AMD FireGL GPU + Creative Cloud app = Color Depth & other Issues

Question

Hello,  I am writing this post to help anyone who may have ran into the same issues I am seeing with my AMD FireGL graphics adapter when using the Adobe Creative Cloud app on a windows 7 PC.
I ran into a problem installing and setting up the Creative Cloud app on my new workstation that has an AMD FireGL graphics processor.
First off, the system is new (dell precision m4800, with an AMD FireGL V M5100 GPU), and has all the most current drivers and updates available.. that is to say, this is not a hardware issue.
The system operates just fine outside of the Creative Cloud app, but when I installed and attempted to login to Creative Cloud for access to download Illustrator, etc., the Creative Cloud app would open up and then only display a blank white page.  No graphics, no data, just white.  
When I got stuck at this point I called Adobe support and spoke to a rep who had seen the issue before. The rep worked around the blank white page in CC by loading the windows device manager and manually disabling the AMD FireGL GPU device to re-install and login to the Creative Cloud app.   This temporarily forced windows to use the default/dummy VGA graphics driver supplied with windows.   With windows using the dummy 256-color vga driver we were able to get the creative cloud app running and get me logged in to install my design software. HOORAY!--or so I thought....
  At this point I assumed the issue was resolved, but I found that there was a new issue popping up every time I rebooted my system.  Windows would load and log me in using the 32bit color depth setting, but as soon as the Adobe Creative Cloud app started up, my color mode would switch to 256 colors... D`oh!  
Obviously I don't want to run at only 256 colors, and neither should you!  Adobe, why does my color depth change to 256 colors every time the Creative Cloud app is loaded?
If you want to temporarily reset the color depth to 32bit, you can go to Control Panel -> Display -> Adjust Resolution -> Advanced Settings -> Monitor Tab -> & select "True Color (32bit)" from the Colors drop-down menu.    Using this method will allow Adobe Creative Cloud app to continue running 24/7, however this is only a temporary fix, which will need to be applied every time the system is rebooted, or any time a user logs off then back in.. Frankly, its a bit of a PITA, so why bother?
The permanent fix is simple.. go to Start -> & do a Search for "msconfig".   Once found, run the msconfig utility and switch to the "Startup" tab, where you will be presented with a list of boot time startup items.  Find the one labeled "Adobe Creative Cloud" and disable it by removing the check mark from the corresponding check box.   Then click OK.  You will be warned that a restart may be required.. go ahead and re-start.   This time, when the system boots, Adobe Creative Cloud will not load, and your color depth will remain at 32bit.  YAY!
If need be you can always load up Creative Cloud manually from the start menu if you need it, but it will knock your color depth back to 256 colors.  Thus far i have had zero issues using adobe photoshop or illustrator without first loading the Creative Cloud app, so it isn't required.  If i need updates or need to access other features within the Creative Cloud app i can, but it doesnt need to run 24/7 to use other adobe apps.
The short explanation is that Adobe is failing to fully and properly support the AMD FireGL graphics platform.  The adobe rep i spoke to essentially said the same thing, but made certain to blame the graphics device and not adobe software--sure thing boss.   The truth is that the FireGL and its varients have been on the market as long or longer than the nvidia products that are supported fully by adobe. 
It is clear that Adobe has made a choice not to fully support AMD Workstation graphics (FireGL) since not only is the Creative Cloud app broken and causing problems, but also no graphics acceleration features work in any of my installed adobe apps.. I basically get a message saying "please us a supported graphics processor".  Seriously, how is FireGL not "Supported"?
I am not an AMD or FireGL fanboy.. Frankly I cant stand AMD graphics adapters and I genuinely prefer nVidia on my personal systems.  At home, my 5 year old $100 nVidia gaming card is fully supported in all the adobe apps..
At work, however, I have no choice what hardware is provided to me and this lack of FireGL support has negatively impacted my productivity more than once.  Admittedly, nvidia has much more market share than AMD in the workstation graphics realm, but that does not mean adobe should just ignore AMD completely!
Hopefully this post will shed some light on issues with Adobe Creative Cloud app and FireGL graphics cards that others may be experiencing.
Good Luck!

Answer 1

Minor correction...  I called my GPU the FireGL, which is the old market name..  The current, proper market name is FirePro.. same line, just new branding after AMD purchased ATI.