Cannot install Photoshop CS4 upgrade

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

Whenever I click on Setup.exe, the hourglass shows for a moment and then nothing at all happens! I have tried everything I know: making a New Admin account, disabling Services and Startups via msconfig, doing a thorough virus check (nothing found), etc. I have tried to first uninstall CS3 but, surprisingly, it will not uninstall via Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel: after clicking Change/Remove, nothing happens. I spent considerable time with a support person at Adobe but to no avail.
I should add that I install and uninstall programs frequently, and I have never before had any such problems with other Adobe products such as Lightroom or previous versions of Photoshop. There is nothing exotic about my system: Windows XP, dual monitors (I tried disabling one of them), 4gb RAM, 3 internal hard drives, ATI radeon graphics card.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW ANY PLAUSIBLE SOLUTIONS YOU MAY HAVE FOR THIS ISSUE. Many thanks!

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

empty out your temp folders and try again...

[bmoag]

I presume you are trying to install the shrink wrapped DVD.
I presume you have rebooted. This solves many transient inexplicable issues
like this, which are far more common on Vista than XP, in which the user
preferences et al are easily corrupted and the desktop/icons do not
display/operate properly. XP is not plagued like Vista by bizarre\idiotic
ownership protocols that can interfere with simple operations like
installing programs, copying or sharing files.
In XP unless you have purposely set up your computer to exclude
non-administrator accounts from any and all privileges it is rare to run
into these problems which can plague Vista.
Have you checked under user accounts to see how your machine is set up? You
may need to remove all accounts other than the administrator/you and get rid
of any passwords.
Can you install/uninstall in safe mode? Have you tried reverting to an
earlier state under system restore?
Will the program run if you right click on the executable and then left
click on the run/install option?
Are you able to read other CD/DVDs from this drive?
If not then delete the drive in control panel/system and reboot. Sometimes
the basic driver gets corrupted and Windows will reinstall it cleanly on
reboot. If the drive still does not work clearly the drive is the problem.
Can you network your computer to another with a DVD drive and try to install
from that DVD drive?
It is not impossible that the installation disc itself is defective.
Can you uninstall other programs through the add/remove applet? If you can
then something has happened specifically to Photoshop.
Deactivate CS3 (so you will not have hassles if you want to reinstall it)
and make sure you have back-ups of any plug-ins you may have installed.
Manually delete the CS3 files under My Programs and manually comb
Windows/System files and the registry for dlls and Photoshop specific
references. Run anti-virus and anti-malware scans. Run a registry cleaner.
Reboot and try to install CS4, presuming the DVD drive and disc are not
defective.
It is not likely that your XP installation is defective: backing up your
system, reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling everything is not for
the feint of heart. For one thing you spend a lot of time on the phone to
India getting reactivation codes for software you bought and paid for.

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks, Dave, for your suggestion. I emptied my temp folders but, alas, the same problem continues. It is a mystery to me why nothing happens when clicking setup.exe.

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

copy the photoshop folder to the hard drive, restart in safe mode (can you do that in vista?) and try running setup.exe from the folder on the desktop...

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

Again, thanks for your suggestion Dave. I copied, restarted in Safe Mode, and then tried running setup.exe from the C drive, but unfortunately, the same problem still continues. I try to open setup.exe and the hourglass displays for a moment and then nothing at all happens.

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

hi robert. wow. sticky situation. try this out...

run the clean script first. read the instructions on this page. then run at level 2. then try to install. if it still doesn't go, run it again at level 3...

Using the new CS3Clean Script
<http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb402767&sliceId=2>

[Buko]

Isn't there a CS4 cleanscript?

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

I don't knwo, but he says he can't remove cs3 either. i'd start there. ...

[dp...@adobeforums.com]

How long has it been since you've reinstalled your OS? If it's been a while, sounds like a good time.

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

Dave, thanks again for your suggestion. I ran CS3Clean Script at level 2 but no solution, so then I ran it at level 3. Still no solution and, much worse, now no Photoshop or Bridge! I backed up data files the Script program recommended, but it seems to have removed the entire CS3 program. I do have my original downloaded CS3 package, but still it will not install: clicking setup.exe is followed by a message about initializing, and then nothing. And still, my purchased CS4 upgrade will not install: as always, after clicking setup.exe, nothing happens.
Very frustrating. I do not want to reinstall Windows XP if that means I have to reinstall all my programs and re-tweak all their settings. I can call Adobe support again, but their technician was not very helpful in my previous call. If you have any further ideas, please let me know, and thanks for all your help.

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

I do not want to reinstall Windows XP if that means I have to reinstall
all my programs and re-tweak all their settings.

you can reinstall right over the existing install, that will refresh the os without you having to reinstall everything. except patches. make sure if you do so you reinstall all ms updates.

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

Thanks again Dave! This morning I did a Windows XP Repair Install. It solved my previous problem! I ran setup.exe and it appeared to be installing Photoshop CS4 ... until maybe 75% along I got the message, "Please insert Photoshop CS4 into drive C:\ to continue installation." At that point I called Adobe support, two different times, but still am unable to get beyond that message. Do you happen to have any suggestions concerning this new issue? Many thanks!

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

cool. now that it seems to be moving, i'd go back to the beginning of htis thread (hit "show all messages") and try the things we've recommended again.

[Robert...@adobeforums.com]

Dave - I have tried all you have suggested, as well as my own ideas and those of 4 different tech people at Adobe. But I cannot spend more time on this issue - after spending the better part of a week unsuccessfully trying to get PS CS4 to install, I have given up and requested a refund from Adobe. You have been a great help all along, and I want to thank you very much!

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

oh well. sorry to hear that. that's why i think it's often better to just backup/reformat and be done with it. it would've taken less that a day.

[SaveSheep]

Hey everybody

I did find a solution to this problem - do not give up so easy =)If I
remember correctly, there was a similar issue installing cs3 on xp
when it came out. i run vista business, with fresh installs of master
suite, dreamweaver, and photoshop. Nothing would work, it kept
freezing at 90% of checking system profile. My fix:

1) When the setup finishes at 90%, open task manager but do not close
setup.exe yet. (ctrl+alt+delete)
2) goto start>run and type in appwiz.cpl (or open programs and
features from control panel - add/remove programs in xp control panel)
3) you should see whatever you attempted to install show up in the
program list. Click on it as if you were going to uninstall it. Once
it is highlighted (without running uninstall) close setup.exe using
the task manager in step one then click uninstall in the program list.
setup should continue as usual.

good luck!

[sala...@adobeforums.com]

Robert Vance I had same problem. I tried every thing too, even installed windows xp twise (tried vista, xp 86, xp 64). But nothing helped me, until I have downloaded adobe installation package again. I think old one was damaged and some file was not there. Try to download again. Or try unpack again. It have to help.