illustrator cs2 startup problems

[hiq112]

i have recently been unable to start illustrator cs2 on xp home. it says i am missing the required plugins BRS PENCIL TOOL and PATHFINDER SUITE. huh? when i try to repair thru the program manager it keeps getting interupted. huh? same when i try to re-install from the og install files. help me please. i've gotta get back to work.

thanks
q

 

[jb1k]

hey there. I am having the EXACT problem w/ CS2 in XP that you mentioned...I noticed no responses, did you ever find a solution?

i have been trouble shooting this gremlin for a week straight to no avail. reloading the program, searching for required plug-ins, you name it.

I haven't however tried stripping all of CS2 and reinstalling it.

your help would be much appreciated!

JB1k

 

[itchybug]

q and j:

If this is a problem that started to occur after succesfully using Illustrator for some length of time, look into the possibility of a corrupted aiprefs file.

The aiprefs file is the location where Illustrator saves a bunch of information about program settings, preferences, palette positions, etcetera. Every time you exit Illustrator, the program updates the aiprefs file, recording any changes that were made and updating the info. In the process of writing, Illustrator occasionally messes up and corrupts the aiprefs file. When this happens, you can either spend a good chunk of vacation time trying to edit the aiprefs file, or DITCH it and start from scratch. Deleting the aiprefs file WITH ILLUSTRATOR CLOSED will reset things to factory defaults, and you can re-customize everything to where you like it. The reason it's so important to do this with Illustrator closed is that any corruption would immediately be included in the new aiprefs written upon exit. That last bit doesn't necessarily apply to you, seeing as you both can't even fire up the ol' CS2...

Re-installing Illustrator will NOT remove/overwrite any aiprefs that may be present.

Keep in mind, that you must delete the correct aiprefs file for the version of Illustrator that's having problems, in case you have multiple versions in use.

I customize my Illustrator once (I know where I like everything), then close Illustrator and make the aiprefs file read-only. You can also make a backup of it in a separate folder.

To locate the aiprefs file, do a search for aiprefs, no extension, enable search for hidden and system files.

On my XP home, CS1 has its aiprefs located in the folder:

"C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS Settings"

HTH

Bert

http://www.itchybug.com