I have Photoshop 7 (it’s not the newest version, I know but it works just fine for me) and a Dell Studio desktop. When I try to install Photoshop 7 to my pc, I get a message that says:
Could not initialize Photoshop because the scratch disks are full.
Could not initialize Photoshop because the scratch disks are full.
And when you click OK, the program closes. If it stayed open, I would go into Preferences and make changes to the Primary Scratch Volume but that’s not happening. Ugh. Criminy!
So, the next course of action is to take that message to Google Search and enter it to see if others have the same issues.
There were dozens of others with the same pain and heartache on not being able to install Photoshop.
I’ve tried to uninstall and reinstall and perhaps go to Preferences and edit the primary scratch volume. However, as soon as I get the message that says my scratch disks are full … I have to click OK to get the picture off my screen. Then Photoshop closes down!
2 hours later … no Photoshop.
What’s one to do? If you know, please leave a message for me and for all the others who are trying to fix this instead of doing WORK. Ok, I am working but am not succeeding.
There’s a free program to edit photos called GIMP that I’ve used in the past and will use again because Adobe Photoshop is ignoring my plea for help. My pc is new I have a terabye of memory, RAM up the yingyang but my scratch disk is full. NOT!
There are tons of bloggers asking the same question about the scratch disks error – where is our assistance? Bob the robber 2 hacked.
Ok, no assistance. Let’s talk about GIMP.
GIMP IS very similar to Photoshop. I downloaded it and edited a photo. I resized it, added text, changed the name and filed it. It’s fine, it’s free and most of all – it works! Drats to Adobe for leaving us all hanging here.
Yippee to GIMP!
GIMP – The GNU Image Manipulation Program
The GNU Image Manipulation Program, for X Windows systems. Official site, including download area, documentation, FAQs, and a plugin registry.
How-To Geek Forums / Windows XP
photoshop 7.1 wont finish loading as scratch disk full message
(3 posts)I have reinstalled photoshop umpteen times on quad core, 2 terabyte hd and 8 gigs RAM, with over 1 terabyte hd free to use, but still get scratch disk full message. I can't get into preferences as program won't load up!! Please help me. I have gone into documents and settings etc and deleted the PSP file but it reappears and disk full message appears during failed loading.
Aoe 3 initialization failed windows 10. Found this link
Photoshop 7 will not work on a hard drive over 1 terabyte. I just installed a 1.5terabyte drive and it continues to tell me it cannot initialize because the scratch disk are full. It runs perfect on a 300gig, 200gig and 120gig hard drive. Hope this helps someone having SCRATCH DISK ERRORS on newer larger hard drives.
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Yesterday I was in a state of panic. Adobe’s Photoshop CS3 was crapping on me at the most unexpected and inopportune time. The Photoshop icon would do its dance in the dock a few times, load the splash screen, then scream for attention with an error reading:
Could not initialize Photoshop because the disk is not available Good chinese composition for secondary.
'Disk is not available'?! Not only was Photoshop sidelined, Illustrator was out of service as well. The two applications seem to sing the same note when it comes to not working as expected.
Not the best feeling in the world. The initial reaction was 'is there something wrong with my hardrive?' Naturally, the first thing to do is to launch Disk Utility to verify & repair permissions. The second step is to restart the computer with the original install DVD to verify the disk. In my case, both steps reported no issues.
What disk is Photoshop trying to initialize?
The 'disk' that Photoshop initializes on startup is the scratch disk – otherwise known as virtual memory. Think of it as the applications reserves / backup for processing your giant layers. Without it, the application will fail to function properly.
Photoshops inability to initialize the scratch disk can be caused by any number of reasons including: operating system updates, hardware re-configurations, or in my case sheer luck. One morning it’s working, the subsequent afternoon it’s not.
What won’t fix the problem #1
One of the finer features of OS X is the simplicity of uninstalling applications. For the most part, removing applications means dragging icons directly into the trash can (and removing a folder or file from /Library/Application Support). Adobe products are a whole ‘nother beast with multiple folders and nested items installed here and there. Even if you use Adobe’s included Creative Suite uninstaller, remnants of Adobe are still buried on your hardrive.
I used the Creative Suite uninstaller, repaired permissions, then restarted and re-installed CS3. The 'failed to initialize' disk error persisted. FAIL.
What won’t fix the problem #2
I tried again. This time, I ran the the uninstaller then manually searched out any folder or file [left behind] that shared any association with Adobe. Once completed, I repaired permissions and restarted before re-installed the CS3. Same result – failed to initialize the disk. FAIL.
Damaged hidden Photoshop preference?
I was irritated beyond belief. Photoshop failed to initialize the disk under my own user account, but functioned properly under any other user accounts I created and tested. I was very much against flattening my hardrive just for Adobe. Re-formatting is generally reserved for a toasted developed environment or serious OS issues.
What will fix the problem #1
A complete reformat will definitely do the trick. Flatten your disk, re-install OS X, then re-install your Adobe products. 3-4 hours later, you’ll be up and running like nothing ever happened. Personally, I prefer something that doesn’t require me sitting through a boring installation and relocating GB’s of data from a backup to a clean install.
What will fix the problem #2
Although this option does require a little more shuffling, it works and will save you hours of time waiting for an OS installation and backup transferring. Note that the directions will differ for pre-Leopard users (see this KB Article).
