Monday, August 5, 2013

Adobe CC Not Recognizing Exchange

Why is this an issue?

I have been a subscriber to Adobe CC since it became an option just a couple months ago and before that, I was a subscriber to Adobe CS 6 and have had all the previous versions from CS4 up installed on my Mac.  I never doubted my decision on any level when I purchased a subscription; I felt my choice was strongly supported by Adobe when they announced a full commitment on CC (creative cloud) and no more revisions on the CS product. However, occasionally the installations of applications, plug-ins, etc... has been a bit troublesome.

Today, I was so excited to find a plug-in, CSS3Ps, that proclaimed to turn the webpage mock-up that I just designed in Photoshop CC into very easy and ready to use CSS code. Of course, this ability is included in the latest version of Photoshop CC, but for some reason, the CSS code that was promised by the free CSS3Ps plug-in available on Adobe Exchange looked more appealing. 

So, I downloaded the CSS3Ps.zpx file and thought within just a few minutes I would be ready for action...

Photoshop and Dreamweaver are Not Communicating With Exchange!

Yes, when I tried to open up Adobe Exchange within Photoshop CC or Dreamweaver CC, I was getting error messages that read Adobe Exchange was not being found by Creative Cloud. I thought I noticed this issue a month ago or so, but I chalked it up to the plug-in being incompatible with my current version. Today, I found out that somewhere my Adobe files had been corrupted.

I read many forums and blogs on how to solve these issues, including deleting files from the  /Library/Application Support/Adobe directory, using the usual Adobe Uninstaller Programs, to remove all the leftover files that Adobe seems to leave behind.

After using all of the solutions above, I was stumped a once more trying to find the link from which I could easily download the Creative Cloud Installer. Of course, it is about 4 rows down on the webpage, and I kept missing it. Once I downloaded the installation process, which for some reason took over 1 hour, I encountered the error: "Adobe Creative Cloud Installer Fails to Initialize."

If You Have an ADOBE CC Issue Do Not Use Any of The Typical Methods of Removing an App on the MAC.

I believe the fact that I started my 15 hours (still not done) Adobe adventure with trying traditional methods to uninstall the programs just made matters worse. My recommendation is that you use ADOBE CLEANER. This program gives you the option to try the uninstall method once more, or you can just remove the Adobe version that you select. It works on the ancient versions too, so do not worry about being to old school for this utility. Benefit from my troubles, and the time it took for me to finally stumble upon the proper forum with the appropriate question to become aware of it.

I Still Believe You Can't Find A Better Set of Programs For The Money.

With the current cloud subscriptions topping out at just under $50/ month, and access to all of the Adobe favorites and even more,  I do not think you can go wrong with a subscription. The installation/program issues have been few and far between, although I have noticed them. I would estimate about 10 total issues, including program crashes, etc... since January 2013. So, I encourage you to not be discouraged by my post but to be encouraged by the availability of Adobe Cleaner!!!

Enjoy yourself, and be creative!