My Photoshop 7 freezes on startup--why?

Question

When I try to open Photoshop 7, I get this message: "Updating Adobe Online components from Adobe.com
Downloading file 1 of 2. No personal information is being transmitted. File: AWEXFILES.TXT
To: macintosh hd:Library:ap...ion support:adobe:web"
The computer freezes when the blue bar advances half-way. I can't escape, force quit, or do anything other than turn the machine off.
I've tried opening Photoshop without connecting to the net, and then I just get a blank.
I called Adobe about this twice. The first tech said that since Photoshop has an upgrade, previous versions no longer work.
I didn't believe that (for one thing, the new version has been out for a while now, and my v. 7 kept working just fine--until now). So I called back and got a different tech, who told me it was an Apple problem, not an Adobe problem--that my Photoshop v. 7 would keep working just as it had before if I upgrade to Panther.
I didn't really believe that, either, but I called Apple support anyway. The Apple tech told me neither of the Adobe techs' advice made any sense to him, and he referred me to this discussion group.
Can anyone help?
Thanks, Jay

Answer 1

Jay:
That's really good news!
I'm sure glad that the Force Quit took and you were able to get to the preference! (I was wondering how we were going to get past that stumbling block if one of the methods I suggested wouldn't do it...)
I'm really kind of surprised that the Adobe tech didn't know about the issue. I visited the Adobe Forums and it's there in a couple of places, albeit somewhat obsure ones. Such is life...
Regarding preference files - they are generally located in two different folders on your startup drive. These files typically begin with "com." and have the extension ".plist" and are sometimes a cause of conflicts, hangs, etc., should they become corrupted. When you delete a preference file, it recreates itself the next time you launch the corresponding application. When it is recreated, it sets the application's preferences back to the original default settings, just as if it were launched for the first time after you initially installed it. You then can customize the settings as necessary or desrirable. These files are not limited to just application preferences, but cover a range of processes on the Mac.
You can find them by opening your "Home" folder, then opening your Library folder inside the Home folder, then opening the Preferences folder inside the Library folder. The files in this folder are called "user preferences". If you navigate there, you'll find the "com.adobe.photoshop.plist" file that WWJD referenced earlier. (Don't delete it now because your issue is resolved and you'd have to reset all of your Photoshop preferences.) I'd encourage you to take a look there, however, so you are familiar with the folder in case you need to access it in the future.
The other common location where preference files are stored is in the Preferences folder in the main Library folder that appears when you click on your hard drive icon. It's best not to mess with the preference files there, unless you really know what these files do, or one of the Members who does know recommends that you trash a specific file there. Again, I'd encourage you to take a look there so you're familiar with where it is.
I recommend that you boot to your install disc and run Repair Disk, using Disk Utility from the Installer's menubar. Forced/sudden shutdowns can sometimes cause drive directory damage, and you've had a number of forced shutdowns during your ordeal. It's good insurance to run Repair Disk whenever you have to shutdown with the power button, experience a power outage, trip over and pull out the power cord, etc. (I ran it a couple of times last night!)
Lastly, regarding Force Quit - it can sometimes be tricky getting it to actually force quit an application. If you run a force quit problem again, be persistent with it, trying repeatedly, or using one of the other methods I described (option key while clicking on the Dock's application icon or Activity Monitor). Power down only as a last resort. BTW - I apologize for not being clear when previously referencing the "Dock" icon.
Gary