dreamweaver cs4 crashes constantly

[sandthipe]

previously used dreamweaver 8 on this same computer with no major headaches. upgraded to dreamweaver cs4, and I get crashes all the time. no pattern to the crashes.

sometimes, adding a new folder to the site will cause it to crash (but not always).

sometimes trying to navigate the remote site will cause dreamweaver cs4 to crash.

sometimes looking at the screen will cause it to crash.

anyone else having the same sorts of trouble? i might be ready to switch to zend studio.

[Guest]

I would imagine the behaviour you are describing is simply DW trying to save a file over a (possibly slow?) network connection. It would be interesting to establish if the crashing occurs only on sites with a remote FTP connection setup however. I know that the crashing doesn't occur when a remote site hasn't been setup and it does with an FTP connection setup, but I don't know about a local network connection.

[Guest]

I had my McAfee AntiVirus components disabled a few days ago and noticed DW was behaving itself. I went the whole hog and removed the application completely (and then ran the McAfee removal tool to make sure all traces had gone) and so far (2 day) all is well and no crashes. Co-incidence? I'm not sure, as I'm positive this was one of the first things I tried to troubleshoot this.

Needless to say, if it is the culprit, that doesn't explain why every other application on the planet works with it and is still indicative of poorly written software.

It may be worth noting that I only had the VirusScan installed (no firewall and other features) although the various other components within that were enabled. How many people are running McAfee VirusScan who have this issue?

[Guest]

That doesn't surprise me, Jamie. Pretty much anything would conflict with DW, especially an-anti-virus program.

I've been working to see what might work for me too. I have found that creating a local copy and working on local first and then remote reduces crashes, but it doesn't eliminate them by any means. The ftp is still the ugly culprit.

Someone just pointed me to the program Coda. I'm thinking of buying a copy to see if it works for me. I really need to find a solution to either make DW stop crashing, or replace it.

[Guest]

Isn't that for the Mac? I'm using a PC. Presumably you aren't running McAfee?

[Guest]

yeah, Coda is for the MAC. Not sure if they have a PC version. I may look at Netbeans too.

I dont' have any anti-virus software on the MAC itself. Other Windows machines on my network use it, but the MAC doesn't need it.

[MattyC]

Since my post I have switched my PC to windows 7 and everything seems to be

running along nice and smoothly (and faster than it ever did under XP). Even

dreamweaver seems un-natuarally responsive! Maybe the underlying windows

network stack has improved, as reading from my office server (win server

2008) is also a lot quicker than it ever used to be.

m.

[Guest]

Well I was hopefull that DW wouldn't crash like this when I upgraded to W7 - but I can confirm it still did just as before. Since removing VirusScan however all seems fine at the moment,

[Guest]

My condolences. At least I don't have Windows to deal with. Well, I do on some of my other machines, like my print server, but I don't often have to actually look at that gawd awful interface. My probems are limited to Dreamweaver itself.

Anyone else notice how Adobe is oddly absent from these threads?

[MattyC]

Windows 7 is almost as pretty as mac osx now!

[MntnBiker78]

I'm currently using avast antivirus and experiencing the crashes.  I'll try disabling it to see what happens.

[Guest]

I'm running Avast! too now - I just got the crash. So does that mean it crashes with AntiVirus software full stop? Perhaps DW isn't getting the full 8TB of RAM it requires to operate the file manager. *Bitter*

[MattyC]

I really don't think it has anything todo with antivirus, it's purely

coincidence, and the fact that ALL windows users have AV makes it

an easy tagget for blame. If it's crashing on Macs to then it sort of rules

AV out. I think it's more down the the underlying code (which is shared on

macs and pcs). It seems to have very poor memory management and bad window

handling. When it was Macromedia it was even more unstable, so at least

Adobe have achieved something! Maybe once they get rid of all the old

Macromedia code then it will become a stable product.

