restored computer , cc 2014 problem now

[egosbar]

hi all

so i had a problem with adobe flash player crashing , i had updated to cc 2014 no problems and it was working fine , i thought id restore my computer to fix the flash problem which it didnt , i then found a fix for tools / options / general and deselect hardware acceleration which worked

problem i have now is i cant find adobe photoshop icon to launch , the folder is under c/programs adobe cc 2014 but there is no launch icon

anyone know why this would happen , i dont really want to restore back to where i was as the computer is working fine and i dont really want to risk it

ive looked at the apps in adobe creative cloud and cc2014 says up to date

 

[Hoogle]

try running the cleaner tool

http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/cs5-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html

that should reset your installed apps on cc.

For future reference create a disk image of your computer when it is working exactly how you want it to be. Then whenever you get problems you can then reinstall windows with all your programs and plugins in about 20 mins. Just create a new image whenever you install new programs and updates.

If you dont want to use the windows image creator (which I use) then you can look at programs like Acronis true image.

onmy windows 8 machines I can format down drive and reinstall from a disk image in under 5 mins with all my software and plugins. Granted I am storing disk images on an SSD and copying it onto an SSD but even from my external mechanical drive it installs in less than 15 mins.

where as if I was to install windows and all my software with plugins I am looking at 2 days to install everything

 

[iDad]

I would try logging out of cc and then log back in that may fix problem

 

[Steve]

I don't know what a launch icon is, do you mean a shortcut? (Windows)
You should have Photoshop.exe in your CC2014 folder.

That starts the program.
Drag a shortcut to your desktop from Photoshop.exe.

Or are you talking about something completely different?

 

[egosbar]

yeah steve the exe icon wasnt there , i restored back to original , deselected the hardware acc and all is good

 

[egosbar]

For future reference create a disk image of your computer when it is working exactly how you want it to be. Then whenever you get problems you can then reinstall windows with all your programs and plugins in about 20 mins. Just create a new image whenever you install new programs and updates.

HOW DO I DO THIS AND CAN I DO IT TO A THUMB DRIVE

 

[Steve]

yeah steve the exe icon wasnt there , i restored back to original , deselected the hardware acc and all is good

Excelent, glad to hear you worked it out.

For future reference create a disk image of your computer when it is working exactly how you want it to be. Then whenever you get problems you can then reinstall windows with all your programs and plugins in about 20 mins. Just create a new image whenever you install new programs and updates.

HOW DO I DO THIS AND CAN I DO IT TO A THUMB DRIVE

I've been doing that since the days of tape backup, 20+ years.
Now I use Acronis True Image to backup my entire hard drive once a week to a USB hard drive and keep the last three backups.
I also use Crashplan to backup my personal documents an all my photos.

Also no, I doubt you can backup all your important files to a thumb drive.

 

[egosbar]

so if windows crashes your saying you dont have to install all your programs , what if you do a full windows restore

 

[Hoogle]

yep It is a brilliant way to restore your computer back to a perfectly set up machine, Over time your system will get cluttered and start to slow down, This will just act as a reset option removing all the crap. Just remember it formats the hard drive first so any important files you have that are not contained in the image back up make sure to back up first before restoring using an image.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/4241/how-to-create-a-system-image-in-windows-7/


a system back up image basically takes a photo of your hard drive all the programs you have all your favourites in internet browser etc and is designed to bring your computer back to that state rather than using system restore or factory recovery.

Also if your hard drive ever fails then you can just put in a new empty hard drive put in a windows DVD and instead of install now select repair your computer followed by use system image restore.

hassle free and you get your computer back to exactly how you like it.

Be warned though an image file can be around 40 GB so you will need some kind of large storage to store it on and preferably not the main HDD that is in your computer

 

[Steve]

so if windows crashes your saying you dont have to install all your programs , what if you do a full windows restore

Sure, you can do a Windows restore.

Then reinstall all the updates, re-install all your programs (I hope you saved all the serial numbers or activation codes) and update those too.
Then reset all your custom settings in all your programs, then copy your personal files from your thumb drive.

For about $200 you can buy a USB or additional internal hard drive and a backup program. (I use Acronis True Image).

Once a week I do a complete back up of my Drive C: and a complete backup of my Photos on a different drive.
I keep a total of three backups of each.

ie: On week 4, the backup of week 1 is deleted and replaced by week 4's backup.
I always have 3 weeks worth of versions of my C: drive and my Photos.

If I have a total HDD melt down all I have to do is replace the drive, run Acronis, and go out to lunch.
When I get back it's like the crash never happened.

 

[egosbar]

sounds good im looking into it

 

[Tom Mann]

FWIW, Ego, I fully second Hoogle's advice about imaging your drives.

Steve's writeup sounds like he was describing the routine I've been using for over a decade now, right down to the number of off-site backups I keep in rotation.

You won't go wrong with their suggestions. The question is not "if" a computer will fail, it is "when will it fail".

Over the years, I've had numerous hardware and software failures, and due to my backup system, never lost more than a day's worth of files.

T

 

[egosbar]

i do back all my files up , but it is a pain to reload all my programs , this sounds right up my alley , on the weekend ill be doing this