InDesign CS5: Crashes when inserting new pages into Templates and docs from CS2

[mcjaas716]

InDesign CS5 is crashing frequently when blank pages are inserted into an InDesign Template file, and almost every time new pages inserted into a CS2 document opened in CS5 OR a CS5 template with elements copied from CS2 (guides, styles). The problem persists for many different users on several platforms and operating systems. We have encountered this problem in each of the following:

Mac OS 10.6.3
Mac OS 10.5.8
Windows XP Professional

Document/template scenarios that have resulted in frequent crashing, for multiple users, include:
CS5 template (.indt) with guides and styles loaded from a CS2 document (both normal and exported/opened from idml)
CS5 template (.indt) with guides pasted from CS2 document (both normal and exported/opened from idml)
Doc (.indd) opened from CS5 template with elements from CS2 (both normal and exported/opened from idml)
CS2 doc (.indd) opened and saved in CS5
CS2 doc exported to .inx, opened in CS5, saved as CS5
Files opened/created locally AND on company server
Adding pages with both New Page Button and Page Palette Menu > Insert Pages

And document/template scenarios that have sometimes resulted in crashing (though not as often as when CS2 elements present):
Brand new CS5 template (.indt), saved to desktop with master page elements added
Doc (.indd) opened from CS5 template

We have also tried rebuilding preferences and testing again, with no change in behavior. Sometimes adding one or two blank pages will work (though not always), but it more commonly crashes when 10 or more pages added, and most frequently crashes when 30-60 pages added.

We have searched the forums and found a couple similar posts, but nothing to this extent or with a satisfactory answer. It seems that this is some kind of bug because the problem is present for many users across so many document scenarios and platforms. We recently upgraded to CS5 but have extensive styles built into templates used in CS2. There must be a way for this to get fixed so that users don’t have to start from scratch in order to execute such a fundamental page layout function: adding new pages. I have submitted a bug report with Adobe, but also hoped for some insight here – or at least to hear if others are encountering the same or similar issues. We have a clumsy work-around for the meantime, but the question remains: What is the cause and what will resolve this problem? Help!

[Peter Spier]

I'm sorry I don't have a good answer for you, but you seem to have identified a common thread to your problem, which is loading legacy data. Have you tried exporting these files to .idml and opening that before  bginning to edit? CS5 has quite a bit of new code and seems more prone to problems with lagacy files than previous versions.

[mcjaas716]

Peter, thank you for your fast response! I am afraid we have tried exporting to .idml for the various scenarios we are trying to work with (both templates and documents) and that it doesn't seem to make any difference. We even have had the issue sometimes with CS5 templates, no legacy data. Have you heard or seen of any other users with issues like this? I feel like we have tried everything I can think of, or have found recommended on the Web. Other than submitting the bug report to Adobe, is there anything else we can do??

[Peter Spier]

The only other thing I can suggest is to export to .inx from CS2 and try using that. I persaonally have not seen this behavior, but I don't reuse a lot of older files and then try to inseert pages, so I may simply be lucky. Enough posts have appeared to make me think it's a "real" phenomenon, though I'm not read y to say there is a bug. My initial instinct is that you all have some sort of commonality in system configuration and there's a conflict.

[mcjaas716]

We did try the .inx, also with no improvement. However, you raise a good question about the system configuration and possibility of conflict there. We were all installed at the same time/process, so I will check back into that. Maybe we can try some clean re-installs and see what happens with that. I know at least some of us still have CS2 as well (which also means Rosetta, on the macs), so maybe there is a chance that is a factor as well. I'll post back once exploring those directions. Thanks!

[efitzpatrick1234]

I have also had this frustrating problem. It's not consistent but I agree, it happens more frequently when 10+ pages are added. Most of the time, I have to add pages one at a time. My co-worker is experiencing that same problem. I hope there is a fix soon because this is an enormous bug that is difficult to deal with when one works on a magazine. Adding pages is essential to what we do.

I have not tried some of these fixes so it was great to find suggestions to overcome this huge problem.

[laurieann77]

I am, too, having this issue, however all the files I am working with are new files, generated in Indesign CS5. I am using a considerable amount of master pages (10), conditional text, paragraph styling, etc. InDesign will crash randomly when I add new pages and it doesn't matter if I add 2 or 10. Ultimately, it lets me add them - but sometimes it crashes up to 5 times before I am able to successfully add the new pages. This is quite frustrating when I am designing a 13 chapter book.

