Photoshop keeps locking up, help

[bradm]

Hoping some computer expert has run into this problem and solved it. My Photoshop locks when I try to do some operation, blurring, saving, transform etc. On the hard drive after rebooting I find a 200-300 Mb temp file, eventually they fill the drive. I have a Pentium 3-450, 390Mb of ram. I upgraded on ram, but it made no difference. Checked for viruses, defragged the drive. Still locks up. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Remember reading you could work with the images as jpg instead of the photoshop format, but don’t know where to set this. Thought it would take up less recourses, if that is the problem…

--
http://www.pbase.com/bradm/

 

[lis]

Hoping some computer expert has run into this problem and solved
it. My Photoshop locks when I try to do some operation, blurring,
saving, transform etc. On the hard drive after rebooting I find a
200-300 Mb temp file, eventually they fill the drive. I have a
Pentium 3-450, 390Mb of ram. I upgraded on ram, but it made no
difference. Checked for viruses, defragged the drive. Still locks
up. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Remember reading you could work with the images as jpg instead of
the photoshop format, but don’t know where to set this. Thought it
would take up less recourses, if that is the problem…

--
http://www.pbase.com/bradm/

Brad:

Maybe this link can help you. It may be the prefs file.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1006&message=4289376

Hope this helps.

Lisa

 

[Vernon D Rainwater]

Hoping some computer expert has run into this problem and solved
it. My Photoshop locks when I try to do some operation, blurring,
saving, transform etc. On the hard drive after rebooting I find a
200-300 Mb temp file, eventually they fill the drive. I have a
Pentium 3-450, 390Mb of ram. I upgraded on ram, but it made no
difference. Checked for viruses, defragged the drive. Still locks
up. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Remember reading you could work with the images as jpg instead of
the photoshop format, but don’t know where to set this. Thought it
would take up less recourses, if that is the problem…

--
http://www.pbase.com/bradm/

Hello Brad, Although I have been involved with computers since 1952, I don't consider myself to be an expert.

Your description sounds like that Photoshop is gasping for part of the memory OR photoshop is hogging most of the memory and your OS is needing part of it. Sometimes, it is difficult to know what causes a problem since in your case if it is related to memory allocation -- it could be either PS or your OS that is causing the problem. You did not mention what Operating System you are using.

Anyway, in Photoshop click Edit -> Preferences -> then select Memory & Cache and see what the settings is for available memory for use by Photoshop. The amount of memory you need for the Operating System is of course dependent on your (OS) Operating System.

I use XP Pro, have 512mb of total memory -- and I allocate 50% of available memory to be used by Photoshop. There are other "overhead" items requiring memory so my actual amount for use by PS is 231mb.

Please post your allocation settings, memory to be used by PS; and what OS you are using.
--
Vernon...
http://www.pbase.com/vrain

 

[bradm]

Hoping some computer expert has run into this problem and solved
it. My Photoshop locks when I try to do some operation, blurring,
saving, transform etc. On the hard drive after rebooting I find a
200-300 Mb temp file, eventually they fill the drive. I have a
Pentium 3-450, 390Mb of ram. I upgraded on ram, but it made no
difference. Checked for viruses, defragged the drive. Still locks
up. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Remember reading you could work with the images as jpg instead of
the photoshop format, but don’t know where to set this. Thought it
would take up less recourses, if that is the problem…

--
http://www.pbase.com/bradm/

Brad:

Maybe this link can help you. It may be the prefs file.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1006&message=4289376

Hope this helps.

Lisa

--
http://www.pbase.com/bradm/

 

[bradm]

Was hopeful it would be a simple fix, like kd_04 pointed out. This has been a very frustrating week.

In Adobe, preferences/Memory & Cache
Available ram = 345
Maximum used by Photoshop 50 = 172Mb, also tried at 82% = 283Mb
OS Windows 98, I also reloaded the OS. Not a full format.

The file sizes that I’m working on that seem to lock the computer are 20-40Mb

Any guidance would be much appreciated

Hoping some computer expert has run into this problem and solved
it. My Photoshop locks when I try to do some operation, blurring,
saving, transform etc. On the hard drive after rebooting I find a
200-300 Mb temp file, eventually they fill the drive. I have a
Pentium 3-450, 390Mb of ram. I upgraded on ram, but it made no
difference. Checked for viruses, defragged the drive. Still locks
up. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Remember reading you could work with the images as jpg instead of
the photoshop format, but don’t know where to set this. Thought it
would take up less recourses, if that is the problem…

