Skip to main content
_
_Eli_Roth_
Participant
October 23, 2007
Answered

ESC key not working outside PS in Vista...

  • October 23, 2007
  • 44 replies
  • 68445 views
This haunts our users since we migrated to Vista. When Photoshop CS2/CS3 is running under Vista the ESCAPE key does not work correctly with other programs. When PS is running, the escape key works only when pressing SHIFT+ESC together. This is extremely annoying when multiple programs are used, what could be the root of the problem?

Thanks!
    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Chris Cox
    elipsoid - figure out which of your third party plugins is messing up the escape key...

    44 replies

    Show previous replies
    gener7
    Community Expert
    gener7Community Expert
    Community Expert
    November 24, 2008
    Same here. Intel Dual Core 1.73 GHz, Vista 32bit SP1, Intel 965 chipset,GMA x3100.

    Only by emptying or placing a tilde in front of the folder do I get the ESC key back.
    _
    _Pavel_Pola_
    Participant
    November 23, 2008
    Here is my System Info. My Processor is Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo E8500 @ 3,16 GHz

    Adobe Photoshop Version: 11.0 (11.0x20080919 [20080919.r.488 2008/09/19:02:00:00 cutoff; r branch]) X64
    Operating System: Windows Vista 64-bit
    Version: 6.0 Service Pack 1
    System architecture: Intel CPU Family:6, Model:7, Stepping:10 with MMX, SSE Integer, SSE FP, SSE2
    Physical processor count: 2
    Processor speed: 3172 MHz
    OpenGL Drawing: Enabled.
    Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series
    Video Mode: 1920 x 1200 x 4294967296 colors
    Video Card Driver: atidxx32,atidxx64.dll,atiumdag,atiumdva,atiumd64.dll,atiumd6a.cap,atitmm64.dll
    Driver Version: 7.01.01.821

    I have tried to have only MMXCore plug-in in Extensions folder and it doesn't work. It seems to me that if ANY plug-in is in Extensions folder, the ESC key is blocked just for Photoshop.
    B
    BedtymeBear
    Participant
    November 23, 2008
    Pavel- what processor do you have?

    also, to clarify, if you have, for example, only the the MMXCore plug-in in that folder, the problem occurs? Basically, the test is: can you put one in at a time, restart Photoshop, and see if you can use ESC.
    _
    _Pavel_Pola_
    Participant
    November 23, 2008
    Maybe I have found where is the problem. If there is ANY plugin within \Plug-ins\Extensions\ folder, the ESC key is not working outside Photoshop. If you remove all plugins from this folder, it seems to be ok. But the plugins names seem to be quite "system level" so is it a goog idea to remove them?

    FastCore.8BX
    MMXCore.8BX
    MultiProcessor Support.8BX
    ScriptingSupport.8li

    And is there a chance to solve the problem? It is 100% NOT in third party plugins, but it seems to be in the core of Photoshop.
    _
    _Pavel_Pola_
    Participant
    November 23, 2008
    I have the same problem with a completely new installation of Photoshop CS4 on Vista 64-bit. When I remove all plugins, it works fine. But it's quite stupid to do it that way, isn't it? This is a complete list of my plug-ins, so you can check there is no third party

    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\3D Engines\Photoshop3DEngine.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\ADM\ADMPlugin.apl
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Automate\CropPhotosAuto.8LI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Automate\HDRMergeUI.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Automate\WIASupport.8LI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Effects\Filter Gallery.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Extensions\FastCore.8BX
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Extensions\MMXCore.8BX
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Extensions\MultiProcessor Support.8BX
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Extensions\ScriptingSupport.8li
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\BMP.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\Cineon.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\Dicom.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\FilmStrip.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\FXG.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\GIF.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\IFF Format.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\OpenEXR.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\PBM.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\PCX.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\Pixar.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\PNG.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\Radiance.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\Targa.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\U3D.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\File Formats\WBMP.8BI
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Average.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\ChannelPort.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Clouds.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Color Halftone.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\CropPhotos.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Crystallize.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\De-Interlace.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Displace.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Extrude.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Fibers.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lens Blur.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lens Correction.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lens Flare.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\LightingEffects.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Liquify.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Mezzotint.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\NTSC Colors.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Pinch.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Pointillize.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Polar Coordinates.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Radial Blur.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Ripple.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Shear.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Smart Blur.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Solarize.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Spherize.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Tiles.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Twirl.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\VanishingPoint.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Wave.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Wind.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\ZigZag.8BF
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\2 O'clock Spotlight
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Blue Omni
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Circle of Light
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Crossing
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Crossing Down
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Default
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Five Lights Down
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Five Lights Up
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Flashlight
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Flood Light
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Parallel Directional
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\RGB Lights
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Soft Direct Lights
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Soft Omni
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Soft Spotlight
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Three Down
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Filters\Lighting Styles\Triple Spotlight
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Image Stacks\statistics.8BA
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Import-Export\Paths to Illustrator.8BE
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Import-Export\Save for Web.8BE
    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4 (64 Bit)\Plug-ins\Measurements\MeasurementCore.8ME
    D
    Delichon_Urbica
    Participant
    November 17, 2008
    It's not just Vista - I get the same with PS CS4 on XP. Fresh install, too, so unless some plugins crept in there without my asking for them then that's not the issue either.
    Chris Cox
    Chris Cox
    Legend
    November 11, 2008
    The Photoshop plugin interface doesn't even touch event handling (which is what it would take to interfere with key presses).
    frax_-L75d7K
    frax_-L75d7K
    Known Participant
    November 11, 2008
    No third-party plugins here, and I can confirm that the problem goes away if there are no plugins in the folder, but it seems it doesn't need many of them (tried folder by folder) for the problem to manifest itself. It may have to do with the plug-in interface.

    Here is an AutoHotkey script/routine for a workaround: 
    ESC::

     ifWinExist, ahk_class Photoshop

     {

      IfWinActive ahk_class Photoshop

      {

       SendInput {ESC}

      } else {

       SendInput +{ESC}

      }

     }

    return
    A
    Anonymous
    November 9, 2008
    Why should a re-install affect third party plug-ins?
    _
    _elipsoid_
    Participating Frequently
    November 9, 2008
    Chris Cox - I did a full reinstall, could there still be a conflict with third party plugins?
    Show more replies
    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices