Adobe CS6 file associations are all messed up

[desertowl]

Many of CS6 file association extensions wont open;

After installing CS6 many of the previous extensions .psd .prproj .ai, I found broken and Windows 7 (64bit) would ask what program to open it with.

It would not give me the option to chose the obvious. So, I selected Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Default Programs\Set Associations and select Photoshop cs6 .exe and it would not assign it.

Same with several other files.

Even files I made fresh from CS6 photoshop(64) it wont select or give option to open with the program it was made with. I have to open the program first and select the file from inside the program.

Now Adobe Bridge CS6 shows all the files with a visual preview but when I select the file it says "windows cannot find 'C:\program file\adobe\adobe cs5 (64 bit)\photoshop.exe' make sure you typed the name correctly, then try again.

Somehow I have to unlink the old extensions because cs5 is gone but I can't seem to change the associations until whatever residual cs5 registry ghost still lives in my machine.

I have googled the problem and a lot of people are having this problem but no real fixes seem apparent or they are insanely drastic like wiping the whole drive and re-installing windows.

I see that this has happened before with other upgrades on the forums i.e. cs4 to cs5 years back.

This is my 6th upgrade and I gave adobe thousands and thousands of dollars and why is this problem not getting addressed when other been complaining about years ago and still not a viable solution is given.

[Guest]

You must have uninstalled a previous version after you installed CS6.  Adobe says this won't happen, but have seen it in these posts all too often.

If you leave previous versions in place there seems to be no problems.

Do you have anything but CS6 on your computer?  If so one method is to uninstall, run the Adobe Scripts cleaner, then reinstall.

[desertowl]

I have other Adobe products outside of cs6

I had previous versions but I thought it redundant to have Photshop cs5 + Photshop cs5(64bit) + Photshop cs6 + Photshop cs6(64bit) and the same goes for the other multi copies. So, I deleted cs5 and saved a few programs I noticed were not in cs6.

If Adobe can make a script cleaner utility why can't they make a utility that fixes this issues in a click of a button. or better yet have an option inside photoshop that gives you the ability to associate files it opens,

[desertowl]

I see this issue going back as far as the upgrade from cs3 to cs4, that was years ago. This problem makes the Adobe Bridge totally useless with the exception that I can preveiw the file I can't open which is really neat to do.

Thanks Adobe for taking 8 years and going to avoid this problem.

[Guest]

desertowl wrote:

So, I deleted cs5 and saved a few programs I noticed were not in cs6.

What kind of programs did you save that were not in CS6?  Depending on what you did you may have a real mess.

Might be easier to uninstall everything, run the Script cleaner, then install, in order, what you want.

[desertowl]

I have adobe flash catalyst cs5.5, contribute,acrobat x pro, adobe onlocation, flex 1,2,3

It is a file association, this should be a simple fix not a delete every damn adobe product I ever purchased and re-install 100GB plus a full day of waiting for everything to delete/clean/load followed by a month of getting my workflow set up again.

Is Corel still in business, I want to go back to them.

[desertowl]

I can not believe Adobe can't fix this and make a utility for this. They have only bought out every application developer business on the planet pretty much and they seem to know how to make tools for everything else.

Makes me wonder if they just want to ween people away from owning their purchases by destroying their previous purchase and make them become dependant on their new get on the cloud so we can change what ya pay for on the fly and find yourself needing to upgrade weekly until we have your wallet nice and dry.

[PECourtejoie]

Did you try to uninstall/reinstall CS6?

In order for them to make an utility, they need to be able to reproduce the issue first.

I suggest to report the issue to http://feedback.photoshop.com with as much information as possible.

[Guest]

PECourtejoie wrote:

Did you try to uninstall/reinstall CS6?

In order for them to make an utility, they need to be able to reproduce the issue first.

I suggest to report the issue to http://feedback.photoshop.com with as much information as possible.

This is a long standing problem and short of uninstalling and running Adobe Script cleaner, or going into the registry and making certain changes, re-installing, changing file type associations has worked. 

One user has indetified where the problem is in the registry, but this is with Vista and I am not comfortable recommending users dive into registry changes.

I brought up this problem in the CS6 beta trial, but it did not generate much interest.  Have a PM into one of the engineers to see it they are working on problem.

[Guest · Accepted solution]

Here is a registy fix for Win7 machines to the file association problem.

