
Action start 11:21:48: InstallValidate.
Error 1321.The Installer has insufficient privileges to modify the file C:\Windows\system32\Macromed\Flash\FlashPlayerTrust\AcrobatConnect.cfg.
Action ended 11:21:48: InstallValidate. Return value 3.

Refer to the installation log to determine which folder or file requires user privilege modification. The steps below refer to the Macromed folder which has commonly been encountered. Refer to Adobe Creative Suite Installation log for information on locating and reading the installation log.

Windows XP Professional:
  1. Choose Start > My Computer.
  2. Choose Tools > Folder Options.
  3. Click the View tab.
  4. Uncheck the Use Simple File Sharing option at the bottom of the Advanced Settings section.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Choose Start > Run.
  7. Type %SYSTEMROOT%\system32 and click OK.
  8. Right-click the Macromed folder and select Properties.
  9. Select the Security tab.
  10. Make certain that Administrators and SYSTEM is listed and permissions for security is set to full control.
  11. Click Advanced.
  12. Click the Owner tab.
  13. Select Administrators.
  14. Select the Replace Owner On Subcontainers and Objects option and click Apply.
  15. Click the Permissions tab.
  16. Select the Replace Permission Entries On All Child Objects With Entries Shown Here That Apply To Child Objects option.
  17. Click OK, and then click Yes in the Security dialog box.
  18. Right-click on the Macromed folder and choose Delete.
  19. Reinstall Creative Suite.
Windows XP Home:
  1. Restart in safe mode.
  2. Restart Windows.
    1. Press F8 before Windows starts (when you see a message such as For Advanced Startup Options).
    2. Select Safe Mode from the list of startup options.
    3. Safe Mode should appear in each corner of the desktop.
      • If Safe Mode doesn't appear in each corner of the desktop, then repeat steps a-c.
      • If Safe Mode does appear in each corner of the desktop, then log in as administrator of the local machine.
    4. If a dialog box indicates that Windows is running in Safe Mode, then click OK.
  3. Choose Start > My Computer.
  4. Chose Tools > Folder Options.
  5. Click the View tab.
  6. Uncheck the Use Simple File Sharing option at the bottom of the Advanced Settings section.
  7. Click OK.
  8. Choose Start > Run.
  9. Type %SYSTEMROOT%\system32 and click OK.
  10. Right-click the Macromed folder and select Properties.
  11. Select the Security tab.
  12. Make certain that Administrators and SYSTEM is listed and permissions for security is set to full control.
  13. Click Advanced.
  14. Click the Owner tab.
  15. Select Administrators.
  16. Select the Replace Owner On Subcontainers and Objects option and click Apply.
  17. Click the Permissions tab.
  18. Select the Replace Permission Entries On All Child Objects With Entries Shown Here That Apply To Child Objects option.
  19. Click OK, and then click Yes in the Security dialog box.
  20. Right-click on the Macromed folder and choose Delete.
  21. Reinstall Creative Suite.
Windows Vista:
  1. Choose Start > Run.
  2. Type %SYSTEMROOT%\system32 and click OK.
  3. Right-click on the Macromed folder and select Properties.
  4. Select the Security tab.
  5. Make certain that Administrators and SYSTEM is listed and permissions for security is set to full control.
  6. If Administrators and SYSTEM are not set to full control:
    1. Click Edit
    2. Follow the on-screen navigation through the UAC elevation prompt.
    3. Make the necessary changes.
  7. Click Advanced.
  8. Click Edit. . .and click through the UAC elevation prompt
  9. Click the Owner tab.
  10. Select Administrators.
  11. Select the Replace Owner On Subcontainers and Objects option and click Apply.
  12. Click the Permissions tab.
  13. Select the Replace Permission Entries On All Child Objects With Entries Shown Here That Apply To Child Objects option.
  14. Click OK, and then click Yes in the Security dialog box.
  15. Right-click on the Macromed folder and choose Delete.
  16. Click Continue and follow the on-screen navigation through the UAC elevation prompt.
  17. Reinstall Creative Suite.
Command line:

This method can be used on all versions of Windows but requires use of the command prompt utility.

  1. Choose Start > Run, and then type cmd in the Open box. Click OK.
    Note:     You must elevate the level of permissions for Windows Vista with UAC enabled.
    1. Choose Start > Accessories.
    2. Right-click on Command Line and select Run As Administrator.
  2. Use the following commands, including quotation marks, and press Return at the end of each line (also make sure to enter spaces between /T, /E, /C and /G in the third line):

    c:
    cd "%SYSTEMROOT%\system32"
    cacls "Macromed" /T /E /C /G Administrators:F
    cacls "Macromed" /T /E /C /G SYSTEM:F
    exit

Solution 10: Update the registry keys noted in the error log.

