Ps CS6 and Ps 2025 not working together

[Russell Proulx]

I am a CC subscriber who still uses Br and Ps CS6 together with Br and Ps 2025 on the same Windows 10 computer.  It's important that I maintain access to certain Br/Ps CS6 plugins/extensions that are no longer available (or do not work) with later versons.

Both Ps/Br CS6 and Ps/Br CC (various versions) coexisted without problems until recent versions have broken things.  Br CS6 now insists on running Bridge plugins/extension/scripts (such as the image processor) with Ps 2025. If Ps CS6 is open nothing will run. As soon as I uninstall Ps 2025 everything will work again properly.

I noted that Ps 2025 preconfigures itself as the default app for many plugin file extensions that were undefined with CS6 (eg: .8ba, .8Be, .8bf, .8bi, .8Li, .8bx, .8ME and others). I hoped that deleting these file associations in the Registry would fix things (in [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT] and [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\]) but that did not work.

I tried setting Photosahop CS6 as the default app in Br CS6 Preferences/File Association Types and that did not resolve the issue.

Is there any workaround other than not uninstalling Ps 2025 and only use it on my second computer?

Thanks for any help in resolving this mystery.

[AxelMatt · Accepted solution]

On a Windows machine the settings of the default apps for the file extensions are set with the latest installation process.

So if yoiu have installed PS 2025 at last the settings where changed during this installation process.

Try to reinstall PS6 and see if it's help.

[Russell Proulx]

Thank you AxelMatt. That might resolve it. But right now I'm happy to have CS6 installed on this new computer and worry that I might not be so lucky doing a reinstall. I was careful to install CS6 before installing the Creative Cloud and don't know if the process will be as smooth doing it the other way around. My CS6 suite uses my personal Adobe ID while the CC Suite uses an Enterprise licence from the school where I teach (different Adobe ID, different login/activation process). This workaround also suggests I would have to reinstall CS6 every time there's a new Ps version/update which will break it again. I need access to the most recent Ps version to prepare course materials.

The only inconvenience with uninstalling and reinstalling Ps 2025 as that my internet connection is not super fast. I'll contact Adobe support to request access to a standalone Ps2025 installer (if they still offer that) so pivoting between Ps 2025 being installalled or not would be less time consuming.

My System: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Asus ProArt Z890-CREATOR, 96GB RAM, Geforce RTX 4070, Windows 10 (64) Pro 22H2, CS6 Master Suite, CC (all apps), Lr-Classic 14.1.1, Ps 2025

[Russell_MTL1]

I was interested in knowing if your suggested solution worked (I did not mark your post as "the correct answer") and it does NOT work.

1. backed up my System drive if this test caused problems with using PsCS6 and, if it did, I could just restore the backup.
   
   
2. installed Ps2025 and confirmed that the Image Processor in Br CS6 launched Ps2025 and not PsCS6 as it should. This is the issue I'm hoping a CS6 reinstall will resolve (per your suggestion).
   
   
3. Before doing the PsCS6 reinstall I deactivated both it and my Enterprise CC account.
   
   
4. I reinstalled PremierePro, Dreamweaver 6, Photoshop (the 3 legacy apps I occasionally need to use). All the updates were then done. The installation, activation and updating all went without any problems.
   
   

I launched BrCS6 and ran the Image Processor on 3 images and Ps2025 launched, not PsCS6. Uninstalling Ps2025 restored full functionality to PsCS6 + BrCS6. The Image Processor launches PsCS6 and everything workes as it should. At least this exercise did not break anything and I'm back to where I started 🙂

I'm convinced that Ps2025 adds some unique entries to the Windows Registry that causes it to launch by default. The only solution might be to identify those Registry keys/entries. Those keys could then be batch removed (using a custom REG file) to use PsCS6 and batch restored to use Ps2025. This would avoid having to wait 15 minutes for Ps2025 to re-install. PS2025 might even be fully functional without those keys (TBD) if their only purpose is to break CS6.

I'll now put this off "for some rainy day" and in the meanwhile just uninstall/reinstall Ps2025 as needed.

R 🙂

[Russell Proulx]

Oops ... I was logged in with my Exterprise Adobe ID (any way to delete that post?)

I was interested in knowing if your suggested solution worked (I did not mark your post as "the correct answer") and it does NOT work.

1. backed up my System drive if this test caused problems with using PsCS6 and, if it did, I could just restore the backup.
   
   
2. installed Ps2025 and confirmed that the Image Processor in Br CS6 launched Ps2025 and not PsCS6 as it should. This is the issue I'm hoping a CS6 reinstall will resolve (per your suggestion).
   
   
3. Before doing the PsCS6 reinstall I deactivated both it and my Enterprise CC account.
   
   
4. reinstalled PremierePro, Dreamweaver 6, Photoshop (the 3 legacy apps I occasionally need to use). All the updates were then done. The installation, activation and updating all went without any problems.
   
   
5. launched BrCS6 and ran the Image Processor on 3 images and Ps2025 launched, not PsCS6. Uninstalling Ps2025 restored full functionality to PsCS6 + BrCS6. The Image Processor launches PsCS6 and everything workes as it should. At least this exercise did not break anything and I'm back to where I started 🙂
   
   I'm convinced that Ps2025 adds some unique entries to the Windows Registry that causes it to launch by default. The only solution might be to identify those Registry keys/entries. Those keys could then be batch removed (using a custom REG file) to use PsCS6 and batch restored to use Ps2025. This would avoid having to wait 15 minutes for Ps2025 to re-install. PS2025 might even be fully functional without those keys (TBD) if their only purpose is to break CS6.
   
   I'll now put this off "for some rainy day" and in the meanwhile just uninstall/reinstall Ps2025 as needed.

R 🙂

[Russell Proulx]

I found a workaround by installing Windows 11 in dual-boot mode (Google installing Windows 10 and 11 on the same computer). I can now use CS6 with Windows 10 and the latest CC apps with Windows 11. Rebooing between the two OS's is a LOT faster than uninstalling/reinstalling PS2025 every time I need to switch.. I'll probasbly continue using 10 as my main OS for a while to come and pay MS $30 for the security updates. But even when/if I do make Win 11 my main OS I'll still have easy access to those CS6 apps when needed to edit legacy projects.

Russell 🙂