This from TinusHDCA user:

I installed Photoshop CS6, then found CS5 was still there. I thought, hey, I don't need CS5 anymore, so I uninstalled CS5. then I found out that Photoshop was no longer available in 'Open with' when right-clicking an image...

So I went into the Registry, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\Photoshop.exe\shell\open\command, and changed the (Default) from "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS5 (64 Bit)\Photoshop.exe" "%1" to "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS6 (64 Bit)\Photoshop.exe" "%1" (so changed CS5 to CS6) - and now I see 'Adobe Photoshop CS6' in my 'Open with' list when right-clicking an image...

[lovebyte]

Thank you so much. This worked!!! YEAH!

So many people are searching for this answer.... I have looked all morning!

I cannot thank you enough. Seriously!

[desertowl]

This fixed the problem;

So I went into the Registry, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\Photoshop.exe\shell\open\command, and changed the (Default) from "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS5 (64 Bit)\Photoshop.exe" "%1" to "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS6 (64 Bit)\Photoshop.exe" "%1" (so changed CS5 to CS6) - and now I see 'Adobe Photoshop CS6' in my 'Open with' list

It is so wrong that Adobe does not create a stupid easy fix-it program that goes into the registry and change the 5 into a 6 in the registry line, one single digit need be changed and wallah. They want everyone to save all work to another file, erase everything, use adobe clean everything out, re-intall, re-intall plugins, re-install fonts, re-set all GUI settings back to the way you like it, search for your saved files, re-associate projects.

BUT ALL THAT NEED BE DONE IS CHANGE ONE DAMN DIGIT and fixed no headaches.

[desertowl]

Thanks CurtY from saving me from the Adobe moron squad telling me to erase years worth of projects and spending 8 hours downloading and 12 days of setting it up like I had it before.

[Guest]

To All:  I have been corrresponding with Adobe on messed up file associations, and the problem is not easliy reproduced, in fact Adobe has not been able to see it even with many uninstalls.  It happens in a small percentage of users apparently.  Current thinking is that it is a conflict with the uninstaller and something else at the time of uninstall.  No solultion yet,  except for the above fix, but at least I have their attention.

Some users also have had luck with CCleaner, a registry cleaner.  Can not recommend it as a registry cleaner can delete good files as well as unwanted ones.  Therefore creating other problems.

Glad this registry fix has worked for many.  I did not come up with it, but TinusHCA did, so thanks for that!

[Howard Barlow]

Ok, I am having the same trouble, except it is going back to CS3. I am in the location to make the change. How do I? I can't simply replace it, I have to do something to make the text editable. Help me, please, before I kill the whole thing.

Thanks.

OK, I found how to edit and changed it accordingly. However, it still gives me the same result.

[desertowl]

I simply changed in the registry the 5 into a 6. and saved it of course.

Now it may look like I am changing the program name. However I am not, you need to go ito the registry to do this change not the programs file.

How to get to the registry is by doing the following on a windows 7 machine but as I remember it works the same way to get to the on all windows machines;

1. go to your start menu and in the "search programs and files" entry box type regedit which isshort for registry editor;

2. Go and drill down the files by;

opening the file named \HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

opening the file named \Applications

opening the file named \Photoshop.exe

opening the file named \shell

opening the file named \open

opening the file named \command

or

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\Photoshop.exe\shell\open\command

Once you opened the command you will seeto the right under the Data column is the registry part that needs to be changed. It is simple really all that needs to be changed is the underlined part from a 5 to 6 (see below).

from this --------------------> C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS5 (64 Bit)\Photoshop.exe

to this -----------------------> C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS6 (64 Bit)\Photoshop.exe

[desertowl]

Note: again this is not changing the program file name so the change is not made in the programs file, what you need to change is in the registry files and the registry points the system to the file in the programs file so this "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS5 (64 Bit)\Photoshop.exe" is a reference within the registry directory and that is what needs to be changed.

I hope you follow, it mat be hard for people not used to going further into their computer than the programs files.

Note the registry has thousands of files and make sure your in the right place before making any changes as this is what makes everything on your computer work.

Follow instructions carefully.

Adobe shame on you for not making an update that fixes this, or a super small download app that takes this easy as a single change from a 5 to a 6 in a line of code in the registry and help your paying customers insted you ask them to delete everything and scan and clean with your registry cleaner. Obviously you (adobe) want people to erase everything and reinstal for some nafarious reason.

