Error Msg everytime I launch PS CS3

[nrms...@adobeforums.com]

Immediately after launching PS CS3 everytime, I get an error message "could not import the clipboard because there is not enough memory (RAM)".

Now, I googled for this error and found it seems to have been a problem ongoing since VERY early versions of Photoshop. Apparently it is recommended to dlete and recreate the Windows swapfile, since the error is probably caused by a corrupted or damaged swapfile. Well I follow this advice and it fixes the problem, at least for a while. Then a little while later the problem comes back.

Any idea why I am suffering the problem and how to fix it permanently?

Thanks
NigelS

[SDA]

Well how much RAM do you actually have to use with Photoshop ?

[nrms...@adobeforums.com]

Well, 4GB (3.5GB usable by Vista 32 bit); about 800MB in use by Windows when I open Photoshop without any file loaded.

I think the corrupt swapfie is a red herring because I've had the error occur when the swapfile is actually disabled.

[Zeno_...@adobeforums.com]

how much free space do you have on the drives that contain the swap file and Photoshops scratch disks?

[nrms...@adobeforums.com]

Over 400GB free space. And a quad 6600 processor. I really don't think the machine spec is an issue here.

I also have PS CS3 running on a Dell laptop of much lower spec and I have never seen the error message on launching on that platform.

Sometimes I get message when I launch, sometimes I don't.

[Zeno_...@adobeforums.com]

well, if it's the swap file, try to set it to 1gb min and max. Another thing you can try is to start the task manager(Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and select the performance tab and see if the Memory and/or the Physical Memory Usage History indicators fill up completely when you get that error

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

I think the corrupt swapfie is a red herring because I've had the error
occur when the swapfile is actually disabled.

most win apps NEED the swap file. you should set it to 2x the amount of installed. ram.

[Zeno_...@adobeforums.com]

not quite, i heard of plenty of folks with 8gb of ram who have disabled their swap file. The thing is, most applications don't know that there's a swap file, they just ask for memory and windows gives them what it has

[Myle...@adobeforums.com]

That's not correct. Even when you "disable" it, Windows will still create one. It needs this thing for hibernation and idle caches for inactive apps/ processes.

Mylenium

[John Joslin]

It strikes me that Zeno Bokor likes to ignore conventions and accepted practices for kicks.

And he will keep doing it until something breaks.

Best advice? Don't take his!

[Zeno_...@adobeforums.com]

We're getting off topic here but, hibernation doesn't use the swap file, it uses the C:\hiberfil.sys file and the inactive apps would reside in ram with the swap disabled but of course this requires a lot of ram(over 4gb) which is the whole point of disabling the swap on those kind of systems

[nrms...@adobeforums.com]

@mylenium

No. Windows creates a separate file (taking an additional 3.5GB) for hibernation it doesn't use the swapfile for hibernation.

Since we are straying off the issue slightly: I have tested both deleting & recreating a swapfile (to test for corruption), and disabling the swapfile altogether. Both workrounds fixed the problem for a few days, but then the error msg returned. So I decided it was nothing to do with swapfile at all, but something else was going on.

Since the error message indicates that PS is trying to import the clipboard upon launch, I cannot help but think that the error occurs occassionally, whenever there is something saved on the clipboard in a format that PS doesn't understand or cannot import. I noted that the default option set under File|New is "Clipboard", so I have changed this to "Default Photoshop Size", and this has (so far) stopped the problem from re-occurring. (Fingers crossed)

[Zeno_...@adobeforums.com]

how large were the width/height/resolution when the clipboard option was selected?

[nrms...@adobeforums.com]

not sure, but quite small, since it is an option that got remembered from when I was cutting & pasting album art for mP3 tags, probably about 500x500 px.

Perhaps PS was reserving a small amount of RAM for clipboard import based on this previous usage, and then trying to import a much larger clipboard object when the error msg was triggerred. Anyway I will see whether changing the default File|New option has fixed it longer term.

[John Joslin]

You could try:

1. In Windows, clear the clipboard.

2. In Photoshop, Edit > Purge > Clipboard.

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

you could also reset the preferences. could be some unit of measurement issue akin to the resize issue when you leave off the units (i.e. intending px, where ps thinks inches or centimeters).

I for one have vista 64 with 2gb of ram and 1gb of swap and never had
problems with the swap file and I've used Photoshop

correlation!=causation.

because you've never had problems doesn't mean others don't/haven't/won't. drive space is cheap. feed your system. treat her well.

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

btw, why run vista 64 with only 2 gig? what a waste. if you're not going to give it at least 4 - preferably 8 or more - stick with xp pro 32 for performance.

[boblevine]

There's no reason to run Vista 64 with less than 8 gigs of RAM.

Bob

[Zeno_...@adobeforums.com]

I like to squeeze as much out of a system before having to upgrade the hardware, i know, i'm weird. Anyway, my point was that vista runs just fine even with 2gb ram+1gb swap even under very heavy memory load so unless the OP was loading 500mb+ files into Photoshop it shouldn't have given him those errors.

If the errors only occur when the new file preset is set to Clipboard then there must be something awfully huge in there(or corrupted) to have caused those errors