Photoshop and other ADobe apps keep crashing on startup

[Miki_hero]

Idk what caused them to start crashing, I tried downgrading to an older version - still the same, I updated my system, gpu drivers and the apps but that didn't help either. I used the Adobe Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool but that didn't help eother. 

[kevin stohlmeyer]

Hi @Miki_hero Go to Photoshop Help Menu/System Info and copy/paste details in a reply. Post only once as the system takes time to process the large amount of data. 

[Miki_hero]

The app crashes the second it starts so anything that requires me doing something inside the app itself is out of the question.

[kevin stohlmeyer]

Hi @Miki_hero Try resetting your Photoshop preferences manually. Note: Reinstalling does not automatically reset them so you could have installed over bad preference files:
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#reset-preferences

[Miki_hero]

Resetting preferences also didn't fix the issue, they're re-generated on startup and then the app crashes.

[kevin stohlmeyer]

How much free HD space do you have on your main HD?

[Miki_hero]

If you mean disk space then I have hundreds of GB of free space on both my SSD (C drive) and my HDD (D drive)

[kevin stohlmeyer]

When you crash do you get an error report? If so make sure to include the email address you are using here and submit it.

[Miki_hero]

I don't think I am but I'm not sure what to look for so if you could point me in the right direction to search for it that would be great.

[kevin stohlmeyer]

What happens when your Photoshop or Illustrator crashes? Does a window pop up stating that it crashed? Can you do a screen recording of you opening an application and it crashing?

[Miki_hero]

Here, no window or anything. I see the launched app for a split second and then it just closes.

[kevin stohlmeyer]

Hi @Miki_hero and you said you've run the Creative Cloud Cleaner tool and uinstalled everything?

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

[Miki_hero]

Yes, I've uninstalled literally everything and reinstalled it again, still nothing changed.

[kevin stohlmeyer]

Can you send some computer specs?

OS Version

Installed RAM

Total HD/Available HD space

Graphics Card(s) and VRAM

[Miki_hero]

Sure, here they are:
OS Windows 10 Home Version: 22H2 Build: 19045.2846
Installed RAM: 32gb 2400MHz

SSD (free/total): 203GB/512GB

HDD (free/total): 869GB/2TB

GPU: Nvidia Geforce GTX 1660 VRAM: 6GB

[kevin stohlmeyer]

Your specs appear just fine. You'll need to speak with someone from Adobe directly and have them remote in and see what is conflicting.

Go to https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html and log into the site.

Click the chat pod on the bottom right and type AGENT to get a real person who can help.

Be patient 1:1 customer care puts you in a queue.

Explain the situation and they should be able to remote to your PC to review logs, etc.

[NB, colourmanagement net]

@Miki_hero 

you COULD try this for Photoshop:

Perhaps try a thorough reset of Photoshop preferences?

(read this entire post before acting please)

Resetting restores Photoshop's internal preferences, which are saved when Photoshop closes.

If they become corrupt then various issues can occur.

Here’s some info on how to do that:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html

Manually removing preferences files is the most complete method for restoring Photoshop to its default state: 

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#Manually

Note re macOS: The user Library folder is hidden by default.

To access files in the hidden user Library folder, see here for how to access hidden user library files.

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/access-hidden-user-library-files.html

Unexpected behavior may indicate damaged preferences. Restoring preferences to their default settings is a good idea when trying to troubleshoot unexpected behaviors in Photoshop. check out the video

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#reset_preferences

Learn how to access and modify Photoshop preferences and customize per your frequent workflows

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html

And here’s an earlier forum discussion as an aid to understanding

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/quick-tips-how-to-reset-photoshop-pre...

You may want to backup your settings and custom presets, brushes & actions before restoring Photoshop's preferences.

Here is general info about that:  https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#BackupPhotoshoppreferences

Before you reset your preferences

in case of future issues, I suggest you make a copy as Adobe may need one to check problematic references. 

Quit Photoshop.
Go to Photoshop's Preferences folder

Preferences file locations: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/preference-file-names-locations-photoshop.html\

  [on MacOS see: Users/[user name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings

  Note for those on macOS: - be aware that the user Library folder is hidden by default on macOS.

  https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/access-hidden-user-library-files.html

  In the Finder, open the “Go” menu whilst holding down the Option (Alt) key.

  Library will now appear in the list - below the current user's “home” directory. ]

Now you can drag the entire Adobe Photoshop [Version] Settings folder to the desktop or somewhere safe as a back-up of your settings.

Note for those on macOS:

Preference preservation is affected by macOS permissions,

you’ll need to allow Photoshop ‘Full Disk Access’ in your Mac OS Preferences/Security and Privacy

It may even be time to reinstall Photoshop.

It’s recommended that you use the Adobe CC cleaner tool to remove all traces first.

(See above about preserving preferences though! It’s worth preserving them unless they are corrupted.)

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/cc-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

Uninstall Photoshop BUT make sure to choose the option “Yes, remove app preference”.

Once that process finishes, start the installation process and look into the “Advanced Options”. Uncheck “Import previous settings and preferences” and choose to “Remove old versions”.

I hope this helps

neil barstow, colourmanagement net :: adobe forum volunteer

google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management