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kcphoto26
Participant
December 29, 2012
Answered

Lightroom: "An error occurred when attempting to change modules."

  • December 29, 2012
  • 9 replies
  • 61928 views

I'm a first time Lightroom(via the Cloud) user (used Capture One before this) and just downloaded it today. The first thing I saw was this error message

"An error occurred when attempting to change modules."

I've updated it to 4.3 and I've tried all the other recommendations I found here:

http://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/kb/error-changing-modules-lightroom.html

I don't know what Nik products are but I don't believe I have any.

I'm on a Mac running 10.6.8

Removed this preference file I found here:

http://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/kb/preference-file-locations-lightroom-4.html

So frustrating! Please, can anyone help me???

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Victoria Bampton LR Queen

Thanks Geoff. The fresh install didn't work, but the new user account did the trick, though I was hoping that wouldn't be the solution.


There was an old installer bug which may be related.  If it works in the clean account, copying the files back may work.

Back up your copies of the following files/folders from your user account, and then copy back the versions from the clean account.

Macintosh HD / Users / [your username] / Library / Application Support / Adobe / Lightroom /

Macintosh HD / Users / [your username] / Library / Preferences / com.adobe.Lightroom4.plist

9 replies

B
Barryvj171
Participating Frequently
February 14, 2016

‌hi Victoria, I have the same error messages. I have both LR5.7.1 and LR_CC, both have same error codes - "an error occurred when attempting to change modules"  - I have changed the permissions in the Lightroom folder to Read/write as you suggested, but still dramas. I have uninstalled, reinstalled etc, to no avail... I bought a new iMac on Friday (12th Feb) trying to reinstall all my programs.... But can't get past the Lightroom issue... I was using the same LR5.7.1 64bit on my last iMac without issues... Any help would be appreciated... Thank you

edit: it was previoiusly asking me for the serial key every time I opened it, but no longer doing that now. I would really like to avoid the new user scenario as I use photoshop and Lightroom together... Thanks...

Victoria Bampton LR Queen
Community Expert
Victoria Bampton LR QueenCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 15, 2016

Barryvj171 wrote:

hi Victoria, I have the same error messages. I have both LR5.7.1 and LR_CC, both have same error codes - "an error occurred when attempting to change modules"  - I have changed the permissions in the Lightroom folder to Read/write as you suggested, but still dramas.

You almost certainly have a permissions problem there still.  Make sure you apply it to all of the enclosed items.

Victoria - The Lightroom Queen
B
Barryvj171
Participating Frequently
February 19, 2016

‌tthere were two issues actually... I made sure that all the permissions were 'read/write', but still no joy !! the only way I could get over the issue was to start a new user and transfer everything over... It worked well...

But the other issue was that Lightroom and PS were all too small. You couldn't open up the true pixel size... so unable to edit photos properly...

TheMadKiwi
TheMadKiwi
Participant
June 24, 2015

Permission fix worked for me. Cheers

O
Ouaga
Participant
March 6, 2015

Well, the only thing I can add here as a solution to this problem (after spending quite some time, trying to no avail to get in touch with Adobe customer support):

1) Delete Lightroom

2) Aks for a money refund (may be customer service will at least do this in due time)

3) Look for alternatives.

Regards

J

P.S. I really miss Aperture....

    Geoff the kiwi
    Community Expert
    Geoff the kiwiCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 6, 2015

    Jürg Wittwer wrote:

    Well, the only thing I can add here as a solution to this problem (after spending quite some time, trying to no avail to get in touch with Adobe customer support):

    1) Delete Lightroom

    2) Aks for a money refund (may be customer service will at least do this in due time)

    3) Look for alternatives.

    Regards

    J

    P.S. I really miss Aperture....

    What is your point on posting in a three year old thread?

    If you are asking for assistance please do in a way we can understand. Thank you.

    "As in any community, mutual respect and cooperation are key elements to success. The community consists of people from different countries, cultures, and beliefs, with varying levels of expertise. Write comments in an unbiased and respectful manner. Be straightforward and sincere, and assume good faith. Good faith is about intentions, so keep in mind that well-meaning people make mistakes."

