Skip to main content
G
garyw713062
Participant
March 17, 2017
Question

Photoshop CS4 sudden slow down/lag issue [2017]

  • March 17, 2017
  • 5 replies
  • 7101 views

Hi, booted up my PC yesterday morning and suddenly CS4 has around a 10 second delay. When i can finaly make a selection it is as the moving lines to show your selection struggle to even animate. CS4 boots super fast, scrolling iver menus and tools works fine all until i open up a canvas.

 

I have CC which still works fine, i have cleared my preferences, done a re-install, tried swapping to full screen (which just caused a black screen and went unresponsive).

 

I opened CS4 in safe mode and it worked as it should but back in normal boot mode its horrible.

 

Quick video example of the marquee tool also noticed that the layers panel do not display properly

CS4 slowdown issue - YouTube

This topic has been closed for replies.

5 replies

N
Nucleo72
Participant
January 31, 2020

I've been experiencing this issue at least for a year and it was very frustrating. Nowadays i found a video on youtube with a useful tip (i don't post the link directly here since the author was a bit disgusting dude - i mean as he behaved) so here is what to do:

Start Windows in safe mode then launch Photoshop (i tried this method with CS4 and seems it helps but the original video was titled for CS6. My Photoshop sent and error message about licensing issue and when clicked on OK to close the dialog it quit immediately). Restart Windows in normal mode and enjoy your lag free Photoshop! Please share your experiences.

P
philshems
Participant
May 16, 2017

I had exactly the same problem with a sudden slowdown of Photoshop CS4 on Windows 10. It became almost unusable overnight.

I tried deleting preference files, which has worked in the past but not this time.

Following some advice elsewhere this seems to have fixed it for me:

Edit -> Preferences -> Performance

In GPU Settings click Advanced Settings

Untick Advanced Drawing.

It all seems to be working normally again now.

    evan.sho
    evan.sho
    Participant
    June 16, 2017

    It works immediately! after unchecking Enable OpenGL Drawing check box and restarted photoshop CS4, it runs like a rabbit again!

      A
      Anonymous
      March 26, 2017

      I've have recently found information on another forum, here: Microsoft Update KB4013429 destroys Adobe Photoshop CS4 - How can we - Microsoft Community

      The above post would seem to suggest  the Microsoft Update KB4013429 is the culprit here.

      Trevor.Dennis
      Community Expert
      Trevor.DennisCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 26, 2017

      from_the_chasm  wrote

      I've have recently found information on another forum, here: Microsoft Update KB4013429 destroys Adobe Photoshop CS4 - How can we - Microsoft Community

      The above post would seem to suggest  the Microsoft Update KB4013429 is the culprit here.

      Hey, that's a good find.  I'll update the thread tags to make it easier for other people with the same issue to find, and contact the thread starter garyw713062  to see if he wants to add anything.

      A
      Anonymous
      March 25, 2017

      Is there a way to enter Safe Mode in Photoshop CS4 other then using the shift key? Plus, If I do manage to enter safe mode, am I notified of such. i.e. how can I tell that I am in it.

      Messing around, trying different combinations, I managed to get Photoshop to prompt a message telling me I could update CS4 to CC. I hope this is not the solution. I could never afford CC, and up to this point have had no problems with CS4.

      I'd also add that I don't have any plugins, in that I've never installed any. I've always stuck to it vanilla like. I am on a PC, just to add some additional information. Thank you for your time so far.

      JJMack
      Community Expert
      JJMackCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 17, 2017

      Try resetting CS4 Photoshop Tools and if that does not fix your problem try resetting your user ID CS4 preferences.

      JJMack
      G
      garyw713062Author
      Participant
      March 17, 2017

      Thanks for your reply, I have tried what you said but neither makes any difference.

      I'm pretty sure it is related, been using CC instead today and noticed the layers panel lags when switching between files. For example I have two files open, I make a selection in one file, copy it and close the file. When the file closes and I am automatcily switches to my only remaining open file/canvas the layers panel still shows the previous files layers and I get a freeze for about 2-3 seconds. This never happened before yesterday.

      This all happened after I had a windows update (Update for Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems (KB3150513))

      Also, sorry about the two threads it appeared as tho the 1st never showed but it just had not been approved yet.

      A
      Anonymous
      March 25, 2017

      I am having what I think is exactly the same problem. I've manually reset the CS4 Photoshop preferences and reset the tools. This doesn't seem to have changed anything. I also recently installed the latest Windows 10 update. Photoshop is lagging very hard, making it almost unusable. Any help would be much appreciated.

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices