Photoshop launches in Admin account but not in User account??

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Level 4

2,624 points

Photoshop launches in Admin account but not in User account??

My 2007 Mac Pro is working fine. Just installed 10.6.7 on freshly wiped HD in Bay #2. Used the migration feature to bring over everything from drive in Bay #1 (which runs 10.5.8). After that: Photoshop CS5 will not launch (on either drive) under the regular user account. Throws 2 messages as follows: "Cannot find scratch disk because disk is unavailable." Then: "Cannot initialize because disk is unavailable."

But - just logged in on my Admin account on the Snow Leopard drive. I then tried (for the first time ever, I think) to launch PS CS5 just to see what would happen. The app launched normally!

This after:
1. using Adobe uninstaller to remove "original" install of PS CS5 from the Snow Leopard drive. Then reinstalling. (first reinstall of THREE). This did not work to make the app launch, still got above messages.

2. Ran permission repairs (I know - you don't have ta tell me.)
3. Ran DiskWarrior - applied new directory to both Leopard and Snow Leopard drives.
4. I then called Adobe support. Let the agent connect to my desktop from where he did another un-install & re-install using downloaded Adobe utility app. (A guy in India ran my Mac Pro in Michigan for 30 minutes while I sat there, entering Admin password when needed for the operations. Amazing.) He also performed Adobe diagnostics. All without success (on the User account).

After that, he gave up and arranged for a higher level agent to call me tomorrow (Wed. 4/13).

5. Adding: during the above Adobe effort, it came to me that I have too many versions of Photoshop. (I had CS, CS3, CS 4 and CS 5.) So - I systematically removed all versions except the original CS from both the Leopard and Snow Leopard drives. I used AppDelete for this removal, hoping to get all pref files, etc. I even deleted an old version of Acrobat - just because I no longer need it. Then I ran DiskWarrior again and used PreferentialTreatment to check for bad prefs: then again installed CS 5 again - on both drives. (Still working in my normal User account.)

6. Adding: all along, I had no trouble launching and using Photoshop Elements 8 on either drive. I had originally set the PSE scratch disk to my RAID storage drives (Bay #3 & #4). So I was sure by then that I had forgotten to apply the same designation for scratch disk of Photoshop CS5. This was the only variable or possibility I knew of at the time. Guessing: I had set CS 5 to use the drive I wiped clean for Snow Leopard and that's why it came up with: "drive not available."

Repeating: it was not until I logged into my Admin account on the Snow Leopard drive and found I could launch Photoshop from that account that I decided to check in here with my question:

Q. What is the remedy for having one account which won't allow launch for some (in this case, just ONE) apps?

Sorry to be long-winded: this was a major, day-long effort and I want to provide a complete picture of what was done to trouble shoot. Thanks in advance for any help.

Mac Pro 2.66 Ghz, 8 GB RAM, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 2010 MacBook (10.6.4)

Posted on Apr 12, 2011 10:18 PM

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Answer 1

thomas_r.

Level 7

32,031 points

Apr 13, 2011 3:18 AM in response to macnoel

I have not read your lengthy post, but to answer the question in the subject simply: that's normal, for Photoshop. It has been for a long time, which is a major headache for those who would prefer to use a non-admin account for day-to-day use but also need to use certain Adobe apps. Personally, I think it's inexcusable that Adobe has allowed this to continue for years, across multiple versions of their software, and wish that a new upstart company would come along with a Photoshop-killer to put Adobe in their place. Adobe has had a monopoly in the market for too long.

Fortunately, Google can help you find instructions for how to make permissions changes that will allow Photoshop to run in a non-admin account. I don't know what the current state of things is - last time I tried, I was unable to get it to work properly in PSE, and finally gave up on using a non-admin account, but I think that it is at least a little easier these days.

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Answer 2

macnoel Author

Level 4

2,624 points

Apr 13, 2011 6:39 AM in response to thomas_r.

Thanks Thomas. But I was using Photoshop (4 versions in fact) for all of the 3-1/2 years I've had my Mac Pro - under my regular user account. It was the transfer of Photoshop "over to" the new Snow Leopard drive-after first wiping that drive - which created this conundrum.