    B
    Bret Kenworthy
    Participant
    February 1, 2015

    I have been looking for a fix regarding this issue for over a year.... web-weaver's solution fixed it.  Thanks!

    AkanchhaS8194121
    AkanchhaS8194121
    Legend
    January 22, 2015

    Hi All,

    Try a different user account, if its a Mac computer then try creating a "Root" account or for windows "Hidden Admin". after creating new user account launch Lightroom LR there, it will work.

    A
    andrescupello
    Participant
    January 28, 2014

    hey brooo! the solution is, create a new user on your computer, and install lightroom on this new user, and problem will be fix.

    L
    lara_jenkins
    Participant
    May 16, 2014

    It works perfectly from my secondary user account on my computer but I need to be able to access it from my main account where all my images are saved....is there a way to access it on my main account or no?

    G
    Gene Parmezsan
    Participant
    June 17, 2013

    Repairing permissions on the Adobe Lightroom folder inside of Application Support did it for me. Wish i tried it sooner...

    S
    scottbrickert
    Participant
    August 16, 2013

    +1 for changing permissions on the Lightroom folder in Application Support.  It was set to read+write for "system" but read only for "staff" and "everyone", so I changed both to read+write, and now Lightroom is back to normal. Whew!

      S
      station16
      Participant
      November 2, 2013

      This was so FRUSTRATING! Seems like Adobe should be able to avoid such an annoying little bug. Like you, I opened the Library Application Support folder/Adobe/Lightroom and hit 'command+i' for folder info and unlocked the folder and change "Staff" and "Everyone" from "Read Only" to "Read and Write" and strated Lightroom and it works fine now.

      Also, when the error occured it ran the app "AbobeCrashDaemon" and would not close it. I had to restart my system to resync Creative Cloud and Lightroom.

      It's times like these that remind me that Adobe is a little clueless sometimes and that there customer service is one of the WORST of any tech/software/computer company.

        M
        maxxmaxx99
        Participant
        January 16, 2013

        I re-installed LR update 4.3  and everything works normal now. Worth a try.

        web-weaver
        web-weaver
        Inspiring
        December 30, 2012

        I can only quote from the webpage that you already visited RE: Permission.

        You need to have full permission for reading and writing for the folders and drives that Lr is using - particularly the folder that contains the catalog (i.e. the database Lr is working with).

        If you have full permission try re-installing Lr. Un-install it via your OS. And re-install it.

        Also, occasionally downloaded programs can become damaged during download - for instance when the download has been interrupted.

        Before you re-install, I'd recommend that you download Lr again and use this second download for re-installation.

        From the webpage (particularly read the part about Macs):

        Solution 5: Set correct permissions on Lightroom folder inside Application Support  

         

        The Lightroom folder inside Application Support could have the wrong permissions preventing Lightroom from writing to it which can cause this error.

        • Navigate to the following folder: /Users/[user name]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom
        • Highlight the Lightroom folder and chose File > Get Information
        • Under Sharing & Permission, verify that your have Read & Write Privileges. If not, click the padlock icon at the lower right, enter your password when prompted, then click the Read only entry and select Read & Write.
          Important: (Mac OS) Apple made the user library folder hidden by default with the release of Mac OS X 10.7. If you need access to files in the hidden library folder to perform Adobe-related troubleshooting, see How to access hidden user library files.

        Solution 6: Try a different user account.

         

        Copy the Lightroom folder into a new user account or other existing account on your computer. Then, restart Lightroom. The Lightroom folder is in the following locations:

        • Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\[user name]\Application Data\Adobe\
        • Windows 7, Vista: [user name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\
        • Mac OS: [user name]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/

        Important: (Mac OS) Apple made the user library folder hidden by default with the release of Mac OS X 10.7. If you need access to files in the hidden library folder to perform Adobe-related troubleshooting, see How to access hidden user library files.

          K
          kcphoto26Author
          Participant
          December 30, 2012

          Thanks web-weaver, I tried all that but to no avail. I will put in a call on Monday to Adobe. I wish it was easier to get a hold of them:(

          Geoff the kiwi
          Community Expert
          Geoff the kiwiCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          December 30, 2012

          It is holidays so expect slower service.

          You can also ask at Lightroomforums

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