If you receive the Windows Installer error message, "1402 Could not read value to key" or "1406 Could not write value to key" in the Event Viewer or Adobe Creative Suite installation log, then update the permissions to the registry keys following the steps below.

Refer to the installation log to determine which registry key requires user privilege modification. Refer to Adobe Creative Suite Installation log for information on locating and reading the installation log.

The following is a sample from the Adobe Creative Suite Installation log or Event Viewer:

[ 6240] Fri Apr 27 18:02:12 2007 INFO Error 1406.Could not write value to key \Software\Classes\CLSID\{1171A62F-05D2-11D1-83FC-00A0C9089C5A}. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel.
[ 6240] Fri Apr 27 18:02:12 2007 INFO Action ended 18:02:12: InstallFinalize. Return value 3.

[ 6321] Mon May 01 13:04:06 2007 INFO Error 1402.Could not read value to key \Software\Classes\CLSID\{1171A62F-05D2-11D1-83FC-00A0C9089C5A}. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel.
[ 6321] Fri May 01 13:04:06 2007 INFO Action ended 18:02:12: InstallFinalize. Return value 3.

Note: Perform the steps in this solution after you complete the Adobe Creative Suite 3 installation.

The Administrators group listed below is the default local administrative group for Windows XP and Vista.

Disclaimer: This procedure involves editing the Windows registry. Adobe doesn't provide support for editing the registry, which contains critical system and application information. Make sure to back up the registry before editing it. For more information about the registry, see the Windows documentation or contact Microsoft.

There are two tasks you can perform before you do these steps to back up your current system and registry:

  • Create a restore point on your computer by choosing Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.
  • Back up your registry immediately after you enter the Registry Editor by choosing File > Export, and exporting a backup copy of your registry with a name you will remember to a location you will remember.
Windows XP:
  1. Write down the path to the key referred to in the error message and leave the installation running. Multiple registry keys may be referenced in the log file. Write down all of the paths listed in the file. For example: \Software\Classes\CLSID\{1171A62F-05D2-11D1-83FC-00A0C9089C5A}.
  2. Choose Start > Run, type regedit in the Open text field of the Run dialog box, and then click OK.
  3. Back up your current Registry file:
    1. In the Registry Editor dialog box, choose File > Export.
    2. Type a name for the file and choose the location.
    3. For Export Range, choose All.
    4. Click Save.
  4. Navigate to the parent of the key referenced in the error message. For example, for the key \Software\Classes\CLSID\{1171A62F-05D2-11D1-83FC-00A0C9089C5A}, open (double-click) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE >SOFTWARE > Software > Classes > CLSID.
    Note: These steps may vary slightly depending on the path in the error message. All registry keys listed begin in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder.
  5. Right-click on the parent key and select Permissions (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Software\Classes\CLSID).
  6. Verify that the Administrators and SYSTEM is present and that Full Control is selected under the Allow column.
  7. In the Permissions dialog box, click Advanced.
  8. Select the Administrators group (1), check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" (2), click Apply (3), and select the Permissions tab (4).
    Note: Select the current administrator account if the Administrators group is unavailable.
  9. Select "Reset permissions on all child objects and enable propagation of inheritable permissions" (1) and click OK (2).
  10. Click OK in the "Advanced Security Settings" dialog box. Windows will now reset the permissions for each child object to correspond with its parent.
  11. Repeat steps 1-10 on any additional registry keys.
Windows Vista:
  1. Write down the path to the key referenced in the error message. Multiple registry keys may be referenced in the log file. Write down all of the paths listed in the file. For example: \Software\Classes\CLSID\{1171A62F-05D2-11D1-83FC-00A0C9089C5A}.
  2. Choose Start, type regedit in the Search text field, and then press Enter.
  3. Back up your current Registry file:
    1. In the Registry Editor dialog box, choose File > Export.
    2. Type a name for the file and choose the location.
    3. For Export Range, choose All.
    4. Click Save.
    5. Close Regedit.
  4. Navigate to the parent of the key referenced in the error message. For example, for the key \Software\Classes\CLSID\{1171A62F-05D2-11D1-83FC-00A0C9089C5A}, open (double-click) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE >SOFTWARE > Software > Classes > CLSID.
    Note: These steps may vary slightly depending on the path in the error message. All registry keys listed begin in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder.
  5. Right-click on the parent key and select Permissions (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID).
  6. Verify that the Administrators and SYSTEM is present and that Full Control is selected under the Allow column.
  7. In the Permissions dialog box, click Advanced.
  8. Select the Administrators group and "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" on the Owner tab.
    Note: Select the current administrator account if the Administrators group is unavailable.
  9. Select both "Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object" and "Reset permissions on all child objects and enable propagation of inheritable permissions," on the Permissions tab.
  10. Click OK in the "Advanced Security Settings" dialog box. Windows will now reset the permissions for each child object to correspond with its parent.
  11. Repeat steps 1-10 on any additional registry keys.

