I get the message, To open “Adobe Illustrator CS5.1.app” you need to install the legacy Java SE 6 runtime. What to do?

So far, this is an unresolved issue.

Hi all

has this been sorted yet?

cheers

Hi Alex,

I had the same problem with another application. That was some time ago after I installed Yosemite. If I remember correctly I downloaded Java from Java for OS X 2014-001 and reinstalled. That fixed the error. Please try. Even if it doesn't fix your problem it can't do any harm your system in any way.

Any news on whether this has been fixed? I have an application with all of my recipes on it and I cannot open it. Updating Java to the correct version for OSX 2014-001 didn't do anything at all. I"m very frustrated as I need to access the information in the software.

Ccontact Adobe or the app developer. They were the ones that hard-coded a requirement for a specific version of Java.

Hi Harash,

I just read on https://forums.adobe.com/message/6912504#6912504 that installing Java 6 from apple isn't enough. It's about photoshop, but maybe it's true for Illustrator too. They say that you need to reinstall the app after installing Java because the Yosemite installer seems to damage some of the application files. Hope this will solve your problem.

They say that you need to reinstall the app after installing Java because the Yosemite installer seems to damage some of the application files.

That's partly true, but an incorrect way to state it. Yosemite doesn't "damage" Java 6, it intentionally removes it during its installation. You just need to reinstall Java 6 afterwards.

Sorry, I didn't say it damages Java. I know that Java is no longer contained in Yosemite. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it wasn't since Mountain Lion. Anyway, what they say on the Adobe site is, that the application files are damaged. They are not talking about JAVA itself.

Sorry, I didn't say it damages Java.

Yes, I know. You were quoting from a post on Adobe's site.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it wasn't since Mountain Lion.

Yes, I think that's correct. Apple stopped installing Java as part of the OS after Lion. If you check the installers for Mountain Lion through Yosemite, there are a lot of root Java processes OS X still installs, or Java wouldn't work at all. It's just the actual runtime environment no longer installs. The user has to do that.

that the application files are damaged. They are not talking about JAVA itself.

What application files? Do you mean the Adobe apps themselves? If so, yes, it's been reported that the CS5 and CS6 apps in particular usually need to be reinstalled after upgrading OS X to Yosemite. That's actually an old problem that isn't a Yosemite only issue.

I totally agree. I don't like the term "damaged" anyway. I thing Adobe simply stores some of the files the application needs in places that get wiped by installing a new OS. Not just Yosemite. I also agree that it isn't a fault in Yosemite. The same is true for any application that stores files in system locations. Had the same problem with parts of the TeXLive distribution. But again, you're correct, it's not an OS X bug.

Chris Cox and I tried to track down why the CS5 and CS6 apps on some systems needed to be reinstalled after reinstalling OS X. I even ran tests with a small software package that examined the system after reinstalling the CS5 or CS6 apps, and then reinstalling OS X over itself and comparing what changed. It was essentially nothing. All of the cache files of course were deleted, as installing OS X always does. But even Chris couldn't see anything that should cause the CS apps to break just because the OS had been reinstalled. But on our systems, it happened every single time and required reinstalling the Adobe software after reinstalling the OS.

Hm, weird. On the other hand looking at my own comments they don't really make sense. I mean a new OS X installation will probably only overwrite OS X system files. And obviously it does or else I'd have to reinstall every app that needs files to be in system locations. This never happened to me except for the TeX files I mentioned. But with hindsight it was most likely a problem with my Time Machine Backup as I have restored my system using the migration assistant. Anyway, what's your experience? Do you think that reinstalling Illustrator might fix the problem Harash reported?

No experience for me with Time Machine. I use SuperDuper! to create and maintain updated clones. That, and manually copying personal files to yet another drive for redundancy.

It sure couldn't hurt to suggest reinstalling Illustrator to Harash. That may all that needs to be done.

I had looked at my past posts on Adobe's site, and for whatever reason, that particular topic seems to be gone. Either that, or I'm just not remembering where that conversation was buried. At the moment, Adobe's forums appear to be down.

Just so I fully understand, because I have a tendency to mess things up. I should uninstall the application I cannot currently open (which is a recipe app, nothing to do with Adobe), and then reinstall it?

Thanks for your help!

Well, the message says that it can't open Illustrator, so I think your app depends on it. According to Kurts comments he observed that with Adobe products before. I think you should reinstall Illustrator. At least that's what I'd do. It should not do any harm to your recipe app as this remains untouched. Just give it a try.