Expert: LizaL - 4/3/2006

Question
I've been using Photoshop Cs on my Power Mac G5 for the past year, and recently it keeps on crashing and sometimes the application would close automatically without any warnings. I removed any third party plugins and brushes i had installed a few weeks earlier but still i got the same problem at times. A few days ago i realized that this is caused every time i apply motion blur from the filters menu. Any idea what might have caused this filter to misbehave? and if i uninstall the application would it solve the problem? If so, whats the best way to uninstall?
Im currently using a power mac G5 1GB RAM and running on Tiger OSX 10.4.5

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Kevin,

I did a little research and found that your problem might have to do with something called the AltiVec Core Plugin. Apparently this plugin was a suggested download back in the days of Photoshop 5.5., and probably just stayed with the program updates as time went on. Anyway, I found this link, which suggests people with upgraded Photoshop (not to mention machines like the G5) are running into the same crash you are:
http://avondale.typepad.com/pixelupdate/2005/02/crashing_when_u.html

The bad news? The article with the answer to the guy's question isn't online anymore!! But I found that it's easy enough to disable the AltiVec Core Plugin. Just go to your Photoshop Plugins folder, then open the Extensions folder, and pull it out. Naturally, I wouldn't trash it until you test this out and make sure its removal helps.

So I think I'd try that first, and please post back after you've tested this out and let me know how it works. If it doesn't, we'll search for another answer.

You also asked about the best way to uninstall. Fortunately, you're using a Mac! Just remove the program folder from your Applications folder (or wherever you've installed it), trash it, and empty the trash. BUT -- be sure to remove all your preferences, too. That means going to your user folder:
[youruserfoldername]>Library>Preferences>  and removing the following: from the Adobe folder, the Adobe Liquify CS Prefs; and the Adobe Photoshop CS Settings folder. From the preferences list, remove com.adobe.Photoshop.plist; and then use Spotlight to search for "Photoshop." Remove and trash all Photoshop-related items (I'd first back them up on a removable drive or a CD if I were you... just in case!).

Once you've removed the application folder and all the related preferences, moved them to the trash and emptied the Trash, then go to Disk Utility (located in your Utilities folder) and Repair Permissions. I'd even restart.

I think after that you'd be in a good position to reinstall.

Hope this helps, and do let me know about the Altivec Core Plugin. Hopefully removing that will solve things, and you won't have to uninstall and reinstall.

Lisa