If I was to make an educated guess it would be you want to force people to purge all the unwanted program addons and second party stuff or illegal copies of stuff so people will have to shell out more money to you guys or more make them more dependant on adobe or most likely both but in the process hurt the honest paying person(s) or businesses by destroying their established product work flows.

Message was edited by: desertowl

Message was edited by: desertowl

[Howard Barlow]

Thanks, desertowl. That is exactly what I have done. Still shows up as before. However, now Photoshop CS6 shows up when I select 'Open With', or 'Open in Camera Raw'. Everything is working as it should, except when I actually try to open the image straight from Bridge by left clicking on it.

[Narr GM Coro]

Howard,

I had the same problem. It took two steps to fully fix it.

1) Correct the registry entry, as has been very well illustrated above. Now you will be able to right-mouse- 'Open With' Photoshop CS6 as normal. I think you already succeeded at that, and good.

2) After this, now make a fresh start of Adobe Bridge CS6. Go into Edit>Preferences, and select File Type Associations. Go down the list and verify that any file types you are having trouble with (like JPEG or CompuServe GIF) are set to Adobe Photoshop CS6 on that line's right-hand pull down menu.

Once you do both of these, all should work fine.

By the way, changing the file associations in Bridge won't affect the Windows associations. I still have JPEGs open in one of the Windows picture viewers, while the same double-click within Bridge will open it in Photoshop. It's a nice combination, especially because Open With is always present on Windows.

What seems to set of the original problem, since Adobe can't seem to duplicate it? I had run the Creative Suite cleaner either between CS3 and CS5, or CS5 and CS5.5, so there is no reason a CS3 Photoshop path should have been present, yet CS6 Bridge was trying to use one. I couldn't find it in the registry, and so presume it's some previous preferences/config file Bridge is trying to migrate.

What is sure is that I had CS6 running as a trial with CS5.5 still installed. It worked perfectly then, but failed with these file association problems as soon as I uninstalled CS5.5.

Hoping this helps Adobe discover their problem.

[Howard Barlow]

2) After this, now make a fresh start of Adobe Bridge CS6. Go into Edit>Preferences, and select File Type Associations.

TADA! That is what I was missing. That did it. Thank you so much! All is well in my kingdom, now.

[Narr GM Coro]

Glad to hear it

Cheers, Howard

[pixelplume]

Thank you desertowl!

[Jaime de Vos]

Thanks for the info, this help with most of my problems. Although when I went into my file type associations overview I could see I had my work cut out for me, just about everything was linked to CS3...

Anyway, I've been able to fix all my main programs and file types, but connection to the 64 bit versions seems impossible. Just one thing that bugs me is this, the file type icons don't look so good:

Notice the .indd and .psd files, their icons appear 'broken', as opposed to the .AI one, which works.

[Gary Heller]

Thanks all for taking the time to try and resolve this issue. For those of you having trouble finding "photoshop.exe" scroll down very slowly, its not listed with all the other "photoshop" items, rather its all alone somewhere in there. took me a while to find it, but its there.

I made the edit (CS5 to CS6) restarted the computer and still there is no option to open a jpeg in Photoshop when right clicking. even when I browse for a file to open with and select the photoshop.exe file in "Adobe>Photoshop CS6(64bit) it selects it and then comes back to the "open with" screen but still does not show Photoshop as an option. Lightroom 4.1 is there as well as everything else, except Photoshop.

I reinstalled CS6 prior to the registry edit, that didnt help either.

[J.Sarmiento]

I used the CS Cleaner (http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cscleanertool.html) and followed the steps its really easy.. but ur gonna have to re install you Creative Suite   all u do for the cleaner is open it up then select english (e) ->enter->Agree (Y)->enter->All (1) (which is the first option for a full clean i guess)->enter->Product Number its just basically asking you to input your choice number again (1)->enter and should tell u its all done then after u install CS again go to start-> default programs->associate file type->.psd for example->double click it and select Photoshop even though its probably already selected >.< but just do it again cuz it will refresh all the files on the coputer and whala you should c the correct file dysplay Heres pictures of my files before and after as proof idk if u managed to fix it but i recently got CS6 and drove me nuts tht there wasnt enough info on the web about this simple issue lol so i will post to help ppl in need !!