That still makes you right about the overall issue of Photoshop's usability because Mac users commonly use this procedure when upgrading the System without affecting any other apps. The unfunny irony is that Photoshop Elements is not affected. It boils down to Photoshop's "sensitivity" to its own scratch disk designation. Just changing (or eliminating) the scratch disk designation should not "break" a $700 application which is meant for professional use.

Nor should users have to create another account to correct the problem. That's where I am at now. I do not know what the implications are if I create another account - how will that affect my iTunes and Mail.app libraries, data bases, etc.?? What happens to all the files in my current regular user Home Folder if I delete my original user account?

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Answer 3

thomas_r.

Level 7

32,031 points

Apr 13, 2011 6:51 AM in response to macnoel

But I was using Photoshop (4 versions in fact) for all of the 3-1/2 years I've had my Mac Pro - under my regular user account.

Had you originally installed it from that user account, or did you log in to the admin account to install it?

Nor should users have to create another account to correct the problem. That's where I am at now. I do not know what the implications are if I create another account

I don't think creating another account is the answer. Sounds like you transferred Photoshop from an old drive to a new one... that's probably at least part of the problem. You should try reinstalling Photoshop from the original disks. Also, if you're still using the same 3-1/2 year old version of Photoshop, make sure that it is compatible with Snow Leopard:

http://snowleopard.wikidot.com/

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Answer 4

macnoel Author

Level 4

2,624 points

Apr 13, 2011 7:58 AM in response to thomas_r.

Thomas: I need to clarify, obviously. --
1. Standard procedure is to do all but a few operations from Standard User accounts: which I have always done. All software installations have been from my original Standard User account.

2. Evidence: several complete uninstalls followed by an equal number of reinstalls FROM the original CS 5 install disk made no difference: when in the Standard User account. CS 5 DOES work under the Admin account on the new Snow Leopard installation (on Bootable Drive #2).

I have removed all but the CS 5 version of Photoshop from both drives.

There are no version compatibility problems on either the old Leopard drive or the new Snow Leopard drive.

Of the two options: I'm sure most experienced users would say that sticking with a Regular User account for daily operations is best. I could - just start using the existing Admin account for everything but that violates Apple's own security recommendations.

I have seen (here and elsewhere) that creating a new Reg User account is the remedy when something suddenly won't work in the original Reg User account. It's that I MUST have access to all the files in the existing Reg User account when I move to a new Reg User account.

It's still true that Adobe should warn its customers about this problem because Apple will keep moving ahead with new OS X versions and is satisfying ITS customers with easy transition procedures (like moving all accounts, files and settings to new version installations).

Evidence: Photoshop Elements has the same set up for designating scratch disks: but it's unaffected after being moved using the Snow Leopard auto migration process. Photoshop, on the other hand, is completely broken if the scratch disk gets changed in any way. That's nonsense - and causes huge inconveniences like this.

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Answer 5

thomas_r.

Level 7

32,031 points

Apr 13, 2011 8:20 AM in response to macnoel

1. Standard procedure is to do all but a few operations from Standard User accounts: which I have always done. All software installations have been from my original Standard User account.

Actually, most people use their admin accounts for things like installs, and some apps may not be installable from a standard account or may not function properly there, unless they can authenticate to admin privileges to install things in places standard users don't have access.

several complete uninstalls followed by an equal number of reinstalls FROM the original CS 5 install disk made no difference: when in the Standard User account. CS 5 DOES work under the Admin account on the new Snow Leopard installation (on Bootable Drive #2).

That matches with my experiences with Photoshop Elements... it only works if you've got admin privileges, unless you figure out what items are inaccessible from a standard user account and change their permissions.

I'm sure most experienced users would say that sticking with a Regular User account for daily operations is best.

