26 Replies Latest reply: Sep 9, 2014 8:15 PM by Pior RSS

    All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug

    jmyler Community Member

      I've seen this question appear every few years and be dismissed, so I know I'm not the only one getting this bug, and it's not completely debilitating but it sure is irritating and I can't see why it's never been fixed.

       

      What happens is when you're on the color picking window, when you're selecting a color sometimes it will create a cascade of non-stop Help windows until the browser crashes or throws up warning messages.

      This behavior has happened to me through every iteration of Photoshop I've used since back in 1997 or so. I currently use CS6 and it happens every once in a while.

      I don't know why it doesn't come up more in discussion because every artist I know who uses photoshop regularly will encounter this problem. Most probably just learn to ignore the problem. But still it is curious that it STILL is a problem in the current photoshop.

        • 1. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
          Semaphoric Community Member

          I have never, ever seen this problem, going back to v4.0.

          • 2. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
            Chris Cox Adobe Employee

            Most users do NOT encounter this problem.

            We keep investigating, but can't reproduce the problem -- there appears to be some other factor (another app, utility, or OS setting) involved that we don't know about.

            • 3. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
              jmyler Community Member

              I find it so incredible that people don't encounter this problem more. I encounter it about once every few days. (and back during photoshop 8 days it could happen once every few minutes).  But bare in mind I am constantly opening the color picker window, probably every few seconds for hours and hours. So I'm probably using the color picker far more then most users (probably around 5000 times in a day). So if theres a bug with the color picker window, I'll experiance the bug.

              • 4. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                jmyler Community Member

                Ok here's something new, but when the help windows started popping up today the color picker threw up an error message (before photoshop crashed) but I managed to get a screenshot beforehand.

                It seems odd that since the 90's, the color picker always wants to initialize the help application, which is not an option from within that menu.

                 

                screen.jpg

                • 5. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                  Chris Cox Adobe Employee

                  It's more odd that it only happens to a few users, and we can never reproduce the problem.

                   

                  There is some other factor on your system that triggers the problem - and we need to know what that factor might be so we can reproduce the problem and debug it.

                  What is different about your system that might be triggering this?

                  • 6. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                    TDRonline Community Member

                    Oh I get this every now and then. Also when I'm adding a style to a layer, it somehow thinks I opened the help and then opens 4 help web pages. It is annoying.

                     

                    Happens in CC as well.

                    • 7. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                      jmyler Community Member

                      It's probably 100% NOT the actual system setup that is triggering this. I've experianced this problem since the 90's on probably 15-20 different computers that ranged from iMac G3 computers to Windows 8 PC. I also worked in a computer lab where this happened frequently to students. The solution is just force-quit the browser that is popping up the help windows. So it's not the end of the world, but it's interesting that its been persistant through all the years.

                      I've heard someone once report that it was emblimatic of the computer running out of memory. But since I'm not a programmer or working at Adobe, I cannot verify.

                      • 8. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                        candidhamstog Community Member

                        Exact same thing happens to me.  I was trying to choose a color for a custom shape I was about to apply just now, which is what prompted me to finally look it up online.  I am using Photoshop CC.  Same error.  I have had it happen in the past too on various machines.  I am currently on a windows 7 i5-3230M 2.6GHz Turbo Boost system with 8g RAM, GeForce NVIDIA 710M.  I have Bridge CC, PS CC and Google Chrome open.

                         

                        It crashed my browser after opening 20+ tabs for the Adobe Help site and ultimately crashed Photoshop.  It's very annoying.

                        • 9. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                          Chris Cox Adobe Employee

                          We have not seen or heard of this this on MacOS, only Windows.

                           

                          And we don't see it inside Adobe, despite many people, many different machines, and a LOT of hours using Photoshop.

                           

                          Most users don't see the help pages pop up, but some do.

                          So, logically, there is something different about those systems that triggers the help function -- and we don't know what that other factor might be.

                           

                          We are pretty sure it doesn't have to do with running out of RAM.

                          More likely is some UI modification utility that's forcing system events to go to the wrong target (like an automatic button/field targetting utility, or UI drawing modification utility).

                          • 10. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                            steelfrog Community Member

                            I've been using Photoshop for several years, accross dozens of machines of various configurations (all Windows-based) and this is the only bug I've encountered on every machine without fault. It's also my biggest gripe with Photoshop having to close down the application several times daily because it won't stop spawning "Help and Support" windows. From what I can recall, it's been happening since the early CS iterations, either the original CS or CS2. I distinctly remember spawning non web-based "Help" windows before Adobe made the swap to web-based help documentation.

