Problems with "file associations" in Mac OSX

[Jim0203]

I'm working on a Mac with OSX 10.4. For some reason when I last used it, Photoshop refused to load. The computer behaved as if I'd tried to open Photoshop with Machacha, a program I use for splitting and rejoining archives.

It was as if the Photoshop application was a file, rather than a program, and that the "file association" (that's what I'd call it on a Windows PC, with which I'm more familiar) had been changed. All very strange.

When I removed Machacha from the computer, Photoshop still refused to start and brought up a message to do with Apple Scripting or something similar.

Photoshop is still installed on the computer; whenever I load a Photoshop file, it opens in Photoshop: I just can't run Photoshop from the Applications folder!

Anyone got any ideas?

 

[Egidio]

I'm working on a Mac with OSX 10.4. For some reason when I last used it, Photoshop refused to load.

Generally when an application refuses to open -- the bouncing icon on the dock -- it is a sign of a damaged preference. You can try to go into your user Library > Preferences and search for the plist file for Photoshop. The file name will likely be com.adobe.photoshop.plist. Just move it out of the Preference folder, e.g., your desktop. Then try to start Photoshop. It'll create a brand new plist file. If it opens, then you'll know it was a damaged plist file and can safely discard the old plist on the desktop.