2 Replies Latest reply: Feb 13, 2014 4:18 PM by Narr GM Coro RSS

    Creative Cloud management app failed to install, again, remedy, clue

    Narr GM Coro Community Member

      It failed yet again today for me, but in a particular way, and thereby gave a clue at least of one probably unknown failure mode which I can pass on.

       

      - I was trying to install the very latest Creative Cloud manager, which self-announced itself today 12 February 2014 when I tried to use it to check for updated applications.

      - it downloaded and started to run, then failed with the very clever 'failed to install' small alert. A small alert for very small knowledge of the actual cause? Surely you can do better.

      - I went on the forums and found all the times and ways this has caught up others before. I saw the 'rename OOBE folder' trick, and remembered that thus was the only thing that would actually fix the Creative Cloud manager one or more times before on my computers.

      - thus I tried to rename OOBE after killing every Adobe-named app in the Windows 8.1 Task Manager, and failed -- due to some nameless program holding it open.

      - I then stopped and restarted the machine.

      - I thought a moment and realized I'd run another Adobe installer an hour or two before, to updated Premiere Elements 11 to the latest possible Adobe Camera Raw as its updater offered.

      - thus instead of renaming OOBE, I ran the Adobe Creative Cloud manager updater when it offered again towards the end of booting up

      - this time it succeeded, hence I believe that other Adobe ACR installer had been at fault, leaving files unclosed or otherwise locked within OOBE. That's the new clue to Adobe developers.

      - If this hadn't succeeded, I'd have stopped and restarted the machine again, and then renamed C:\Program Files(x86)/Common/Adobe/OOBE.

       

      I think this renaming is a lot better way to proceed (stop/start, adding possibly safe boot with no startup apps if OOBE remains locked to renaming when that method may be needed) than using the AdobeCreativeCloudCleanup tool as the troubleshooting page recomnmends.

       

      The reason: this benighted cleanup tool does _not_ offer any way to remove Creatuive Cloud manager itself, even though support here suggests that it does. You can only choose variations which insist on uninstalling all your Adobe programs, CS6 included with Creative Cloud ones. I am not going to do that except at extreme duress. So far renaming OOBE and thus forcing Creative Cloud to recreate it has fixed every one of the blind, unspecific, and prevalent errors with Creative Cloud.

       

      I think that much better work can be done on this Creative Cloud software, but I am constrained by a particular American folk tale told to children, which suggests 'If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything.' 

       

      I can only say that respect will be gained not by talk, or telling a lot of complicated procedures to recover software that costs like an automobile.

       

      Respect will only be gained by really involving yourself, learning, and then doing all of this correctly. That's what every respected software developer in the world does.

        • 1. Re: Creative Cloud management app failed to install, again, remedy, clue
          Jeff A Wright Employee Hosts

          Narr GM Coro thank you for the feedback.  To confirm you are able to successfully install the Creative Cloud Desktop software if you complete the steps listed in Error "Failed to Install" Creative Cloud Desktop application - http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/failed-install-creative-cloud-desktop.html?

          • 2. Re: Creative Cloud management app failed to install, again, remedy, clue
            Narr GM Coro Community Member

            Jeff, thanks equally for coming back on this.

             

            - I did begin the process on the page you linked.

            - when I got to the step running the CC Cleaner tool, it offered me no option to remove the Creative Cloud Manager -- only to remove all my apps, which are largely CS6. This is counter to the suggestion that you can remove just the manager, and not welcome as you will understand.

            - it was at this point that I recovered the procedure of just shifting OOBE out of play. When this wasn't possible due to invisibly held open folders or files, I realized the problem might have been due to the earlier Premiere 11 ACR update (you have to think a bit for reasons why it might want to do that...).

            - Thus when I stopped and restarted to assure a clean reboot, I thought to just let the Creative Cloud Manager try again when it offered this.

            - Without further intercession, this time the Creative Cloud Manager succeeded.

             

            I would say that the move-OOBE-out-of-play to force recreate (or sometimes it has been move a certain file in OOBE) is a much preferred repair that has always worked for me in the numerous failures of Creative Cloud Manager over the last year. We don't really want to spend the hours and take the risk of removing all our Adobe CS and/or CC applications, plus adding all of their updates again, as you will also understand.

             

            This points to a way Adobe could very much lower the agony of the Creative Cloud Manager, its updates and its crossed wires. I do appreciate the problem, though not why at your budget levels it hasn't had a definitive response. Some experience directing projects and having to take over offshore team management directly might suggest where you are finding the difficulty, at least.

             

            In the mean time, why not put in place a recovery for failed Creative Cloud Manager activities including updates, which would simply and automatically do the task of accurately renaming the OOBE folder (for each attempt, no matter how many times  it had been done before)j, then triggering a restart followed by reinstall and information recovery of the Creative Cloud Manager? It could be something like Microsoft's Fix-Its, for convenience, which would also leave open a doorway to reversal if somehow necessary.

             

            I suggest you might lower the incidence of this genre of problems by a very large factor if you were to do so, replacing the presently procedure with its flaws for those employing Adobe software.

             

            Anyway, I hope the suggestion leads in positive ways for your products, and wish your team a good day.