Photoshop File on Network Drive

... refuses to open

matt from New York, US, using CS, Photoshop 7 with OSX, Win2k, writes in with:

[Quote:] I create a multi layered file in Photoshop 7, save it as a PSD onto a network drive then exit Photoshop. The next time I try to open the file I get an error message saying that it's an invalid format. This happens in any app I try to open it in: Photoshop, Illustrator, Photoshop CS, After Effects, Avid, all of them give me the same grief. This is not the only file this has happened to. HELP! -matt

Reply:

You've violated the cardinal rule of Photoshop: NEVER save to a network server or drive. Because of the variances in drive speeds, formatting and gateways. you're asking for trouble. Always save on the local drive FIRST. Then copy the whole file to the network drive.

If this doesn't work, then you need to use a program like Stuffit or Zip to compress and protect the file. We had that problem all the time at JMU saving files from the Mac lab to the main server and back.

Never, ever work on a file while it's on the net drive or network server. It will surely screw up and be incredibly slow. Always work on the file on your local hard drive and save it there before sending it any place else.

(PLEASE Folks: DO NOT post more problems to this post. Use the "Comments" below ONLY if you have solutions to this particular problem. Thank you)

Comments

[Tim]

This happens every time I save or open from a network location - I usually lose all connectivity to the network drive after opening/saving. Its probably the most annoying and crippling bug (and it is a bug) of photoshop dating way back - over several versions. Can't expect much from a 700$ program I guess.

[Ryan]

Try deleting or changing your settings file to reset to default. We have the same case but what I did, I restored the setting of cache levels to 4 (default) 'cause previously I changed it to 6. I ran several tests and damn I solved my problem and got back to work. Hope this helps.

[James]

I just ran into this with Photoshop CS (8.0) with a layered TIFF file saved to a network drive. Even after moving the file to my local drive, I could no longer open it ("Could not complete your request becuase of a program error.")

A co-worker with Corel Draw could open it, but I could not. Over the next weekend CS2 arrived and was installed by our IT people. Surprise! CS2 had no difficulty opening the file. CS still can't.

I still have no clue why it happened (this was the first time I'd ever seen it). However, it appears the solution is to use another program to access it, or see if another version of Photoshop can handle it and fix whatever corruption got into it.