TechNote

Crashes occur, Photoshop CS4 won't open, or some features are slow and OpenGL is unavailable

Issue

When you try to open Adobe Photoshop CS4, it won't launch or it crashes. Some of the new features are slow and the Enable OpenGL Drawing function in the Photoshop Performance Preference is unchecked and dimmed.

Reason

You are using an older graphics display card.

Solution

Important: Before you use the following solutions, make sure you are using the latest display drivers for your graphics display card.

To find the latest display drivers:

For Windows: Locate your display card's manufacturer, and download the most recent version of the display driver from their web site.
For Mac OS: Go to the Apple website and download the most recent version of the display driver from their site.

See the Additional Information section of this document for instructions on how to find out what driver version you are currently using.

If the issues recur after you update your display driver, then continue with the solutions below.

Important: These plug-ins and registry scripts have had limited testing. They might cause other issues to occur or might not solve the problem you installed them for. If you install either or both, and have further problems, see the below instructions for how to remove them.

Solution 1: Disallow OpenGL Windows.

If Photoshop crashes when you open it, or won't open, and you have an older display card, then you can install the Disallow Open GL Windows plug-in (Mac OS) or registry script (Windows). Please see Additional Information for the appropriate use of these files.

On Mac OS:

Close Photoshop CS4.
Navigate to the Adobe Download site: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=39&platform=Macintosh
Download the Adobe Photoshop CS4 GPU Optional Plug-ins file.
Double-click this file, and choose to unzip the files into a location you'll remember.
Copy or move the DisallowOpenGLWindows.plugin file into your Photoshop > Plug-Ins folder.
Restart Photoshop CS4.

Note: To remove this functionality, move this file from the Photoshop > Plug-Ins folder to another folder, such as the Desktop.

Important: If you install a new driver that solves the problem, remove this plug-in from the Plug-Ins folder.

On Windows:

Close Photoshop CS4.
Navigate to the Adobe Download site: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=39&platform=Windows
Download the Adobe Photoshop CS4 GPU Optional Plug-ins file.
Double-click this file, and choose to unzip the files into a location you'll remember.
Optional: create a Windows restore point or back up your registry before you run these registry scripts.
Double-click the Disallow_OpenGLWindows_ON_D.reg file. Confirm that you want to add the information to your registry.

Note: When you run this script, it makes a small change to your registry.
Restart Photoshop.

Note: To remove this functionality, double-click the Disallow_OpenGLWindows_OFF.reg file.

Important: If you install a new driver that solves the problem, double-click the Disallow_OpenGLWindows_OFF.reg file.

Solution 2: Allow Old GPUS.

If OpenGL features don't work in Photoshop, and the Enable OpenGL Drawing option in Preferences > Performance is unchecked and dimmed, this plug-in (Mac OS) or registry script (Windows) allows Photoshop to talk to the card so you can test a new display driver. Please see Additional Information for the appropriate use of these files.

On Mac OS:

Close Photoshop CS4.
Navigate to the Adobe Download site: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=39&platform=Macintosh
Download the Adobe Photoshop CS4 GPU Optional Plug-ins file.
Double-click this file, and choose to unzip the files into a location you'll remember.
Copy or move the AllowOldGPUS.plugin file into the Photoshop > Plug-Ins folder.
Restart Photoshop.

Note: To remove this functionality, move this file from the Photoshop > Plug-Ins folder to another folder, such as the Desktop.

Important: If you install a new driver that solves the problem, remove this plug-in from the Plug-Ins folder.

On Windows:

Close Photoshop CS4.
Navigate to the Adobe Download site: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=39&platform=Windows
Download the Adobe Photoshop CS4 GPU Optional Plug-ins file.
Double-click this file, and choose to unzip the files into a location you'll remember.
Optional: create a Windows restore point or back up your registry before you run these registry scripts.
Double-click the AllowOldGPUS_ON.reg file.

Note: When you run this script, it makes a small change to your registry.
Restart Photoshop.

Note: To remove this functionality, double-click the AllowOldGPUS_OFF_D.reg file.

Important: If you install a new driver that solves the problem, double-click the AllowOldGPUS_OFF_D.reg file.

Additional Information

To determine the version of your current display driver:

On Windows Vista

Right-click on the desktop and choose Personalize.
Choose Display Settings > Advanced Settings. The Adapter tab displays your card data, which includes the amount of memory on the card.
Choose Properties > Driver to get the driver version.

On Windows XP:

Right-click on the desktop and choose Properties.
Choose Settings and Advanced.
Depending on your graphics display card, different tabs display. Choose Adapter > Properties for the card data that includes the amount of memory on the card. Choose Driver for the driver details, including the driver version.

On Mac OS:

Choose Apple Menu > About this Mac > More Info.
Choose Hardware > Graphics/Displays. The data here includes the manufacturer, the chip set (processor) and the amount of memory on the card. Apple sends driver updates out with its Operating System updates. If you have a card that you was sold by a display card manufacturer, and you cannot locate any of the driver details, contact the card manufacturer.

Additional information about Disallow OpenGL Windows

When you start Photoshop CS4, it looks at your display card, and determines if the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)-- the computer chip on the card that displays data to the screen--is new enough to understand the new OpenGL commands that Photoshop needs run. Sometimes a display card can be new enough to allow Photoshop to talk to it, but the software that the operating system uses to speak to the card (the display driver) has an incompatiblity with the operating system or with the instructions that Photoshop sends, and a crash occurs or Photoshop won't open.

The Disallow OpenGL Windows plug-ins and registry scripts stop Photoshop from talking to the display driver. If you run with these plug-ins or registry scripts installed, none of the OpenGL features will be available in Photoshop. However, you will be able to open and work in Photoshop, until you can check for an updated driver from your display card manufacturer.

If you locate a new driver and install it, then remove these plug-ins to another location (Mac OS), or run the _OFF scripts (Windows) to allow Photoshop to again talk to your display driver, and allow it to run the OpenGL features. If after you install a new driver, you experience display problems or crashs, then reinstall the plug-ins or registry scripts.

Additional information about Allow Old GPUs

When you start Photoshop CS4, it looks at your display card and determines if the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) --the computer chip on the card that displays data to the screen--is new enough to understand the new OpenGL commands Photoshop needs run. If the card is too old to understand the commands, Photoshop doesn't talk to the display card, and turns off all OpenGL features.

If a newer version of the display driver (the program the operating system uses to talk to the display card) is available from the display card manufacturer, and you want to try using that new driver, then after you install that new driver, you can install the Allow Old GPUs plugins or registry scripts. They allow Photoshop to talk to the display card, in the hopes that the new display driver has compensated for the limited functionality of the older display card. If the OpenGL features in Photoshop work correctly, then do not uninstall the plug-ins or registry scripts. If the OpenGL features still do not work, or other problems occur, such as crashes, then uninstall the plug-ins or registry scripts, until a newer display driver is available. If you don't uninstall the plug-ins or scripts, then problems occur when opening or running Photoshop.