Windows 7 - PS/LR Issue - DPChallenge Forums

07/18/2009 10:49:49 AM · #1

I've been running Windows 7 with LR 2 and CS3 without a hitch.... until now.

Now everytime I go to edit an image in CS3 I get an error saying that the file cannot be initialized because it is locked and to use the properties in Windows to unlock it. Well, the properties allow you to set permissions. There is no mention of locking/unlocking.

I don't have the BitLocker activated and that's the only reference in Windows help.

What could it be and how do I unlock the file?

07/18/2009 11:14:09 AM · #2

Hmmm. Not a "locked for editing" problem since then it would ask you if you wanted to open it as read-only. Are all files acting this way? Can you right-click on the file and select "Open With?" If you can do so, can you get the file to open with another program, or can you select "Preview" from the right-click menu?

07/18/2009 11:19:54 AM · #3

Try this. Open the properties dialog for one of the affected files, click the Security tab, Then click the Advanced button and select the Owner tab. Look at who the owner is. Is it the account you are logged in under? If not, can you take ownership (you'll need administrative rights), and if so, does that solve the problem?

07/18/2009 11:20:33 AM · #4

All files are behaving this way. They can be previewed in Quicktime.

Only PS tells me they are locked. (PSD only. I only have CS3 so the RAW files can't be opened by PS anyway -- but trying that gives the same message)

LR has no real issue creating the files (other than occasionaly forgetting about the auto rotate).

Open with or preview with PS doesn't work either. At least it's consistent.

07/18/2009 11:24:46 AM · #5

There's a strange account (account unknown) that I'm trying to delete. How do I turn off inheritance permissions?

Somehow all the files have this account as the owner.

07/18/2009 11:36:19 AM · #6

Originally posted by cpanaioti:

There's a strange account (account unknown) that I'm trying to delete. How do I turn off inheritance permissions?

Somehow all the files have this account as the owner.

There you go!
Manage accounts by opening Control Panel>User Accounts>Manage Another Account. Here you can change attributes of any account you like (you cannot delete the guest account). It's surprising that there is an account that you are not familiar with. If you didn't create it, I'd delete it and then take ownership of the files from your account. That should solve the problem.

07/18/2009 11:41:16 AM · #7

I've taken ownership of the entire folder and denied access to this strange account but still get the locked message. I'll try deleting the account entirely.

It doesn't show in the Manage accounts screen. :o/

Only my account (administrator) and the guest account show.

Message edited by author 2009-07-18 11:42:11.

07/18/2009 11:53:40 AM · #8

Doesn't show up in Manage Accounts? How unusual, and also troubling. I'm surprised that taking ownership does not solve the problem.
Snce the problem seems to be specific to files handled by Ps, I'm wondering if Ps configuration might not be at fault. If so, uninstalling and reinstalling *might* not solve the problem. There's plenty of stuff that's not removed during an uninstall, and it might be repeating its mistakes on reinstall. If you can't solve the problem with account management and taking ownership, and you can prove to yourself that Ps and/or Lr files are the only ones affected, then it might be time for a visit to the Adobe forums.

07/18/2009 12:00:07 PM · #9

The permissions were messed up so I looked at another folder and have been trying to get the permissions to match.

For some reason, even though windows goes through the motions of changing the permissions on all subfolders and files when I go to view the properties again they're back the way they were. What's up with that?

I'll ask the question about locked files on the Adobe forum and see what comes out of that.

07/18/2009 12:09:43 PM · #10

Now this is just getting more weird.

I tried to just open PS (no file, nothing) and got the same error.

It may not be the permissions on the files but on the executable itself.

If I choose 'run as administrator' it works.

Message edited by author 2009-07-18 12:12:49.

07/18/2009 01:21:04 PM · #11

Reinstalling PS solved the issue. Probably a corrupt entry in the registry regarding who could access the executable.

I've had W 7 hang a few times so I guess the last time I forced a shutdown it was stuck in PS.

07/18/2009 01:32:47 PM · #12

Originally posted by cpanaioti:

Ah, yep, that might explain it. Interesting set of symptoms... glad you got it sorted.