- Backup your hardrive – use SuperDuper or CCC.
- Ensure that you have the
root
account enabled. - Log-out of your current account and log-in as
root
. - Open System Preferences > Accounts and delete your main user account (Photoshop FAIL).
- 10.5 offers the option to save the User folder as 1) a disk image, 2) retain on the the hardrive under Users, or 3) remove completely. Select to keep the folder locally.
- Open the Finder and navigate to the Users folder. Open the folder and you will notice your previous Home directory appended with the word 'deleted'.
- Rename the directory – removing the word 'deleted'.
- Return to System Preferences > Accounts and create a new Administrator account with a shortname which matches your previous (remember you removed the word 'deleted').
- OS X will notify you that a folder with the same name already exists and prompt you asking if you want to keep the existing. Select to keep.
- Log-out as
root
and back in as your original account and Photoshop should work as it should.
Visit the original Adobe Forums thread for more info. A headache, but definitely more convenient then having to wipe the disk clean for an OS re-install.
Related Adobe note. I have the Adobe CS3 Master Collection installed on an iMac. All of the Adobe tools at my finger tips – quite convenient. All is well until the Adobe Updater launches notifying me of a new Illustrator 11.0.3 update. The updater successfully downloads the update, but fails to complete the install recommending that I uninstall and then re-install the entire Master Suite. Um, no thanks. Your update can’t be that important Adobe. Who wants to wait 1+ hrs. for a re-install when the suite functions as expected? Why can’t expensive software just work?
On MS Windows XP Professional (SP1) when a limited user tries to startAdobe Photoshop CS v.8.0 he gets the following error message:
'Could not initialize Photoshop because the file is locked.
Use the 'Properties' command in the Windows Explorer to unlock the file.'
It seems that the cause of the problem is the location for Photoshop
scratch file (a kind of temporary file. In Photoshop CS you can set the
volumes (i.e. partitions) for scratch files in the following way:
Edit -> Preferences -> Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks
You can define up to four scratch volumes.
Here is how the problem happened in my case:
The Photoshop CS v.8.0 was installed by an administrator on the system
partition, i.e. on the partition where the Windows folder is located
(also the 'Documents and Settings' and 'Program Files' folders) -- by
default this is the C: partition.
When the Photoshop was first started by a limited user account (who
was not member of the local administrators group) he got the following
message:
'You currently have Adobe Photoshop's primary Scratch and Windows'
primary paging file on the same volume, which can result in reduced
performance. It is recommended that you set Adobe Photoshop's primary
Scratch volume to be on a different volume, preferably on a different
physical drive.'
Following that recommendation the user set the Photoshop first scratch
volume to D: (this was the second hard disk on his PC). But after
closing Photoshop he was unable to start it again because of the
error, 'Could not initialize Photoshop because the file is locked ..'
The problem is that the Photoshop is unable to create the scratch file
on the D: partition as in Windows XP limited users don't have right by
default to create files on the root of a partition (D:).
On the other hand if the first scratch volume is set to 'Startup',
then Photoshop opens the scratch file on the partition where it was
installed, which is here the system partition. More precisely, in that
case Photoshop opens the scratch file in the temporary folder pointed
by the TEMP and TMP Windows environment variables. By default, these
variables have the value, '%USERPROFILE%Local SettingsTemp' where
%USERPROFILE% is another Windows environment variable that points to
the user profile folder, e.g. 'C:Documents and %Settingsuser_name'.
Conclusion: if you want to have the Photoshop scratch file on a
partition which is not the system partition, you also have to have
right to write files to the root of that partition.
If you are not allowed to have that right, then as a workaround you
can restore the Photoshop default user preferences by renaming or
deleting the 'Adobe Photoshop CS Prefs.psp' file in your user profile
folder -- more precisely in the folder,
%USERPROFILE%Application DataAdobePhotoshop8.0Adobe Photoshop CS Settings
(you can copy the path and open it in the Windows Explorer).
In my opinion this is a bug in Photoshop. When user changes the
scratch drives, Photoshop should check if it is able to open a file on
the corresponding location before allowing the change. Also, if it is
unable to open the scratch file afterwards, it should try to open the
file at another location.
According to some previous articles in the news groups, this bug also
existed in some previous versions of Photoshop and it is strange that
it hasn't been corrected yet.
How-To Geek Forums / Windows XP
photoshop 7.1 wont finish loading as scratch disk full message
(3 posts)Scratch Disks Are Full Photoshop Cc 2018
I have reinstalled photoshop umpteen times on quad core, 2 terabyte hd and 8 gigs RAM, with over 1 terabyte hd free to use, but still get scratch disk full message. I can't get into preferences as program won't load up!! Please help me. I have gone into documents and settings etc and deleted the PSP file but it reappears and disk full message appears during failed loading.
Found this link
Could Not Initialize Photoshop Scratch Disks Are Full Mac
Photoshop 7 will not work on a hard drive over 1 terabyte. I just installed a 1.5terabyte drive and it continues to tell me it cannot initialize because the scratch disk are full. It runs perfect on a 300gig, 200gig and 120gig hard drive. Hope this helps someone having SCRATCH DISK ERRORS on newer larger hard drives.
Topic Closed
This topic has been closed to new replies.