Issue
When you browse in Mini Bridge through Adobe Photoshop CS5, Adobe InDesign CS5, or Adobe InCopy CS5, you see the message "Waiting for Bridge CS5" in the Content pod but no files or folders ever appear.
Solutions
Solution 1: Add SwitchBoard.exe to your firewalls' exception list.
If the Adobe SwitchBoard process is prevented from communicating with Bridge CS5 by your firewall, then Mini Bridge will be unable to access your content.
Most firewall software has the ability to store a list of exceptions; that is, a list of programs that are not blocked from accessing network resources. Some firewalls use terms like "white list" or "allow list" for the same feature.
For specific instructions on how to add SwitchBoard.exe as an exception to your firewall, refer to the documentation for your firewall software, or contact its manufacturer. Some examples of firewall software are Windows Firewall, Norton, and McAffee.
SwitchBoard is installed to one of the following locations:
- 32-bit editions of Windows: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\SwitchBoard\SwitchBoard.exe
- 64-bit editions of Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\SwitchBoard\SwitchBoard.exe
After adding SwitchBoard to the list of exceptions, restart your computer.
Solution 2: Ensure that the "hosts" file contains its default entries.
SwitchBoard refers to the localhost server, which is an internal name for your computer, to communicate with Bridge CS5. By default, the "hosts" file contains a reference to localhost; however, if the "hosts" file is missing this entry, or this entry is incorrect, then Mini Bridge will be unable to access your content.
To determine what information should be contained within the "hosts" file for your edition of Windows, or to reset the "hosts" file to its default settings, see Microsoft Support article 972034:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972034
Solution 3: Clear the Windows cryptographic database and then reset SwitchBoard.
The first time that SwitchBoard runs on your computer, it uses information in the Windows cryptographic database to create values in the registry and in the switchboard.ini file. If SwitchBoard cannot read this database, then the resulting registry values and the data in switchboard.ini are all invalid and prevent SwitchBoard from functioning.
- Close all Adobe applications.
- Choose Start > Run (Windows XP) or click Start (Windows Vista or Windows 7), type
"%appdata%\Microsoft\Crypto"
(including the quotation marks), and then press Enter. - Rename the RSA folder to, for example, oldRSA.
- Choose Start > Run (Windows XP) or click Start (Windows Vista or Windows 7), type
regedit
, and then press Enter. The Registry Editor will open. - In the left-hand pane of the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\IAC. Select the IAC key.
- In the right-hand pane, right-click the MD5ID value and choose Delete. Click Yes in the Confirm Value Delete dialog.
- In the right-hand pane, right-click the UserID value and choose Delete. Click Yes in the Confirm Value Delete dialog.
- Close the Registry Editor.
- Choose Start > Run (Windows XP) or click Start (Windows Vista or Windows 7), type
"%appdata%\Adobe\SwitchBoard"
(including the quotation marks), and then press Enter. - Delete the switchboard.ini file. (If you do not see the .ini file name extension, then delete the file that is of the type Configuration Settings and has an icon that looks like a notepad with a gear on top of it.)
- Restart your computer.
Solution 4: Create a new Windows user account.
Occasionally, a user account can become corrupted, which can prevent SwitchBoard from accessing or creating the necessary files. Create a new account with the same permissions as your current account, log into the new account, and then run your Adobe applications.
For help creating a new user account, see How to create and configure user accounts in Windows XP, Create a user account in Windows 7, or Create a user account in Windows Vista on the Microsoft support website. If you need additional help, contact your system administrator.
Additional Information
The Mini Bridge uses a background process called SwitchBoard to communicate with Adobe Bridge. If Adobe Bridge is not already open, then the SwitchBoard will open Bridge in the background in order to facilitate this communication. If SwitchBoard is unable to open Bridge CS5, or if the host application (for example, Photoshop CS5) is unable communicate with Bridge CS5 through SwitchBoard, then Mini Bridge will not be able to access your files or folders.
For more information about Mini Bridge, see "Mini Bridge" in the Adobe Creative Suite 5 Help.