Photoshop.

[Amber Williams]

As many know...I use Photoshop to colour the comics and well as most of my work. It's a good program...I like to think I have an average grasp of its abilities...though obviously I lack proper training to use it to its full potential.  Then again it seems that the main times I use Photoshop in ways that my actual classes taught me...I am doing something like photoshopping cars into different colours or whatnot.

Anyways...there is oftentimes a particular glitch that will occur at random.  Every now and then when I click on something, be it the colour gradient or the levels window, it will trigger the help function to start opening up in multiple windows.  Sometimes it only does five...but every now and then it will keep cycling until it causes Photoshop to lock up.

This time it was the latter.  And that is why the comic will be a couple hours late.

[Zina]

Yeah, anyone that know what's going on and how to avoid this, please post. Because this happens to me too. And it's damn annoying.

[Sid]

Argh, that sounds a little bit like the few times my mouse goes nuts and translates a single physical click into a series of clicking events (occasionally leading to mass-closing of tabs and other "fun" things).

Hope you eventually manage to figure out what's causing this, it doesn't sound pretty O_o

Ninja-quasi-edit:
Zina, too? What versions are you two using? Maybe a patch (to 9.0.2 for example) addresses this... I dunno if that's a "Duh, I did that already" case, but if you haven't done so already, maybe take a look at the Photoshop Downloads page to hunt down the latest patch for your version. It might help.

Sorry for not being more helpful, but I'm no PS user myself, so I never encountered this sort of error personally... and that makes troubleshooting kinda hard ^^;

[Zorro]

Need the precise version and revision level of Photoshop used.  (Click Help and About to get that.)

Lots of times thought it ISN'T the program; it is a bad mouse with a short inside.

[Zina]

Mine's 7.0. I doubt it's a fault mouse, considering I've never had issues with something being clicked 20+ times on anything other than photoshop. And as far as I can tell, it's completly random. =/

[ChaosTiger]

I used to have photoshop, but it was wiped off the hard drive along with several other apps after a virus... while I had it, I never encountered the problem. could it just be a setting that you can turn on/off that makes the windows pop up?

[Darkmoon]

I have CS2 and it does it too. What I've generally ascertained is that one of the functions you've tried to use is clicked in such a way that Photoshop either doesn't like or, if you accidentally hit like alt or cntrl (never have noticed what specifically does it), somehow it decides you're a retard and need help (kinda like window's help balloons).

Whatever the case, it then hits the help function. If you click a lot, it opens it a lot. Aggrivating and stupid, I know.

[Amber Williams]

I'm preeeeetty certain that Photoshop would not include a feature of "send dozens of the same help window to cause total computer lockup" in their package. 

I had the same issue with Photoshop 6, and it still happens in CS.

Another thing I've noticed since I've gotten Photoshops on Windows XP is that it has a tendency to reset my defaults every now and then.  Not major...but it is annoying since I have to go through and reclick all things to not have anti-alias.

But yeah...the help popup thing I am starting to suspect is a glitch that happens primarily in PC versions of Photoshop since Mac's tend to not have the issue that I am aware of.  But who knows.  It's very rare that it happens...but it still makes me go "wtf?  "

[edit] Oh. Managed to get the comic done. So not too terrible a delay. yay me.[/edit]

[Darkmoon]

It is a PC issue, last I have found. Macs don't have that issue. That's probably because the keyboard-mouse combo that activates the glitch can't be performed on a Mac keyboard. Not easily, anyway.

As for the having to reset thing, I have that too. Mostly it happens when Photoshop is improperly shut down somehow (but not when it crashes, oddly).

[ChaosTiger]

I'm preeeeetty certain that Photoshop would not include a feature of "send dozens of the same help window to cause total computer lockup" in their package. 

no, but most programs like this have a help bubble that pops up when you click on something that you haven't used before (or that the program thinks you haven't used before)... and usually there is an option to turn the help bubbles off

[edit] Oh. Managed to get the comic done. So not too terrible a delay. yay me.[/edit]

[edit] yaaaay! more randomness to help keep me from going insane from boredom!  ...oh wait, too late for that...

[Magic]

Mine's 7.0.

I don't have that problem-- what I do have is the EPSON scan window opening up again and again after I close it, which is probably not related. Wish I could help.

[DigitalMan]

Odd, I've never run into such a problem in 7 or CS. I'll get a research team right on it.

Have you still had this problem after uninstalling and reinstalling Photoshop, or after a complete reformat?

[Jack McSlay]

I don't use Photoshop. do I get a cookie for that?


regardless, It's really strange that a program such a photoshop would carry such a bug from versions 6 through CS. seems more like it's a computer-related thing than a software-related thing. likely not SO-related or processor related, because if it was, would likely have been fixed on CS already.

seems like another program did a certain bit of configuration while installing which confuses PS. the likely way to confirm would be to see if ou can make up a second partition on your HD, install only PS on it, and then use it for a while to see if the problem persists. if the problems goes poof, than it would be slowly installing everything else until you can get a clue of what's causing it.

[Shadrok]

Could a plug-in be acting up?

