Illustrator 29.7.1 freezes on launch

[vcra]

TL;DR: Illustrator 29.7.1 on Windows 11 freezes on launch or when opening/creating a file; works fine in Safe Mode — looking for guidance to pinpoint and fix it.

Hi everyone,

Since yesterday, Illustrator freezes every time I try to use it — sometimes immediately upon launch, sometimes right after opening or creating a file. The program shows “Not Responding” and never recovers.

The issue may be related to the recent Illustrator update (29.7.1), but I’m not certain if I’ve used it since updating.

Key detail: Illustrator works fine in Windows Safe Mode.

My system:

• HP ZBook Fury 15.6" G8 Mobile Workstation PC (64 GB RAM)

• Windows 11 Enterprise – version 24H2

• Illustrator version: 29.7.1

• GPU drivers updated to latest version

What I’ve tried so far:

1. Reset Illustrator preferences; didn't work.
2. Uninstalled and reinstalled latest Illustrator version; didn't work.
3. Uninstalled and installed a previous version; didn't work.
4. Uninstalled Illustrator using Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool and reinstalled; didn't work.
5. Started PC in safe mode; works fine but very impractical ...

Given that Illustrator works in Safe Mode but freezes immediately in normal mode, what would be the best next steps to identify and resolve the problem?

Thanks in advance for any insights.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Vincent31390465ff1t,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I truly appreciate the detailed steps you have taken to identify the root cause of the problem. As you mentioned, Illustrator works in Safe Mode; it is highly probable that another program or plugin is interfering with its functionality.

To check this, kindly try disabling Startup Apps (https://adobe.ly/3JugTSI) and then rebooting your computer and relaunching Illustrator to check if it works.

If it does, one of those startup programs is conflicting, and we can identify that by enabling the program/app one at a time and then relaunching Illustrator after a reboot.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[vcra · Accepted solution]

Hey Anubhav,

Thank you for the prompt response.

I disabled all the apps I could desable from Settings and rebooted – didn't work.

Next, I tried to start Illustrator with WiFi disabled – that worked! Surprisingly enough, the next time I could open Illustrator with WiFi enabled without the problem occuring.

So the problem is solved for me, although it's not clear how and why it occured in the first place.