--
http://www.pbase.com/bradm/

Hello Brad, Although I have been involved with computers since
1952, I don't consider myself to be an expert.
Your description sounds like that Photoshop is gasping for part of
the memory OR photoshop is hogging most of the memory and your OS
is needing part of it. Sometimes, it is difficult to know what
causes a problem since in your case if it is related to memory
allocation -- it could be either PS or your OS that is causing the
problem. You did not mention what Operating System you are using.
Anyway, in Photoshop click Edit -> Preferences -> then select
Memory & Cache and see what the settings is for available memory
for use by Photoshop. The amount of memory you need for the
Operating System is of course dependent on your (OS) Operating
System.
I use XP Pro, have 512mb of total memory -- and I allocate 50% of
available memory to be used by Photoshop. There are other
"overhead" items requiring memory so my actual amount for use by PS
is 231mb.
Please post your allocation settings, memory to be used by PS; and
what OS you are using.
--
Vernon...
http://www.pbase.com/vrain

--
http://www.pbase.com/bradm/

 

[lis]

Brad:

When I had a similar problem earlier this year, I also found that the temporary PST files were remaining on the hard drive for a few days at a time. I was manually removing the files not in use. I eventually got Windows XP and have had no problems since. Maybe Vernon will have a fix for you, but have you also thought about changing your swap file and designating a different drive if you're able?

I. too, was hoping it would be a simple fix for you because I have had problems with my PREFS file and removing that has helped me in the past.

Lisa

 

[Mehdie]

Adobe site has several suggestions to fix this. Some are simple, but they get complicated too, i.e., reformat your hard drive. I tried the simple ones and gave up. Many have said that Adobe underestimated the hardware requirements.

I had the same PC as you do. So, I found a good deal on a Dell PC (P4, 2.53 mhz, 256 RAM, Win XP) for $340. I kept my old monitor. I am absolutely thrilled now. I figured if I am serious enough to play with Photoshop, it's then time to upgrade anyway. It just doesn't make sense to do digital work with the system you have now!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brad:

When I had a similar problem earlier this year, I also found that
the temporary PST files were remaining on the hard drive for a few
days at a time. I was manually removing the files not in use. I
eventually got Windows XP and have had no problems since. Maybe
Vernon will have a fix for you, but have you also thought about
changing your swap file and designating a different drive if you're
able?

I. too, was hoping it would be a simple fix for you because I have
had problems with my PREFS file and removing that has helped me in
the past.

Lisa

 

[John Ross]

I had the same PC as you do. So, I found a good deal on a Dell PC
(P4, 2.53 mhz, 256 RAM, Win XP) for $340. I kept my old monitor.
I am absolutely thrilled now. I figured if I am serious enough to
play with Photoshop, it's then time to upgrade anyway. It just
doesn't make sense to do digital work with the system you have now!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brad:

When I had a similar problem earlier this year, I also found that
the temporary PST files were remaining on the hard drive for a few
days at a time. I was manually removing the files not in use. I
eventually got Windows XP and have had no problems since. Maybe
Vernon will have a fix for you, but have you also thought about
changing your swap file and designating a different drive if you're
able?

I. too, was hoping it would be a simple fix for you because I have
had problems with my PREFS file and removing that has helped me in
the past.

Lisa

There is a temporary workaround on some computers, disable the extensions folder. Move the extensions folders out of the plug-ins folder.
1. Exit from photoshop

2. In Windows Explorer, move the extensions folder from the program File/Adobe/Photoshop (version) Plug-ins/Adobe Photoshop Only folder to a location outside of the Adobe folder. (for example, move it to desktop)
3. Restart Photoshop

this is also explained in Adobe's support knowlegde base document 324609 ( http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/2256a.htm )

 

[Andy133989]

Please try this temporary trick for debugging only:
Start Photoshop

edit
general
history files
You change 20 to 1 [numeric one]
ok.

Open the same file that locked up your computer previously.
Repeat the same steps [layer> duplicate, etc.] you did previously.

After you complete the debugging, change 1 to 20 back in the setting for "history file."

Andy Riew

 

[bradm]

Can't seem to lock up Photoshop now, even when trying.

Now why was that not in the Adobe support data base. At least I could not find it.

Expect history setting will have to be played with to see how high it can be set it without the system locking, or is there more to this fix?

Thanks again, still smiling

edit
general
history files
You change 20 to 1 [numeric one]
ok.

Open the same file that locked up your computer previously.
Repeat the same steps [layer> duplicate, etc.] you did previously.

After you complete the debugging, change 1 to 20 back in the
setting for "history file."

Andy Riew

--
http://www.pbase.com/bradm/