Adobe CS4 software not running

I've been using the Adobe CS4 Master Collection since it came out. However Premiere and Soundbooth have both refused to start right from when I first installed them, and now Photoshop CS4 is refusing to start, throwing up an Application Error when it begins to load.

I tried running all of these applications from save mode and they all run perfectly well, do it must be something in my normal installation of XP that is stopping them from loading, but I've no idea what it could be, and strange that Photoshop CS4 has suddenly stopped working when it ran fine up until yesterday.

Any ideas?

I've not reinstalled XP for over a year so I am considering doing that so that everything is clean, however it would be good to know the actual causes of why these applications refuse to run. Very strange.

Sounds like one of your programmes (probably AV software) has done a automatic update and needs to be told to allow CS4 to run. Might be your firewall. I found that my Incredimail problems were due to NIS2009 having an update but TBH it happens with a lot of security software. The reason it worked in Safe Mode was because most security software doesn't work in safe mode.

Good suggestion. I hadn't thought of trying that. Will give it a go disabling both the firewall and virus scanner when I have the time. Fingers crossed it works.

I would have thought it'll work (If it doesn't then I don't know what else the problem could be although I might have a lead on why your other CS4 stuff never worked in the first place). Who would have thunk it software updates causing incompatibilities. Make you think that certain companies want to control the world with their own software;).

Try going to this page to see if a clean install helps with the programmes that don't work.

OK, I had time to finally see if I could track down the cause today and discovered quickly that it is the Comodo Firewall that is conflicting with some of the CS4 software.

If I disable the firewall software completely then everything in the CS4 Master Collection runs perfectly with no issues at all. But when I enable it Soundbooth and Premiere CS4 both refuse to load and report the same errors as before. Very odd.

I got Photoshop working again. With the firewall disabled, when I started Photoshop it asked to be registered again, which must have been what was being blocked by the firewall. I reregistered it again and it loads OK now.

So now I need to work out what Comodo is blocking or disabling that is preventing Premiere and Soundbooth from loading.

I did also notice that Comodo must be hitting my system performance because when I disable it the system is more responsive, with applications loading in a couple of seconds. Therefore I might just be looking for a new Firewall to replace it with as it seems to be slowing the system down more and more as time goes on. Firefox can sometimes take minutes to startup with the firewall enabled, and about 3 seconds with it disabled for example!

Any new recommendations for Firewalls? I will start another topic about them, or bump up the old one.

That seemed like a mean problem, wouldn't have thought it's due to the firewall.

I've been experimenting a bit more and with Comodo running and am working out what is causing the issues with CS4.

With the Proactive Defence disabled completely the CS4 applications all run, so it was definitely some of the settings in the Proactive Defense part of Comodo causing the problems. So I've been experimenting to see if the applications will run with just one or two of the Defense Monitor settings disabled.

Photoshop CS4 works if "Computer Monitor" is disabled under the "Objects to monitor against direct access". I'm using the graphics card OpenGL acceleration with Photoshop CS4 so that makes sense as it will need to directly access the computer monitor display at startup.

However Premiere and Soundbooth refuse to load regardless of the settings disabled in Defense and they will only run if the whole of the Defense part of Comodo is disabled. Not sure why, but I'm still investigating. At least I do now know what is presenting them from running.