Software install issues

[Scott Shepherd]

Who thought you'd have to go to a woodworking forum to get help with software issues? That shows how great this forum is!

After beating my head against a brick wall dealing with Adobe, I've come here to see if I'm missing something obvious.

Downloaded an Adobe product. Everything they do uses their extractor setup. Couldn't get the files to extract. Had downloaded it through Firefox. Went off site to a Mac, downloaded the windows version from there, saved to a portable hard drive, brought it back. Same issue. Took it to another computer, same issue. 3rd computer. Same issue. Downloaded it from the 3rd computer using IE and it extracted properly.

Now it's all extracted and I need to click on the "Setup.exe" file to begin the setup. Double click it. Nothing. Open Task Manager. It's there, but it's not doing anything. Been through it about 10 times, same thing. Went to computer #2, same thing. I'm logged in as admin while trying to do this.

WinXP Home, SP3. For the life of me, I cannot get that setup file to execute. I've searched high and low for the answer and I can't find anything. Tech support is closed on the weekend and I really need this to get fired up for a job on Monday. I spent the better part of Friday on the phone with Tech Support for the extraction issue. They could not resolve it and had no ideas. It's a call center out of the country and they don't seem to get it or be able to deviate from the scripts, so they have been zero help at all.

Any ideas or tips that might be causing this? Only fixes I can find is people saying to reformat the hard drive and start over. That ain't gonna happen, so I need to resolve it in some logical fashion other than formatting the had drive.

[Chuck Wintle]

Which Adobe software are you trying to install?

[Scott Shepherd]

CS4 Design Premium. Had to do it from a download due to time constraints. However, that looks like it's not going to be the case, since I still don't have it running 2 or 3 days later.

[Tim Morton]

My guess is that there is a file that got installed during the initial downlaod that is corrupt and preventing any new downloads from exectuting. Of course i'm sure you already sus[pect this, and the problem is getting adobe to point you to the correct file. Have you checked the CS4 forums?

Do you currently have CS3 installed? Maybe the client can back save? Or in the case of illustrator files you can open them in CS3 and not lose anything?
CS4 was a pretty minor upgrade from CS3. If you don't have CS3 and want to send me the file, maybe i could work it into somethign you can use. I run CS3 but i have a partner who is running CS4.

[Scott Shepherd]

Thanks Tim, it's CS4 from scratch, no CS3. I tried installing it at home and it went through to the installation part like it should. However, on 2 computers at work, I can't get it to launch the setup file, even though it shows in the task manager. I'm going to take that setup file from my home computer and see if that helps. Only thing I can think of is that the unpacking of the files went wrong for some reason.

I didn't finish the install on my home computer, as I don't want it on that computer, but it appears to be okay there.

Only difference between the systems really is one is XP SP2 (the one that worked) and the ones at work are XP SP3. One computer at work is almost a fresh install of XP with only 2 things installed, while the other has loads of things installed. The behavior on the install is exactly the same for both.

Thanks for the offer on the file, I've got a designer coming in this morning and he's going to work with me to get all the files done.

Adobe forums seem to be worthless. Very little activity at all. I have posted there, but it seems to take 24 hour to get 1 response and that response usually asks questions that they won't answer for another 24 hours. I'm just on too much of a time crunch and need some immediate help (which is why I'm paying someone to come in today).

Thanks again for the ideas, I appreciate the help.

[Myk Rian]

Do you have winzip installed? Just a guess.
http://www.winzip.com/index.htm

[Tim Morton]

another quess...

http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cs4clean.html

[Scott Shepherd]

No WinZip installed and the CS4 cleaner said there was nothing for it to clean. In the extracted file set, there are 1/2 dozen folders and 3 files, one of which is the setup.exe file. I saved all 3 of those and brought them in to work. I noticed one of them on my work computer had a file size of zero. I replaced that, didn't change anything. I replaced all 3 files with the ones that worked on my home computer. Still didn't work. Does the same thing, just shows up in task manager without doing anything.

I think it's a javascript issue or something like that. The first thing the setup file does when it launches is goes into an analysis of your current system in a flash like application. Might be flash. Probably is, that or Java. I'll try updating my java and see if that helps.

[David G Baker]

Scott,
Did you have to go on line to activate your CS4 after downloading it? I wonder if Adobe has the "one machine only installation" like some other software makers have built in to their software, if so you have tried to install it on more than one machine, this could be a possible cause of your situation.

[Scott Shepherd]

Thanks David, it's not installed, it's only downloaded and extracted, waiting to be installed. I can't get to the "install" part of it. It's a 4GB download, so it's a real pain to keep downloading it from my account (which it gives you access to).

So basically, all I have been able to do is to download the contents of what should be on an installation DVD. It's all there, I just can't get the setup file to run.

Downloaded and installed the latest version of Java, still nothing (that error has come up as a fix on some forums).

Who knows? Stupid stupid people. The original package is $1800. You'd think if you bought a package like that, that someone would be waiting to answer the phone if you had a problem. So sorry, closed for the weekend. Monday will be here and I'll be calling back and talking to more people in India who can't understand my issue because it's not in their script :mad:

[Tim Morton]

Just a thought. i'm guessing you don't need the entire Creative Suite, have you tried downloading just the product you need? They are all available individulally.

[Scott Shepherd]

Since I got the package, the only option that shows up on my downloads is the entire package. It won't let me download them individually. I suppose I could download the trial version of one of them and see if that works. Maybe I'll do that later. I've had the work done now and I have all the files for my printer, so we're in good shape. Just irritating.

I can't wait to get it running! It's just SOOOOO powerful!

[Jim O'Dell]

Very basic question from a non-geek type person. Have you tried to download something else to see if it would run? Something like the Sketch up free version? Just to make sure the computer is operating properly? Just a thought. Jim.

[Scott Shepherd]

It won't install on either of 2 computers, but does install on the 3rd. Same files. I downloaded them on one computer, saved them in a portable hard drive and moved them to the other computers (extracted them).

All 3 computers are Dells in different age groups. The oldest one with the most crap on it and least amount of resources took the install, the other 2 with lots of memory and fast processors wouldn't take it.

They have the DVD on the way, just be a few more days before it gets here.