Unable to continue because of a hardware or system error... Sorry but this error is unrecoverable.

1322 views8 repliesLast post: 2/10/2007
I am using CS2 and occasionally receive the following message when starting up (both at home and at my work computer):

Unable to continue because of a hardware or system error. Sorry but this error is unrecoverable.

Usually Photoshop will start up the second time, but tonight it took three tries. I found a thread on the forum that talked about PS 6.0, but it was a dead link.

Is there anything I can do?

Monte Evans
#1
First thing to try is deleting your Photoshop preferences as per the Forum FAQs
#2
I should have mentioned it before. I have trashed my preferences. Maybe they have become corrupt again, because this problem does not occur every time at all - only occasionally - but on both of my computers.

I really didn't think it was my prefs since I could usually just restart Photoshop and it would start up correctly the next time - without trashing the prefs.
#3
Are you by any chance using the same antivirus program both at home and at work? If so, which one?
#4
Have you installed any of the Registry tweaks (optional extensions) from the Goodies folder?
#5
I am using McAfee antivirus software on both machines.

I have not installed any "Registry tweaks"

Monte
#6
When I get this error message (under PS 7) it's PS's way of saying, "Out of RAM."

Options that resolve this for me:
* Shutdown other applicaitons, e.g., Corel Painter
* Use Task Manager to spot rogue processes that have gone amuck, for example the other day I found an Internet Explorer session chewing up 250+ Kb, which is totally out of whack. Using Task Manager to delete such a process makes PS happy again. No reboot needed.
* Reboot. Sometimes memory leaks chew up RAM which cannot be freed by stopping tasks or closing applications.

Hope this helps...

~Danny~
#7
after downloading the trial for cs2, and unzipping.. i put in my serial number to get past and start the installation process.. it starts that process but stops by tellin me i do not have access to Data1.cab ... does anybody know what this means, or how I can get around it??
#8
or how I can get around it??

By starting a unique thread on the subject.

Hijacking someone else's unrelated thread spoils the flow of information on the original topic and does your question no favours either.
#9