                             

                            It seems to trigger oftenly when picking colors or browsing layer styles under high-load; either from working large documents, having many layers or working on multiple documents at the same time. It occurs much more often on systems that have less memory than workhorse desktops. For example, the machine I'm working on now is an i5 with 4 gigs of RAM running Windows 7 X86 and it occurs almost routinely every hour and a half or so.

                             

                            It very rarely - if ever - occurs after short use. It always seems to come up after an hour of work or more.

                             

                            I use no plugins or customize the UI in any way; I work with the default workspace layout and shortcuts. If I can provide any more insight, I'd of course be glad to do so.

                             

                            I hope this helps at least a little.

                            • 11. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                              Gohunter Community Member

                              I'm also experiencing this on CC version. It is really annoying that when I try to open Layer Style and pops up 100s of browser window to adobe.

                              Capture.JPG

                              • 12. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                StrikaSA Community Member

                                Having exactly the same problem and as someone who uses Photoshop all day it gets extremely frustrating.


                                Managed to get a screen grab of one of the more minor ones that occurred today.

                                 

                                Is there any plan for Adobe to investigate this further?Adobe Help Pop Up.png

                                • 13. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                  MrtomFairfax Community Member

                                  Just now it happened so badly I basically had to sit and wait for my browser and photoshop to crash because it was spawning windows so quickly i couldn't get back into photoshop long enough to close the colour picker.

                                   

                                   

                                  I saw a Q+A elswhere say that this has been resolved... where can i get more information? is this going to get a fix in CS6?

                                  • 14. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                    PECourtejoie CommunityMVP

                                    The team has been able to reproduce the issue. We'll see if an update will also be released for CS6; it sure would be welcomed!

                                    • 15. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                      Gohunter Community Member

                                      Constantly getting this crash when I open layer style on text layer. It opens hundreds of web browser going to adobe website.

                                       

                                      Photoshop CC Crashed.JPG

                                      • 16. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                        medwell2012 Community Member

                                        I am an avid Photoshop user for work and free-lance. At my job I currently have the Photoshop CC and I get this problem all the time when selecting a color. It also happens in other instances but off the top of my head I cant think exactly what they are. It is highly annoying when you are working on something and lose it because of a bug that causes a crash. I save very frequently as its almost second nature for me to quick key a save after doing something but there are times when you are in the middle of doing a complex creation and this happens, causing loss of all recently completed tasks. This has been a problem for years and I don't see Adobe fixing it which is one more reason why in my mind Adobe has one of the worst  customer support systems that there are. I love the products but the support is one of the worst. When I encounter a problem I definitely do not come to Adobe to try and solve the issue. All they want to do is talk to you like you are some amateur while trouble shooting the most basic things that have nothing to do with the problem. All my fixes come from other sites which is sad. I guess that is what happens when you corner the market. You can offer inferior service because there is no where else to go. I hope everyone figures out the issue but Im sure you wont do so through this site.

                                        • 17. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                          Chris Cox Adobe Employee

                                          Install the 14.2 update, and you won't have this problem anymore...

                                          • 18. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                            akaBEZ Community Member

                                            Is this update for CS6 as well?
                                            I must say it took you a few years (like 7 i think) to fix this problem.

                                            • 19. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                              Chris Cox Adobe Employee

                                              No, the fix is only in CC and newer releases.

                                               

                                              Yes, it was an incredibly difficult and far from obvious bug to find.

                                              • 20. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                                Pior Community Member

                                                Hi Chris (and in passing : thank you for your dedication and presence in the support threads over the years)

                                                 

                                                I read in your last post that there is now a fix being deployed for CC and newer regarding the legacy "multiple help pages" bug. Is there something being done for earlier versions ? I am running Photoshop CS 5.1 and just ran into this bug again. If that is of any help, in my particular case it was triggered by the image resizing dialog. Here are a few more details about this occurrence :

                                                 

                                                - The image resizing dialog was initially brought up through a keyboard shortcut (in my case, ctrl-alt-i, with the ctrl and alt keys from the right-hand side of the keyboard)

                                                - The multiple help tabs showed up in Chrome before I even started to type in my desired image size. I believe that the bug got triggered when I first clicked inside one of the input fields.