I use Photoshop Elements 2.0.  When I was going to school we had photoshop 7 and then CS, and I don't remember anyone having a problem with it.

I did have an issue with Adobe Deluxe back in 98 where if I used the Ulead scanner program and then went into Deluxe, Deluxe would crash and would only work after a restart. The two programs just didn't like each other I guess.

Mine's 7.0.

I don't have that problem-- what I do have is the EPSON scan window opening up again and again after I close it, which is probably not related. Wish I could help.

If it happens when your in photoshop it could be the program trying to use the "Import from scanner" option.

[Silverfoxr]

mine does this to - its annoying as heck - also use 7.0

[RJ]

Either I'm just forgetful today but I don't think I've had that happen to me before- and I use Photo Elements 2 and CS2.

I used to have Photo Deluxe too years ago, but I don't think I had any problems either (except I hated it).

[DigitalMan]

[Insert animation of a nuclear explosion, and Photoshop still standing unscathed]

Well, I tried my hardest, but I can't get that error. Or any error, for that matter. I can't understand it. I know 100 different ways to make 3D Studio crash (and bring down the system with it), and a few ways to make After Effects implode, but Photoshop isn't even complaining about low system resources or the utter lack of disk space. I don't remember it being built like a tank before...

Dammit, I can't fix it if I can't break it. Then again, my method of fixing programs is usually a complete reformat anyways. Short of that, my advice would be running some kind of registry cleaner, but do so at your own risk. It may result in some nonexistant program complaining about a missing entry every time you start up your computer. It will annoy you forevah!

On the bright side, I discovered a whole lot of nifty tricks. The Alt key is my new friend...

With some more detailed information, I might be able to do a better web search. 'Photoshop glitch "help windows"' returns completely unrelated results. Is there a specific action that's guaranteed to cause the error, every time? Come on folks, lets abuse the hell out of PShop until we find some common circumstance!

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

DigitalMan, I guess you weren't here for the Great Disk Crash when Amber first went up to Canada.

She's just got a brand new, freshly reformatted machine a month or two ago.

So yes, she's had this issue across reformats. :-)

[DigitalMan]

Well... that sux0rz. I wonder if it has anything to do with legal version versus non-legal... >.>; Unfortunately testing that theory would be quite difficult here, or anywhere for that matter.

Actually, it could have something to do with what sub-version of each version, or what other software is installed. Normally I'd have things like After Effects and Flash and several other programs installed, but this time I don't have much (as for what's taking up all 40GB, I'm still trying to figure that out).

It sucks that I can't get the error myself. I'd be happy to put hours into a veritible debugging operation just to find the cause.

Let's try this; I've got Photoshop CS (version 8.0) on Windows XP Home, Service Pack 2, with a Celeron 2.4GHz processor. I haven't downloaded any of the PShop updates. Is there anyone with the same specs having problems?

[skwerly]

This may or may not help.

http://www.photographytalk.net/viewtopic.php?pid=927093

[Aridas]

*has never had the problem* >.>

[Darkmoon]

It's not a common problem, but it does happen, in just about every version of Photoshop I've used since 6.0.

I have XP SP2, Photoshop CS2, and an AMD64 +3000 2.0 Ghz.

[Aridas]

Darkmoon stole my computer

[DigitalMan]

Darkmoon stole my computer D:

I'm going to assume that means you also have an AMD processor? Crap, there goes the theory that that might be the cause. It was a damn good theory, too...

Has anyone tried the advice in Skwerly's link, about resetting the preferences? *secretly hopes it doesn't work so he can solve the problem himself*

[Vidar]

Solution: go open source. Use GIMP.   

[Aridas]

THEN you have to deal with the massive changes in how you run the program... then there are app-specific things you have to worry about...

[Darkmoon]

Solution: go open source. Use GIMP.   

Or you could use a DECENT program.

If that's your whole suggestion, then get the hell out of the topic.

[Netami]

A shame it didn't cost six hundred dollars.

Oh wait.

[Supercheese]

Solution: go open source. Use GIMP.   

Why the heck use GIMP when you already have Photoshop? The only reason I use the GIMP is because I'm too apathetic to get Photoshop.

Oh, and I've never understood that emoticon. What the heck is going on in it??

[Sid]

GIMP is actually pretty decent. It may not have all the bells and whistles of PS, but it's possibly the best program (in terms of quality for money) for the upper/middle segment since it handles tons of file types and has all the better-standard tools you'd expect. Oh, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg

I'm using GIMP on the Mac. It took a while to get used to it, but it does everything I need (and more). Then again, I'm no drawing artist, so my requirements are lower than Amber's. Thus, I can't completely compare the feature set. But for 0$, it offers a whole truckload of stuff, which is more than enough for the average artist (I'd say...).

On Windows, I had been using the Corel package (which had, in its Educational Version, actually been affordable). I like it more than GIMP, but the lack of a Mac version had forced me to switch.

Of course, this thread is not about PS alternatives (any switch comes with a re-adjustment period, which would suck). So my on-topic suggestion/-question would be if anybody actually tried a patch or tried to contact Adobe via their Support and/or Forums... Right now, this is more of a census that makes it clear that some people have the problem while others don't have it.