If Adobe Creative Suite 3 still displays an error message, then you may need to investigate permissions on the particular registry key causing the error. Occasionally, renaming the key allows the installer to re-create the key and reset the permissions if the key is corrupted. If you can't change permissions or rename that key, then contact Microsoft or your hardware vendor for assistance.

Solution 11: Remove current Adobe color profiles and update registry settings.

If you receive the Windows Installer error message, "Updating component registration Message type: 2, Argument: 1 Message type: 2, Argument: 1" in the Event Viewer or Adobe Creative Suite installation log, then remove current Adobe color profiles and update the permissions to the registry keys following the steps below.

To verify the error search the installation log for return value 3 and verify the error captured in the log file. Refer to Adobe Creative Suite Installation log for information on locating and reading the installation log.

The following is a sample from the Adobe Creative Suite Installation log or Event Viewer:

UninstallColorProfilesRollback.E35C3ECB_5FDA_49E1_AB1F_D472B7CB9017
(Adobe) -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- BEGIN - Adobe_UninstallColorProfiles -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
(Adobe) UninstallColorProfiles - MSIRUNMODE_ROLLBACK
(Adobe) Requesting property: CustomActionData
(Adobe) Property cannot be retrieved
(Adobe) No Color Profiles to manipulate
(Adobe) -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- END - Adobe_UninstallColorProfiles -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Removing ODBC components
Updating component registration
Message type: 2, Argument: 1
Message type: 2, Argument: 1
Action ended 13:52:26: INSTALL. Return value 3.

The Administrators group listed below is the default local administrative group for Windows XP and Vista.

Disclaimer: This procedure involves editing the Windows registry. Adobe doesn't provide support for editing the registry, which contains critical system and application information. Make sure to back up the registry before editing it. For more information about the registry, see the Windows documentation or contact Microsoft.

There are two tasks you can perform before you do these steps to back up your current system and registry:

  • Create a restore point on your computer by choosing Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.
  • Back up your registry immediately after you enter the Registry Editor by choosing File > Export, and exporting a backup copy of your registry with a name you will remember to a location you will remember.

To remove the old ICC profiles:

  1. Navigate to \WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color using Windows Explorer.
  2. Delete the following ICC profiles:
    • AdobeRGB1998.icc
    • AppleRGB.icc
    • ColorMatchRGB.icc
    • EuropeISOCoatedFOGRA27.icc
    • EuroscaleUncoated.icc
    • JapanColor2001Coated.icc
    • JapanColor2001Uncoated.icc
    • JapanColor2002Newspaper.icc
    • JapanWebCoated.icc
    • USSheetfedCoated.icc
    • USSheetfedUncoated.icc
    • USWebCoatedSWOP.icc
    • USWebUncoated.icc

      Note: All of the files listed may not be located in the directories. Please remove as many of the files that are present. If you are unable to remove an ICC profile you may need to correct permissions to the folder. Please use the steps in Solution 9: Update the user privileges to files as a guide.

  3. Repeat Steps 1-2 using \Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Color\Profiles as the folder location.
To update the registry key:
On Windows XP:
  1. Choose Start > Run, type regedit in the Open text field of the Run dialog box, and then click OK.
  2. Back up your current Registry file:
    1. In the Registry Editor dialog box, choose File > Export.
    2. Type a name for the file and choose the location.
    3. For Export Range, choose All.
    4. Click Save.
  3. Navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\.
  4. Right-click on PDF Admin Settings and select Permissions.
  5. Verify that the Administrators and SYSTEM is present and that Full Control is selected under the Allow column.
  6. In the Permissions dialog box, click Advanced.
  7. Select the Administrators group (1), check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" (2), click Apply (3), and select the Permissions tab (4).
    Note: Select the current administrator account if the Administrators group is unavailable.
  8. Select "Reset permissions on all child objects and enable propagation of inheritable permissions" (1) and click OK (2).
  9. Click OK (3) in the "Advanced Security Settings" dialog box. Windows will now reset the permissions for each child object to correspond with its parent.
On Windows Vista:
  1. Choose Start, type regedit in the Search text field, and then press Enter.
  2. Back up your current Registry file:
    1. In the Registry Editor dialog box, choose File > Export.
    2. Type a name for the file and choose the location.
    3. For Export Range, choose All.
    4. Click Save.
    5. Close Regedit.
  3. Navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Adobe\
  4. Right-click on PDF Admin Settings.
  5. Verify that the Administrators and SYSTEM is present and that Full Control is selected under the Allow column.
  6. In the Permissions dialog box, click Advanced.
  7. Select the Administrators group and "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" on the Owner tab.
    Note: Select the current administrator account if the Administrators group is unavailable.
  8. Select both "Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object" and "Reset permissions on all child objects and enable propagation of inheritable permissions," on the Permissions tab.
  9. Click OK in the "Advanced Security Settings" dialog box. Windows will now reset the permissions for each child object to correspond with its parent.

If you can't change permissions or rename that key, then contact Microsoft or your hardware vendor for assistance.

Solution 12: Contact Adobe Technical Support.

If none of the solutions allow you to install Creative Suite 3, contact Adobe Technical Support. You may be asked to send your installer log file and event viewer information to support. Refer to Adobe Creative Suite Installation log or Windows Event Viewer for additional information to obtain this information.

Additional Information

Windows Event Viewer

Event Viewer is a Microsoft utility that collects data about errors that occur as you run Windows. The Adobe Creative Suite 3 installer uses a number of Windows installers during the installation of any products. Windows Event Viewer can be used to diagnose issues with the Windows installer.

  1. Launch the Event Viewer.
    • On Windows XP
      1. Click Start > Run and type in eventvwr
      2. Click OK.
    • On Windows Vista
      1. Click Start.
      2. Type eventvwr into the search window and press Enter.
  2. Select Application.
  3. Look for yellow warnings and red errors in the Type column that also contain MsiInstaller in the Source column.
    Note: This data might point you to an application or service that is conflicting with the installer and causing installer failure. We may require this information if you contact Adobe Technical Support.
Adobe Creative Suite installation log

The Adobe Creative Suite 3 installer log contains detailed messages on why the install failed (or succeeded). The log file can help you diagnose the problem faster. Every attempted installation will append information to the previous installation log. Deleting the current installation log and running the installation again can simplify the troubleshooting process. The log file is created on both Windows and Macintosh. The error messages contained will defer in format because of Operating System differences.

  1. Navigate to the Adobe Creative Suite 3 log file.
    \Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Installers folder.
  2. Decompress the Adobe Creative Suite 3 log file.
    Important: The log file is archived using a compression utility called gzip and will require a decompression tool such as Winzip or WinRAR.
    Note on log names:
    • The log file for the Creative Suite 3 Design Premium, for example, is: Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium 1.0.log.gz
  3. Search the log file(s) for the following case sensitive keywords: FATAL, DEBUG, ERROR and Return Value 3 (Windows only).
    If the log contains one or more of the following error messages, try Solutions 1-5, and then the solution listed next to the the error message:
  4. If none of the above solutions work, then try Solution 11.
Hard Disk Check Utilities

You can run disk utilities to verify the integrity of the hard disk drive. Damaged sectors, cross-linked files, or other file corruptions can cause installation failures. Run these utilities to help correct problems with the hard disk or identify issues.

Disk Defragmenter

Disk Defragmenter for Windows is designed to increase access speed (and sometimes increase the amount of usable space) by rearranging files stored on a disk to occupy contiguous storage locations, or defragmenting.

To launch Disk Defragmenter:

  1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.
  2. Select the Primary Hard Disk Drive and click Defragment.
Chkdsk

Chkdsk is a command line utility that can check your hard drive for errors and bad sectors. The "f" switch is designed to scan and attempt to fix the errors found.

To launch Chkdsk:

  • Windows XP
    1. Click Start > Run.
    2. Type cmd and click OK.
    3. Type chkdsk /f and press Enter.
    4. When the scan is complete, type exit and press Enter.
  • Windows Vista
    1. Click Start > Programs > Accessories.
    2. Right-click on the Command Prompt and select Run As Administrator.

      Note: Follow on-screen UAC dialogs, if present, to allow the process. Supply an administrator account and password, if prompted.

    3. Type cmd and click OK.
    4. Type chkdsk /f and press Enter.
    5. When the scan is complete, type exit and press Enter.
Related records

TechNote kb401528: "Error 'Licensing for this product has stopped working' when you start any Adobe Creative Suite 3 application"

TechNote kb402151: "Error 'Some problems occurred during installation,' 'Component install failed,' or 'Shared components failed to install' (Adobe Creative Suite 3 on Mac OS)

TechNote kb402767: Using the new CS3Clean Script

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Document Details

ID:kb401401

Products Affected:

acrobat
creativesuite
illustrator
photoshop