Cannot install Photoshop CS3 - Installer just dissappeared

>My copy of CS2 came on 5 CDs and installed in half an hour.

mamapapaxp, you need to seriously rethink where you're buying your software.

I appreciate the suggestions that Gorodek and others made above - but it didn't work for me! When I retried to reinstall after making the changes to ContainerProxy.js, the installer started asking for the location of things - I responded okay. I finally got a message that CS3 and Bridge had NOT installed successfully. Now when I try to go through the process again, I'm told that I have to complete the previous installation - and I have no idea how to do that. Add/remove program reports tha CS3 is there but it won't remove it.

Any suggestions that might help me???

Bill

5 CD's? I have only one!:-(

To GORODEK:

Thanks G!
Your solution ->

b http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bc3b755/58

<- worked a treat on my Vista setup that had no previous Adobe products on it whatsoever...

Very much appreciated as I was seriously running out of hair to pull out!

Why can't Adobe live by that ancient maxim:
"If your installer ain't broke, don't fix it"?
My copy of CS2 came on 5 CDs and installed in half an hour.
After three 45 minute attempts, CS3, which arrived on a single DVD (not a full single layer either...) took 61 minutes! WTF!!!

GORODEK! Thx again, you the mutts nuts!

Don Frack and Gorodeck

Thank you, that's got me up and running.

Rachel

It's always desirable to back up your data because you can't guarantee your system won't crash and then the consequences of not having done so are not worth contemplating. These days external hard drives are quite cheap and you can just plug them into a USB port.

There are two kinds of backup - backing up some or all of the files on your hard drive and mirroring the hard drive. I already had the first kind of backup but the message with the cleanup script made me focus on software to mirror my main hard drive. Mirroring copies just not the files you work on and can see but all software and hidden settings so if your hard drive crashes you can restore the mirror and get everything back.

The software I have settled on is Acronis True Image 10. There are not many that do mirroring and this seems to have the best reputation for reliability. Additionally it is quite cheap ($US50, less on ebay, much less on Amazon if you are in the US), easy to use and fast.

Although you could use the free 14-day trial (as I did, though I will buy it soon) the safest solution would be to purchase the boxed version (not the download). That comes with a bootable recovery CD in case you are locked out of your PC by a crash (not sure of more specific details). Here is a [url=http://www.barrys-rigs-n-reviews.com/reviews/2007/utilities/ti10/ti10_1.htm]full review with lots of screen shots.

Regards,
Murray

After wasting many hours on this, I can still only get the 'shared components' to install. I phoned Adobe and was told that I should run the clean up script (which I already knew about). I said that I was slightly nervous about doing this because of the warnings about losing the contents of my hard drive but his reply was "of course you would have to reinstall your operating system, but then you would have to do that if you had a hard drive failure, wouldn't you". I eventually took a deep breath, said a little prayer and ran the clean up script. Even after 'level 2', it has not solved the problem (although the computer otherwise seems OK). One of the most frustrating things about it is having to wait 15-20 minutes each time for confirmation that it hasn't worked. I will try phoning Adobe again, but if they cannot suggest a solution, I will have to explain the situation to Amazon and hope that they will be willing to give a refund (I'm not sure that they will).

as posted by "gorodek" earlier in this thread:

gorodek, "Cannot install Photoshop CS3 - Installer just dissappeared" #59, 1 May 2007 8:49 am

could he have hit upon "thee" solution? if adobe's instructing people on it now...

I only see that one post from gorodek... who was that masked man? B)

How easy! I can't think why people are complaining. Photoshop is a complicated program you can expect it to just install can you?

Just spent a second (one hour) session with Adobe tech support on the "disappearing installer" issue.<br />Finally got CS3 installed.<br /><br />I had already done what I could find on the Internet: <br />A) uninstalled the CS3 Beta AND all other Adobe products.<br />B) run the Adobe CS3Clean script (all four levels).<br />C) Manually deleted all references to Adobe in the "Program Files" folders and Registry.<br />D) etc., etc. <pray to gods>, etc.<br />Nothing worked. Installer started, then just disappeared.<br />I am running Windows XP Pro w/SP2.<br /><br />Leaving aside most of the "try this" suggestions, the tech had me uninstall and reinstall the Windows Loader, and all non-Microsoft services and all Startup programs were disabled (I don't think this is important since it had no effect before the steps below, but it was the situation at the time).<br /><br />After deactivating and uninstalling the CS3 Beta, if you used it, try the following:<br /><br />NOTE: Quote marks are to identify text. They are not part of any folder or file discussed here.<br /><br />Copy the "Adobe CS3" folder from the installation CD to your harddrive.<br />From the harddrive copy, open the folder "resources\common\scripts".<br />Right-click on the file "ContainerProxy.js", click "Open With", and select Notepad.<br />With the file open in Notepad, click Edit (from the top menu), then "Go To...".<br />In the "Line Number" box, type 1102, and press Enter. This will take you to line #1102.<br />Locate the "SetSessionInitialized" variable as follows.<br />Look on the screen for the line "jsonObj = _jsonToObject(window.external.SetSessionInitialized(initValue));".<br />Delete "window.external." ->, "jsonObj = _jsonToObject(SetSessionInitialized(initValue));".<br />Save the file.<br />Go back to the harddrive parent folder "Adobe CS3" and run the Setup.exe.

Its very simple Rachel, you should't have to. Unfortunately if you want that program installed on your computer, you'll need to go thru the same song and dance the rest of us have. Its alot easier then it seems.