Just migrated from Panther to Tiger, but Photoshop died along the way.

Question

I finally made the jump to 10.4.10 with Archive & Install. So far, all the big applications I've tried have worked flawlessly except for the heavyweight. Photoshop did not survive.
When I open the Photoshop 7 folder, instead of finding the application, there's a generic document icon instead, and nothing to open it with. Same for the ImageReady application also found there. Get Info says it is an application, but I can't get it to open.
I tried recopying the entire folder from a backup image of the HD, with the same results. Matter of fact, if I browse the backup (on a FW external HD), the application also shows up as a document icon.
Is there any way to use Photoshop 7.0.1 in MacOS 10.4.10?
Thanks.

Answer 1

You might try uninstalling PS 7 and then reinstalling it fresh from the installer disc(s). However, I would be surprised if it worked with Tiger. That version was released around three years before Tiger was first released.
Uninstalling Software: The Basics
Most OS X applications are completely self-contained "packages" that can be uninstalled by simply dragging the application to the Trash. Most applications create preference files which are stored in the /Home/Library/Preferences/ folder. Although they do nothing once you delete the associated application, they do take up some disk space. If you want you can located them in the above location and delete them, too.
Some applications may install an uninstaller program that can be used to remove the application. In some cases the uninstaller may be part of the application's installer, and is invoked by clicking on a Customize button that will appear during the install process.
Some applications may install components in the /Home/Library/Applications Support/ folder. You can also check there to see if the application has created a folder. You can also delete the folder that's in the Applications Support folder. Again, they don't do anything but take up disk space once the application is trashed.
Some applications may install a startupitem or a Log In item. Startupitems are usually installed in the /Library/StartupItems/ folder and less often in the /Home/Library/StartupItems/ folder. Log In Items are set in the Accounts preferences. Open System Preferences, click on the Accounts icon, then click on the LogIn Items tab. Locate the item in the list for the application you want to remove and click on the "-" button to delete it from the list.
If an application installs any other files the best way to track them down is to do a Finder search using the application name or the developer name as the search term.
There are also several shareware utilities that can uninstall applications:
AppZapper
CleanApp
Yank
SuperPop
Uninstaller
Spring Cleaning
Look for them at www.versiontracker.com or www.mackupdate.com.
For more information visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on removing software.