Macromedia DW 8 on Win 10 [CS2 is dead]

[fredh150917]

Any recommendations for the repair or replacement of Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 on a Windows 10 OS?  The program opens, but it immediately shuts down when trying to open a page not available on the DW opening page, calling a file, try linking to a file, etc.

[Ben M]

You can try running DW in compatibility mode within Windows 10.  Otherwise it might be time to upgrade.

[fredh150917]

Thanks for the input.  If I were to upgrade, what would you recommend and would I be able to use and manipulate my current website files "seemlessly"?

[Nancy OShea]

DW8 was never intended to run on OSs beyond XP or Vista.  I think you may be pushing your luck with Win10.   If Compatibility mode doesn't work, you can download a 30-day trial of CC 2015 to see how you like it.  I won't sugar coat it, a lot has changed in DW so be prepared for a learning curve.

Download Adobe Creative Cloud apps | Free Adobe Creative Cloud trial

Nancy O.

[fredh150917]

Well, you're probably correct about pushing my luck with having DW8 compatibility with Windows 10.  It did work with Windows 8.1.  I appreciate your recommendation for the upgrade, but I'd rather buy software than a service.

[Nancy OShea]

I appreciate your recommendation for the upgrade, but I'd rather buy software than a service.

Well here's your present situation:

There is no upgrade option for DW8 users - it's too old to qualify.

CS6 is the last version Adobe made available for outright purchase.  And it is Legacy software now.  It's not receiving any further updates and it lacks the modern bells & whistles that are in Creative Cloud products. It's also very expensive US $400.

IMO, you would be paying a lot of cash for something that is already yesterday's news.  And there is no telling how much longer CS6 will be able to run on modern operating systems (back to your original problem).

In contrast, Creative Cloud software is subscription only, but it receives regular updates & upgrades.  You install the software on your hard drive exactly the same as before. You can run CC software on Win / Mac or both.  It's not platform specific.

Nancy O.

[fredh150917]

Thanks, but, I'm maintaining websites for 4 non-profits and, as a retired

person on fixed income, I don't need extra expenses. I'll have to either

drop the websites or look for a more economical means.

[Nancy OShea]

OK.  I can appreciate that.

If you can work with code, get Adobe's open source Brackets (it's free, it's fast, it's an awesome code editor).

Try it.

Brackets - A modern, open source code editor that understands web design.

[Henri_1943]

So, all you need is money, not providing any help.

[fredh150917]

Thanks for your help.  What's sad is that DW8 did work with Windows 10 at the onset; but apparently, a Win10 update disrupted or corrupted files in DW8 to create the no-linking issue.  DW8 opnes fine, but issues occur when you try to open files not listed as "recent".  Also, you can't bright up files or make links to files (e.g., images)  without the DW8 program crashing.

[BenPleysier]

Jon's answer should work. Here is a better description of what to do Issues with installing or opening Dreamweaver on Windows 10

[fredh150917]

Thanks Ben, but it didn't work. I tried it once before. At the end of the

scan I get a message that states that no integrity issues were found.

On Sun, Sep 20, 2015 at 11:46 AM, Ben Pleysier <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

[BenPleysier]

Have you tried deleting the cache file as in Deleting a corrupted cache file?

[fredh150917]

I did delete the cache file, but to no avail.  Once DW8 is open and I call up a linked page, you see the page selection menu pop up for just an instant, then the program closes.  Very annoying to say the least.  Even though the message at the end of the sfc /scannow procedure says there were no integrity violations, it acts as so there is one!

[BenPleysier]

I don't think it is a Windows 10 compatibility issue, I think it has to do with Dreamweaver. Did you also try the last step and delete the whole Configuration folder?

[fredh150917]

No, only the cache file.

[Nancy OShea]

Did you do a clean re-install of DW8 after installing Win10?

This is almost always required to handshake software with new registry and other writable system files.

Did you also remember to install the DW 8.0.2 update?  That update -- released in 2006 -- was necessary for fixing several DW8 bugs.

Adobe - Dreamweaver Support Center : Updaters

Good luck!

Nancy O.

[fredh150917]

Yes, reinstalled both the main program and the update...again, to no avail.

[fredh150917 · Accepted solution]

To Nancy O, Ken. B., Ben P., Ben M., and Jon F. (ecludes Henri who may be a

new hire or a competitor):

Thank you for your help. I decided to take the easy way out by buying a

friend's laptop with Windows 7. I've loaded that with DW8 and will use

that till I transfer my websites.

Thanks!

[gandalfrat]

Patch to DW 8.02 for proper execution on Win 8.1 64 bit and Win10 64 bit...

Following update procedure works like a charm on Win10 64 bit with DW 8.0 installed off the CDROM (I think the main problem with DW 8 is 32 bit running under 64 bit properly?)

Download this zip file from Adobe and unzip in an empty directory on your hard drive (contains a single file called patchpackage.msp ) :

http://www.adobe.com/support/dreamweaver/ts/documents/kb400150/DW802_unwrapped.zip

Drop to an Administrator Command Prompt and run the following:

msiexec /update patchpackage.msp

(from the directory where this file is unzipped from the download linked above).

[PTartist]

I had Dreamweaver 8.02 running just fine under Windows 10 for many months BUT after a hard shutdown due to a power outage earlier today, that is all over!   Now Dreamweaver always crashes quite soon after starting with an Application Error popup window:  The instruction at 0x0000000076F9097D referenced memory at 0x0000000008D10008. The memory could not be read.

Click on OK to terminate the program

I have uninstalled Dreamweaver, removing my user configuration directory (at Macromedia level) and deleted HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Macromedia\ (because my site definitions were retained w/o the REGEdit).

This has not solved the problem:  I still see the same error within minutes of starting Dreamweaver. I was able to load all my exported site definitions, open a file, but then CRASH.

Any ideas???

Note no errors on boot or problems with other applications so far.

[Nancy OShea]

I can't guarantee anything because  DW8 is way beyond its end of life and was never intended to run on anything much beyond XP.   In the meantime, download Brackets.  It will run on Win10 no problem.

Brackets - A modern, open source code editor that understands web design.

You could try downloading CS2 from Adobe's Web Site. NOTE: The activation servers are offline now, so you must use the prescribed serial number that appears on that download page.

"Activation server unavailable" error in Adobe CS2, Acrobat 7, and Audition 3

Install in Safe Mode and try running under XP or Win7 Compatibility Mode.  

Long term solution, join the Creative Cloud Plan.  You'll receive free product upgrades for as long as you remain a subscriber. 

Creative Cloud pricing and membership plans | Adobe Creative Cloud

Nancy O.

[PTartist]

Thank you!   I just got stuck on Dreamweaver 8 because it does everything I need for my very limited web "development".  I have 3 personal hobby sites & designed & maintain three sites for nonprofit enterprises. I have moved some of these to WordPress, but not all.

I do not charge for my services, and don't want to spend $$'s for new products, nor do I want to deal with a steep learning curve for new softwares: I am 61, an artist, and want to direct my limited energy into my art.

Well, I will consider the alternatives, including migrating my remaining sites to WP to reduce my need for development environment.

[fredh150917]

Initially, DW8 seemingly worked on Win10.  I noticed the linking/crashing problem after an automatic update of Win10 occurred.  Strangely, I noticed a problem using Google gmail after that update as well.  When using a second page to call up a website, the page will lock up when exiting it, particularly if a video was used.  Ironically, the first time was to view a Microsoft Win10 demo.

[Jon Fritz]

I'd try this, seems to work for others getting the program (DW in general, not necessarily DW8) to run under W10...

Do a search for CMD

Right click the Command Prompt icon and choose Run As Administrator

In the prompt, type (make sure the space is there between sfc and /)

     sfc /scannow

Hit Enter

When it's done, restart the computer and try DW again.