[Guest]

I think you're right. I'm not sure if they've improved it over macromedia, but we can all hope they one day get it right. The Macromedia ftp code was also really buggy. Macromedia inherited that from Allaire, as well as Cold Fusion, then Adobe picked up the whole mess.

[Guest]

I think all Adobe did is rebrand it. Search and replace "Macromedia" to "Adobe" add lots of marketing blurb and over price.

It needs to be re-written. I'd be sacked if my software performed like this.

[rickhellewell]

This crashing happened to me starting a few days ago. I have just had time to read this long thread, and noticed a commonality in my configuration

the "7-ZIP" program is the culprit !

I installed the 64-bit version a few days ago, and that was when the crashes would happen...usually with a cut/paste and then a save. Very consistant.

So I uninstalled 7-ZIP, and DW is working OK...no crashes.

My config: Vista 64-bit, DW CS4, all current MS patches, Avast! AV.

[David_Powers]

bellevuefineart wrote:

First, I think it's silly that the area experts are dismissing peoples experiences like this, saying that if there were crashes it would have never been released. There are crashes for many of us, and I am seeing the same crashes in CS3 and CS4, as well as some of the same bugs.

No one is denying that some people are experiencing crashes. However, unless the cause of the crash can be identified, nothing can be done about it. It seems as though you have identified the problem to be related to the FTP. That's a step in the right direction of pinning down the cause. Send the details of your findings, including the type of FTP server used on your site (or if you don't know, the name of the hosting company and type of hosting package). The more people who report precise details of how and when crashes occur, the easier it will be for Adobe to detect a pattern of what's happening. Use the bug report form at https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform.

I'm not denying your experience, but for me CS4 has been rock solid. I can't remember the last time it crashed.

[AimoTero]

First of all, i'm sorry for my bad english.

I have three computers:

* brand new HP EliteBook 8530w with 4Gigs of ram (Vista Business, all updates)

* 6 months old Macbook Pro 15,4" (4 gigs there too)

* Older Desktop with XP SP3 (all updates)

With all of above my Dreamweaver CS4 crashes a lot! I have identified problem to FTP-usage (privilage-change to remote folder crashes DW every time) and sometimes big source-files (for example Jquery UI minified source) will crash Dreamweaver on a keypress.

I have cleared the user-config files, but that didn't fix anything (anyway, paying customer would't have to do things like that).

Where can i legally get downgrade for my CS4? What were the last good version of Dreamweaver? CS3/2 were also buggy if i remember correctly. If i have to downgrade my product, i think a refund would be appropriate...

[Guest]

The support case I have open with Adobe has been open for over 3 months and there is still no resolution and certainly no regular update. This really is appalling. I am extremely disappointed with this product and the "support" it is receiving.

It really bugs me how these companies charge the earth for products that don't work and ignore their customers, providing no patches or support while they are busy working on the next piece of junk which doubtless won't work either.

[Guest]

While I'm on the subject "Dreamweaver is currently interacting with the server" is getting beyond a joke.

I have a suggestion for the descriptive text in this dialogue box:

"Since Dreamweaver's FTP support and synchronisation facility is extremely flaky and utterly useless and has been since the product was created, you will be forced to wait an indeterminate amount of time while Dreamweaver timesout, despite there being no issues with your network connection or FTP ability in other applications. Furthermore, Dreamweaver may not recover at all and you will need to press the close button. But this won't actually do anything other than confirm that you want to quit file activity. When you confirm, Dreamweaver won't do anything either. You will be required to forcibly quit through task manager."

-- Buttons at this point could be: "Pay Adobe More Money" and "Commit Suicide"

[kartz]

You have made my day!!  You should go on the road.  I've been getting that message too but never really took the time to consider that it's all related.  But now that I think about it did start popping up at about the same time.  I just installed Contribute on a pc in our State's Attorney's office this week and turned someone loose to work with it.  She has no experience at creating or editting web pages.  I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with.

I think Contribute sucks from an administration standpoint.  I also have no doubt that my problems with dw would go away if I could disable the site for use with Contribute.

