Bridge 2020 and Bridge 2021 don't Generate or Display Thumbnails

[fgallery2]

I've been using Bridge 2018 and 2019 successfully but decided to upgrade 2019, the only one that would continue to allow Camera Raw Usage, because of a bug.  I upgraded to the latest Bridge 2021 (11.0.1) and also 10.1.1 which I hadn't used yet. The results of this upgrade border on UNBELIEVABLE.  Neither of these latest versions of Bridge have an inclination to produce thumbnails of my Nikon D810 .NEF raw files.  And yes I have the latest ACR with it's lame new interface installed.

I've got the file association in Bridge set to Photoshop 2021 for these raw files, I've deleted my entire cache, I've reset work spaces. I've rebooted and still neither of these versions of Bridge has any idea that Camera Raw even exists.  (The Camera Raw Settings menu option is GREYED OUT).

Two hours of useful production time along with multiple Gb of photo cache is gone.  I've read all about this problem in the message boards. We're all having problems like this, yet it just continues to happen.   Here's an idea: Instead of greying out the Camera Raw Settings, why not give us a menu prompt to modify the Bridge settings to alleviate whatever problem exists? Bridge is of course useless without CR, so why allow it to start up and run without it Adobe?

After two hours, I'm back to using Bridge 2019 and the bug, and wondering if the day is coming when I can no longer get any of this stuff to work anymore. And by the way I've been using Photoshop for about 15 years now. It can happen to anyone.

[jbm007]

I get the frustration. People come here because of these issue looking for help. Most of the time these are isolated machine or hardware driver issues. issues. 

I have a Nikon 810 and 850 and I using Bridge with no issues. Not what you want to hear but it is possible that its some kind of driver or permission issue.

Couple of questions:

which OS?

laptop or desktop?

do the file thumbnails appear correctly in your file browser?

You appear to have been mixing and matching versions of Bridge and PS.

All these items are helpful to figure out what is going on.

PS 2021 will not work correctly with Bridge 2019

As I have explained in other threads Bridge has to be installed first, The matching version of PS needs to be installed second. Help us figure out your probelm.

[fgallery2]

Thank you for the reply: Here are my responses:

I have a Nikon 810 and 850 and I using Bridge with no issues. Not what you want to hear but it is possible that its some kind of driver or permission issue.

J: I also have two versions of Bridge that work well.  Only the two latest Bridge versions cannot handle the .NEF files.

Couple of questions:which OS?

J: Windows 10

laptop or desktop?

J: Desktop with 256G RAM, 3 SSD's , 3 HD's, 2 Monitors.

Do the file thumbnails appear correctly in your file browser?

J: Yes they do.

You appear to have been mixing and matching versions of Bridge and PS.

J: That is true. There has been some damage done to these great apps in recent versions and I only use the new ones when forced to.
All these items are helpful to figure out what is going on.PS 2021 will not work correctly with Bridge 2019

J:  That isn't the case here. It works in every way that I can see, but it IS interfacing with PS 2021 through ACR version 11.1.
As I have explained in other threads Bridge has to be installed first, The matching version of PS needs to be installed second. Help us figure out your problem.

J: That is the correct order that it was done BUT, I also did an upgrade on Bridge 10.1.1 AFTER that because the CC app showed that it was available (even though I don't use it).  Would that have damaged the ACR version that I had just installed?  That would not explain why Bridge 10 also can't process the .NEF thumbnails though.This is what my  CC console looks like:

[jbm007]

Its becoming increasingly difficult to use other version combinations. versions of like release

api's  and dll are different. registry values have been moved around, with every  new incarnation or upgrade its gets worse. Features are changed or deleted, co existence of other versions are causing the kind of issues you are experiencing.

I feel your pain, but unless one follows the specific app workflow of using "like" releases your left in a dark area with little or no support.

Adobe knows this and that's why it is getting harder and harder to find legacy apps.

[fgallery2]

Yes, I think you're right.  In fairness to Adobe, these are complex applications and it would be a challenge to make multiple versions work on a single computer.  Unfortunately the designers are focused on form over function to a higher degree than in the past. It's in the genetic code of an engineer to make changes and put their stamp on an existing product.  Unfortunately, they are not always qualified to understand the ramifications of the changes they make because they don't have enough experience as a user.   I can't quickly locate my files with the latest Bridge designs because thumbnails in list mode have been rendered useless and the screen use efficiency has been reduced by at least 30%.  When you have thousands of files after 15 years, that has an impact on the workflow speed.  I've posted some detailed discussion on that subject on this board. With all the attention Lightroom gets (deservedly), I'm not sure that Adobe really realizes how utterly important Bridge is. For those of us doing much more than photography, it is the control center on our computer.

I can only hope that some future release will be good enough that I can wipe the computer clean and do a fresh install.