                                                - The image being resized was a smart object from a parent document. The .psb of the smart object was being displayed in full-screen mode with floating elements (second mode in the f-cycle)

                                                - I am running a x64 system with 24gigs of RAM, hence I doubt that RAM usage is the issue here. Operating system is Win7pro x64, service pack 1.

                                                 

                                                I hope this helps, and I am looking forward to a bug fix being deployed for earlier versions, since not every user is on CC. From what I have observed this bug is indeed spread across multiple versions of the program, and well known by power users relying heavily on keyboard shortcuts and fast workflows.

                                                 

                                                Thanks !

                                                • 21. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                                  Chris Cox Adobe Employee

                                                  No, nothing can be done for previous versions.  The fix was a low level change in the windows code for Photoshop that requires extensive testing.

                                                   

                                                  The specific features you use have no relation to the problem - it's a low level issue with the event system and control views used by the app. Basically after being used heavily for a day or more, you might hit a limit that triggers these help windows.

                                                  • 22. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                                    Pior Community Member

                                                    Hello Chris, thank you for your fast respone.

                                                     

                                                    By "nothing can be done", do you mean : nothing can technically be done for versions 5.1 and 6 ?

                                                    Or do you mean, nothing *will* be done (as in, there is conscious decision to not support previous versions of the program even if a bug is identified ?

                                                     

                                                    Regardless - I am glad to hear that the specific chain of actions that I used is not more likely to trigger the bug than any other.

                                                     

                                                    I still would love to hear more about the circumstances triggering the bug  - I indeed keep Photoshop open for many days in a row, for the simple reason that there is no easy way that I know of to resume a work session after closing/opening the program ; that is to say, having a specific series of documents open, certain smart object expanded as psb, and document windows specifically arranged around my work area.

                                                     

                                                    In that context, do you know of a workaround to prevent the multiple help pages bug ? In the past I had to resort to deleting the help contents altogether, but I would love to find a cleaner workaround now that this legacy issue has been identified by your team.

                                                     

                                                    Thank you for your time,

                                                     

                                                    P.O.

                                                    • 23. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                                      Chris Cox Adobe Employee

                                                      The bug is fixed in Photoshop CC, and cannot be fixed in prior versions.

                                                      Relaunching Photoshop every day will probably avoid it, and upgrading to the current version of Photoshop will definitely avoid it.

                                                      • 24. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                                        Pior Community Member

                                                        Thank you again for a fast response - this is always appreciated.

                                                         

                                                        I am still not sure to completely understand what you mean by "the bug [...] cannot be fixed in prior versions". I am not trying to beat a dead horse here - just hoping to avoid any misunderstanding caused by semantics, as "can't" seems to have multiple degrees of meaning in spoken american English (for instance, ranging from "we technically cannot fix that" to "we have no time or intention to fix that").

                                                         

                                                        Besides and unfortunately for me, upgrading to the current version of Photoshop is not a option for performance and workflow reasons. (to be more specific, I noticed a drop in painting performance in CS6 and higher at identical system specs, and also got slowed down in my work efficiency by the redesigned crop tool, with a "legacy mode" unfortunately not behaving like in previous versions). I do appreciate the fact that the ctrl-spacebar-click-drag zooming behavior when working on rotated documents seems to have been improved, but this is unfortunately not enough a justification for me to upgrade in the light of the other issues I experienced. But I digress !

                                                        • 25. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                                          Chris Cox Adobe Employee

                                                          More like "there are more reasons than I could possibly explain here."

                                                           

                                                          The only paint slowdowns we've seen have been due to performance issues in video card drivers, and updating the drivers usually solves the issue.  The GPU makers do still have a few open performance bugs to fix, though.

                                                          • 26. Re: All Photoshop versions - Multiple Help Window Pop Up bug
                                                            Pior Community Member

                                                            That's indeed a good way to phrase it

                                                             

                                                            While it would be awesome to see a cross-version fix rolled out one day, as long as I am not actually loosing work because of it that's something I can certainly live with for now. Of course if work gets lost it all becomes a different story.

                                                             

                                                            I will surely run more tests in the future regarding the performance and responsiveness of newer versions. Knowing that there are still open bugs to be solved in graphics card drivers is great information, as it reinforces my decision to safely stick to CS 5.1/12.1. But that's another topic altogether anyways.