[XCrash]

I'm having the same problem when trying to edit CS3 files in CS5. I've tried running them through CS4 first, but to no avail.

Exporting from CS3 .inx -> CS4 .idml -> CS5 didn't work, nor did other variations on that theme.

I can understand not being able to 'backsave' from 5 to 3, but c'mon, when you can't even UPGRADE the app and use your old files, what's the point?

[vigyazo]

Even files I created from scratch keeps crashing when pages added, either by insert option, or shortcut. I was able to manage adding pages one by one always saving each time. Then it continued on crashing when I tried to apply the master styles to new pages.

Very frustrating.

I would suggest to start multiple pages documents with more pages, I assume it would be easier to delete unused pages.

[sergpeppper]

my indesign cs5 crashes everytime when making new spread or page by application of master-page or master-spread.

and it crashes everytime when adding new page by clicking the button. I have the same crash both at home and at work pc

[vigyazo]

Same here, constantly. Also, when I add pages one by one (the only way I was

able to add after initial document was set up) I can't drag down the Master

Style page. Very very frustrating.

I think you have to start out initially to create a large document (with

more pages you need) and it is easier to delete them at the end.

I am using InDesign since 2002 and never had this issue before. Is it

possible that it has to do with the OS X 10.6.4?

[sergpeppper]

we need update, guys!

developers, please fix up that bug!

[vigyazo]

I noticed that if you insert pages one by one and always save the document

right after each page insert, you can go pretty far ...

[Guest]

Hi,

I am going crazy about that bug. Is there any working "work around" available. Is Adobe aware about that? Has anybody any progress on this? Any help appreciated!

Thanks

John

[vigyazo]

Start your document out with the maximum amount of pages. You can change

master is you drag it down but only page by page. Also always save after you

make any changes to master application or adding a new page. Add page one by

one if necessary.

I constantly send crash reports to Adobe.

[Guest]

Thanks. I'll try it.

[BobLevine]

First things first. Install the 7.0.2 update.

Bob

[vigyazo]

I can't find update here:

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=31&platform=Macintosh

[BobLevine]

Just use Help>Updates from InDesign.

Bob

[Guest]

Hi Bob,

today, my Adobe Update notifier just informed me about this update. I did installation and after that, the first I tried was adding pages. Unfortunatly same results. This was the initial point when posting my worries.

So I still believe in the dev guys of Adobe and hoping for a quick fix.

Cheers

John

[Guest]

Hi all,

I just figured out, that even if I create a new Indesign CS5 document, ID crashes after inserting new pages (or even if declaring it later via document settings).

But this only happens if I create a page master and create new pages on base of this. ID5 crashes. If I use the blank initial master page to create new pages it works without any problems!

So this might be a workaround so far. You only will have then assign your page master afterwards.

HTH and hope there is a fix somewhen in the future.

Cheers

John

[mcjaas716]

I have continued to have the same problems since I originally posted, including after the 7.0.2 update, though I have not tested EVERY scenario I did the first time after updating. Has anyone else seen improvement after the update? (I got the 7.0.2 update download via the built-in Adobe updater, not from the website, so I'm not sure where to locate it there).

I am sorry to hear others having similar or the same issue, but hopefully it is helpful to have a thread going where all those experiencing this can add to the list until it is recognized as a bug. And fixed! Though it does not resolve the actual problem, two work-arounds we are using to function in the meantime are to (1) always make a really long document to start with, with all the pages we think we'll need and more and (2) have a new, blank InDesign document with several pages open and drag pages from the blank document into your working document. This is a way to "add" blank pages when they are needed without inserting new pages in any of the traditional ways (which cause crashes). I also always send the crash report in to Adobe and encourage others to do the same.

If you have not already, all of you also having this problem could post a "bug report" here: https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

[Stix_Hart]

Has anyone tried the tip here for this problem?  It's for another problem I know but it is a known issue with CS5, there is the faint possibility that it is mucking other things up too...  Can't try it myself because we have absolutely no problem here with CS5.    I've just jinxed myself now probably!

[laurieann77]

I have found, as of late, that if I uncheck the "Smart Text Reflow" box under Preferences>Type, that it has significantly reduced the crashing. Hope this helps

[XCrash]

Unfortunately that didn't help in my case.  =(

CS5 still crashes immediately when I try to delete a page from an existing doc that was created in CS3, even after applying the 7.0.2 update.