In reality, that's not as prevalent as it probably should be. In part, that may be because of other software that similarly doesn't run on a standard account. In addition, running on an admin account really isn't as much of a risk as it might seem. I finally gave up years ago on using a standard account, and have never had a problem as a result of using an admin account for day-to-day operations. The stuff you can least afford to lose - ie, your documents - you have full access rights to in a standard account anyway, making your data no safer. It's easier to bork the system in an admin account, but the system is easily replaced.

I have seen (here and elsewhere) that creating a new Reg User account is the remedy when something suddenly won't work

That is true, but it's not a magic wand. In this case, though, I don't think that's likely to help. You're welcome to try it, but I highly recommend doing so in a non-destructive way, so that you can easily switch back to your regular account if it doesn't work.

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Answer 6

-g

Level 4

3,449 points

Apr 13, 2011 9:04 AM in response to macnoel

you should be able to leave all previous versions of Photoshop (Ps) in place

the fact that Ps runs in one user account, but not your account would point to bad user Preferences, or user fonts

remember, uninstalling and reinstalling Ps is only good if you also FIRST trash the user preferences (because that appears where the problem lies)

migration feature to bring over everything from drive in Bay #1

I never liked the migration feature because it is not reliable (IMO)...but again, if Ps runs on one account but not another, the first place to look is resetting user Ps preferences, fonts, and font caches

how to reset Ps preferences
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab 64-74aaa.html

Ps updates
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=39&platform=Macintosh

cs5 clean script
http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cs5clean.html

fonts
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/843/cpsid_84363.html
http://www.macworld.com/article/139383/2009/03/fontcacheclear.html

PS

I should add if my user account has issues that aren't in a test new user account, I would just move my stuff over to the new account and trash the problem account -- gets me back to work a lot faster than trying to chase down the problem and doing those meaningless maneuvers on my working install...

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Answer 7

-g

Level 4

3,449 points

Apr 13, 2011 9:12 AM in response to macnoel

Throws 2 messages as follows: "Cannot find scratch disk because disk is unavailable." Then: "Cannot initialize because disk is unavailable."

second look:

try setting your USER preferences> performance> Scratch Disks to your boot drive (move it to the top od the list and make sure it is checked)

or just reset the Ps preferences (to rule out those opening messages)...

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Answer 8

thomas_r.

Level 7

32,031 points

Apr 13, 2011 9:33 AM in response to -g

the fact that Ps runs in one user account, but not your account would point to bad user Preferences, or user fonts

Not necessarily in the case where one account is a standard account and the other is admin. Especially in the case of Photoshop, where I *_know for a fact_* that Photoshop Elements has a history of installing stuff in places and with permissions that make it not fully functional on a standard account. For example, one version of PSE that I tried using on a standard account was completely unable to access any help documents unless the same page had already been loaded on an admin account. This was because PSE somehow extracted the help page from some kind of archive (I forget the details), and without write permissions to the folder in question (which only an admin would have), the process failed and thus help was unavailable.

Whether Photoshop is having the same problem in this case I'm still unclear on. But that's enough history that one cannot assume that waving the magic "new user account" wand will work.

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Answer 9

macnoel Author

Level 4

2,624 points

Apr 13, 2011 9:49 AM in response to -g

Thanks, -g, but if you read the second message it says: "cannot initialize" which means the app won't launch, therefore there's no way to re-set prefs such as scratch disk designation.

It's moot now anyway: I have spent the time between posts here and re-thinking & re-doing access privileges - on BOTH the Leopard and Snow Leopard drives. Then I re-installed PS CS5 on both drives. This: has SOLVED the problem- (without resorting to user account additions or subtractions or switching to only Admin accounts).

The "key" here seems to have been more attention to access to the backup RAID permissions. They had somehow gotten switched to rw rr when it should have been rw rwrw.

I have to accept partial blame, as a NAPP member, I should have known that Photoshop would "react" to my mistakenly setting it to use the OTHER storage drive which I decided to wipe in order to clean install Snow Leopard. Having the wrong permissions on the RAID also made it "unavailable" to Photoshop so it just gave up looking for its designated scratch disk.