[joan_d]

Hi Jaime,

I'll be waiting for that button...Thanks for the snicker this morning.

joan

[Douggerz]

I have experienced issues similar to the OP.

Deleting/Renaming the Configuration folder only helps temporarily.

Windows XP SP3

2G Ram

Intel Pentium Dual CPU 2.4GH E2220

I've opened a ticket to the local help desk for a reinstall but continuing to research in the meantime. Considering opening a ticket with adobe as well.

[rickhellewell]

One good non-Adobe resource is Ray Camden ray@camdenfamily.com . He's very

knowledgeable about CF, and has some inside contacts at Adobe, I suspect.

(Although Adobe did announce this week they are cutting 10% of their

world-wide staff.)

In my case, DW has been working just fine since I renamed the config file

(so a new one was created).

...Rick...

[yabbox]

Can I join this not so exclusive club?

I have just read through this whole long discussion, and no answers I am afraid, but yes, I too have the same issues.  There is a problem with DW crashing when browsing the local file assets window when remote sites and ftp are used.

This is the issue Bellevue and Jamie experience. Others with DW bug problems come in from time to time and blame zip-7 or whatever and that may work for them.

I have the 'file asset panel with ftp' crash problem too.  I have CS4 installed and DW set up with remote sites. In my site definition I have not enabled contribute compatibility.  But I do have passive FTP in my remote info as well as check-in /out enabled.

I use put/get regularly to test changes.  I don't have the greatest Internet connection at times.  Even so, most of the time things work fine.  Sometimes I'll right click on my local files and all the ftp options like get put, synchronise, check out will be faded out as DW is talking to the server in the background.  This will happen even after the normal background file activity is complete.  I'll wait a few seconds and normally the settings will be open again.

So, it doesn't crash every time I'm connecting with ftp for sure.  But when it does crash, I will be scrolling down the local file assets and DW will think, get stuck, freeze, and like a little boy who's peed his pants, will hide in the corner and sulk.

I also have WS_FTP Pro installed and that works fine, even when DW struggles to find an ftp connection so I often resort to that when uploading large amount of files.

I would say with four hours of constant use and lot's of 'puts', DW may crash once or twice if I'm unlucky.

I use Windows XP2 patched, on an Acer laptop which is just over the CS4 install specs and can handle other CS4 apps like ID, PS, FW all running simultaneously with no problems - but then I'm not interacting with a server on those.  I have McAfee Virus installed, but not McAfee Firewall.  I don't have Zip7 installed.  I have the config files for Macromedia DW8 still on the system as CS4 didn't remove them for me but the date on them is still the day I upgraded to CS4.

I didn't have this same problem with DW8, nor DW4 before that.

I have just deleted my winfile-cache to see what happens and also turned off 'maintain synchronise information' as a test.  That's more as a reminder to me!  I'll report back the next time DW crashes.

I'm glad Jamie is talking to Adobe, even if one-way, because I'll get frustrated too much when nothing is done. Let's just hope that one day (soon) the ftp software is improved and given in the next big (free) upgrade.

[Guest]

Hi yabbox

Welcome the the "dreamweaver cs4 crashes constantly" club. Your welcome pack will be sent shortly...

All I can say is, I have exactly the same issues as you:

• Periodically interacting with the server long after any file activity means you can't do anything useful/buttons greyed out
• Crashes when using the file tree when a remote site is setup
• Internet access/FTP access via other applications work during these times
• DW8 didn't exhibit these specific problems, but couldn't handle things like the day changing so an upgrade was thought sensible

I have a clean CS4 install, so old DW files are not the issue. I have replicated the problem with and without 7-Zip for what it's worth, XP, Vista and W7 patched and at least 4 different machines of different specs.

No response from Adobe via the online customer care portal.

No response from Adobe via snotty letter to management asking for refund and pointing them to this thread.

What else can I do?

Agree too that some users are reporting problems here that are most likely unrelated to this specific issue.