Photoshop 2021 encountering problem and closing

I'm using PS 2021 on Windows 10 with 16GB RAM and a 2TB hard drive (½ full) Yesterday PS crashed, not visible on the screen but showing as running as a background process on Task Manager so closed it there. Today, every time I open it, it puts up a box saying that Photoshop has encountered a problem and will need to close. Error reporting seems to say that a work around is to disable the graphics card via preferences, but I cannot access that because PS crashes again. I have uninstalled via Creative Cloud and reinstalled but it still refuses to work, in the process I've lost all keywords and tags on thousands of images. Adobe Comminity has not been much help, has anyone on here got an answer please?

I'm using PS 2021 on Windows 10 with 16GB RAM and a 2TB hard drive (½ full) Yesterday PS crashed, not visible on the screen but showing as running as a background process on Task Manager so closed it there.
Today, every time I open it, it puts up a box saying that Photoshop has encountered a problem and will need to close. Error reporting seems to say that a work around is to disable the graphics card via preferences, but I cannot access that because PS crashes again.
I have uninstalled via Creative Cloud and reinstalled but it still refuses to work, in the process I've lost all keywords and tags on thousands of images.
Adobe Comminity has not been much help, has anyone on here got an answer please?

As I have not suffered this issue, I cannot suggest the cause. However, the Keywords etc. are stored in the catalogue database with LR or in the xmp files stores with your images. In my case I retain the xmp files as well as the LR catalogue. You could check your image files and see if xmp files are still in the same location. If so, you should be able to recover once you can identify and fix the cause of the problem. Can you run an earlier version of PS? I always keep the previous version as well PS CS6. Dave

As I have not suffered this issue, I cannot suggest the cause. However, the Keywords etc. are stored in the catalogue database with LR or in the xmp files stores with your images. In my case I retain the xmp files as well as the LR catalogue. You could check your image files and see if xmp files are still in the same location. If so, you should be able to recover once you can identify and fix the cause of the problem. Can you run an earlier version of PS? I always keep the previous version as well PS CS6.

Dave

Photoshop has done a recent update on my Computer, it is now 22.4.2. so check that to see if it has been done cleanly but if you have uninstalled and reinstalled then it should be up-to date. But I think this may be Windows causing this problem, earlier this year , when Windows updated itself I had a terrible problem with PS. I might be paranoid about Windows but I also could NOT make any Adobe software as my 'go to' photo editing software. Check on the Windows 'Control Panel' choosing default apps and make sure that Photoshop is your default App. If this is the problem I finally solved it by using Bridge 'Preferences to assign File Type Associations. How do you start Photoshop? If you click an icon on your screen try right clicking the listing in your Windows 'Programs' and choose 'Open as Administrator'. If it still crashes you could try removing all your preferences by holding down Alt, Ctrl and Shift as soon as it starts to open this should allow you to open enough to remove the Graphics card. It could also be that your Graphics card is now no longer compatible with the updated PS. It might be worth checking the compatibility of the Graphics card. Sorry I have sort of poured out all my ideas around this - always such a nightmare when it goes wrong so I hope you manage to find the answer. Can you open Bridge and Lightroom Classic?

Photoshop has done a recent update on my Computer, it is now 22.4.2. so check that to see if it has been done cleanly but if you have uninstalled and reinstalled then it should be up-to date. But I think this may be Windows causing this problem, earlier this year , when Windows updated itself I had a terrible problem with PS. I might be paranoid about Windows but I also could NOT make any Adobe software as my 'go to' photo editing software. Check on the Windows 'Control Panel' choosing default apps and make sure that Photoshop is your default App. If this is the problem I finally solved it by using Bridge 'Preferences to assign File Type Associations.

How do you start Photoshop? If you click an icon on your screen try right clicking the listing in your Windows 'Programs' and choose 'Open as Administrator'. If it still crashes you could try removing all your preferences by holding down Alt, Ctrl and Shift as soon as it starts to open this should allow you to open enough to remove the Graphics card. It could also be that your Graphics card is now no longer compatible with the updated PS. It might be worth checking the compatibility of the Graphics card.

Sorry I have sort of poured out all my ideas around this - always such a nightmare when it goes wrong so I hope you manage to find the answer.

Can you open Bridge and Lightroom Classic?

Graphics card is AMD Radeon R7 200 series which according to AMD software is up to date. I've run as administrator and it still throws up the error. Lightroom and Bridge still work. Pressing Alt+Ctrl+Shift doesn't seem to work, having said that yesterday it opened up a box showing 'scratch disc preferences'.

Graphics card is AMD Radeon R7 200 series which according to AMD software is up to date.
I've run as administrator and it still throws up the error.
Lightroom and Bridge still work.
Pressing Alt+Ctrl+Shift doesn't seem to work, having said that yesterday it opened up a box showing 'scratch disc preferences'.