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Answer 10

-g

Level 4

3,449 points

Apr 13, 2011 10:08 AM in response to thomas_r.

good, I trust, I've never installed opened Elements before or ever followed its known issues

I also have never worked in Ps from a non-admin account, not that it should matter on this issue when the problem clears in another user account

but testing in a new user account is a pretty decisive step to rule out Ps preferences -- and properly manually trashing Ps preferences from a problem user account should have reset the user's Ps scratchdisk and eliminated the opening errors

unless something else was going on...

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Answer 11

macnoel Author

Level 4

2,624 points

Apr 13, 2011 10:28 AM in response to thomas_r.

Thomas: sincere thanks for your thorough-going thinking on this problem.
I'm especially grateful for the information about Photoshop Elements because I use PSE 8 for some particular purposes and have noticed that BOTH PS and PSE have "mysterious problems" with the way they implement Help files and permissions as I have just talked about in my case.

In addition: it turned out you are right about not needing to create any new user accounts. It was all about checking permissions and resetting them: on ALL drives, including my 2TB RAID storage (and scratch disk) drive.

Do excuse any differences we might have regarding procedures:I'm a stubborn old guy who insists that everything worth more than $10 works as advertised. And if the manufacturer / creator says I should use their tool such-and-such a way, then I expect them to know what they're talking about. Adobe doesn't mention OS X preferences or any possible problems which might occur on installations - so that's one on them. Apple generally is pretty good about their recommendations, so I put effort into following them.

I also accept responsibility for my own "eccentric" choices: in this case, I was being cautious when I decided to first install Snow Leopard on what had been my 10.5.8 clone drive. I still plan to "test pilot" Snow Leopard on Drive #2 for a bit and then go ahead with installing 10.6.x on Drive #1.

I DO still need some of the apps which the Snow Leopard installer "banned" so that's why I decided to install it on only 1 of 2 drives. (This is one of the beauties of having a Mac Pro: having four drives to work with is just sooo nice.) But I do agree with you about the Mac migration issue: it's just the convenience overall is "worth it to me." But setting up with 2 versions of OS X is obviously complicating things:I'm glad that this will be temporary.

Thanks again. At least this issue is solved.

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Answer 12

macnoel Author

Level 4

2,624 points

Apr 13, 2011 10:38 AM in response to macnoel

Photoshop refused to launch in two regular user accounts on two different drives, one with Leopard, the other with Snow Leopard.

Solution: uninstall Photoshop on both drives. Re-install on both drives from Admin account and change permissions for the application AND for both drives PLUS a third RAID drive used by Photoshop for scratch disks. Permissions for the RAID (or any drive used for scratch disks) should be "rw" for all users.

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Answer 13

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,246 points

Apr 13, 2011 11:51 AM in response to macnoel

I have seen (here and elsewhere) that creating a new Reg User account is the remedy when something suddenly won't work in the original Reg User account. It's that I MUST have access to all the files in the existing Reg User account when I move to a new Reg User account.

I have to pile-on here a little.
It's not that it is a "remedy" but a troubleshooting procedure. If it works correct in another user account, then there is something wrong in the other user account. If it doesn't work in the new account, it is likely a system-wide problem. That just helps to narrow down where to look for the problem.

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Answer 14

macnoel Author

Level 4

2,624 points

Apr 13, 2011 12:21 PM in response to Barney-15E

Thanks for the clarification. These dialogues evolve and that's good because it increases the level of understanding. You are correct: in fact, it was my discovery that Photoshop would launch under the Admin account but not under the Regular User account which prompted me to investigate and attempt further solutions.

And - that led to the elimination of creating another user account because it showed there was likely other reason for the app's failure to launch. I mistakenly jumped to the conclusion that I faced more trouble by creating AND using a new (replacement) account. As you say: I was taking a trouble shooting step to be the only solution.

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Answer 15

Apr 13, 2011 2:23 PM in response to thomas_r.

Yes, there's a lot of other PSE stuff that doesn't work in standard accounts, too, like Save for Web and the filters in some versions of PSE. It's possible to change the permissions on all the necessary folders, but aside from it being a huge pain, I do wonder about the security of giving write permissions to read-only locations.

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