[quote][i]a work around is to disable the graphics card via preferences[/i][/quote] [i]That's Adobe's stock response to every Photoshop problem that there's ever been . . . ![/i] I very much doubt that your graphics card is to blame in any way and neither is a Windows update. It may be though, that your log in details aren't being recognised correctly. It's never happened to me but someone I used to work with suddenly had the same issue; he was trying to open Illustrator but the same rules apply. It turned out that the link between the computer system that he was using; this was in a school, and Adobe was somehow broken. Someone at Adobe's end put it right.

Quote:a work around is to disable the graphics card via preferences

That's Adobe's stock response to every Photoshop problem that there's ever been . . . !

I very much doubt that your graphics card is to blame in any way and neither is a Windows update.
It may be though, that your log in details aren't being recognised correctly.
It's never happened to me but someone I used to work with suddenly had the same issue; he was trying to open Illustrator but the same rules apply.
It turned out that the link between the computer system that he was using; this was in a school, and Adobe was somehow broken.
Someone at Adobe's end put it right.

You say you've tried alt+ctrl+shift - are you holding those down then double clicking / starting Photoshop? That should ask you to confirm deleting the current (possibly corrupt) preferences file.

You say you've tried alt+ctrl+shift - are you holding those down then double clicking / starting Photoshop?
That should ask you to confirm deleting the current (possibly corrupt) preferences file.

Double clicking then holding down.

Double clicking then holding down.

Hold those three button down whilst you click And it has to be before Photoshop actually opens.

Hold those three button down whilst you click And it has to be before Photoshop actually opens.

I have looked on Adobe help ( https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/troubleshoot-gpu-graphics-card.html) and I am not sure that your graphics card is compatible - from what I have read (and I don't know enough about your computer to be clear) it may need a special driver to actually allow it to function with Adobe. Updating the driver may help but I know when they released 2022 version there were a lot of graphics drivers that were not suitable.

I have looked on Adobe help ( https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/troubleshoot-gpu-graphics-card.html) and I am not sure that your graphics card is compatible - from what I have read (and I don't know enough about your computer to be clear) it may need a special driver to actually allow it to function with Adobe. Updating the driver may help but I know when they released 2022 version there were a lot of graphics drivers that were not suitable.

Hi Chris To see if your GPU is enabled Open LR go to edit and open go down to preference's open, a box will come up and along the top find, THE performance button click on that and another box will come up and tell you if your GPU is enabled. Hope this helps Cliff

Hi

Chris

To see if your GPU is enabled Open LR go to edit and open go down to preference's open, a box will come up and along the top find, THE performance button click on that and another box will come up and tell you if your GPU is enabled.

Hope this helps

Cliff

Hi Cliff In Lightroom it was on auto, switched it off, tried PS again, it opened the gave me the same sorry, encountered.... again and closed. Getting desperate now.

Hi Cliff

In Lightroom it was on auto, switched it off, tried PS again, it opened the gave me the same sorry, encountered.... again and closed.


Getting desperate now.

Try the link that I put in to Adobe help - they will probably ask you to log in and will send a number to your phone or email for you to verify that it is you. When you have done that there will be the possibility of speaking to someone - usually someone in Ireland but it may not be. Anyway in the past I have found them extremely helpful. Click on the little speech icon with three dots in.

Try the link that I put in to Adobe help - they will probably ask you to log in and will send a number to your phone or email for you to verify that it is you. When you have done that there will be the possibility of speaking to someone - usually someone in Ireland but it may not be. Anyway in the past I have found them extremely helpful. Click on the little speech icon with three dots in.

[quote][i]In Lightroom it was on auto, switched it off, tried PS again, it opened the gave me the same sorry, encountered.... again and closed.[/i][/quote] In which case; assuming that your graphics card [i]really is switched off in PS,[/i] then said graphics card has been taken out of the equation and therefore, isn't the source of your problems.

Quote:In Lightroom it was on auto, switched it off, tried PS again, it opened the gave me the same sorry, encountered.... again and closed.

In which case; assuming that your graphics card really is switched off in PS, then said graphics card has been taken out of the equation and therefore, isn't the source of your problems.

Had exactly the same problems a few months ago. Lots of help from adobe but in the end had to admit defeat, graphics card just wasn’t upto the job.

Had exactly the same problems a few months ago. Lots of help from adobe but in the end had to admit defeat, graphics card just wasn’t upto the job.

Lack of an wizz-bang graphics card will not stop PS running. It will just run with reduced features see [link=https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-cc-gpu-card-faq.html]here[/link]. For example, PS runs fine on my 10 year laptop because I don't use any of the "digital artist" features. Check out the info [link=https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/error-photoshop-has-encountered-a-problem-with-the-display-drive.html]here [/link]about 'sniffer-out.txt'....

Lack of an wizz-bang graphics card will not stop PS running. It will just run with reduced features see here. For example, PS runs fine on my 10 year laptop because I don't use any of the "digital artist" features.

Check out the info here about 'sniffer-out.txt'....