How do I re-install Photoshop Elements 3.0 on OSX 10.6.8 (installation failed, "Invalid Personalization")

[Guest]

An error occurred during the installation process while installing the application files. "Installation Failed". However Photoshop Elements did install the folder in the Applications folder. I double clicked Photoshop Elements icon and the error said it is "invalid personalization".  What does "invalid personalization" mean? Please advise how to re-install. Thank you.

clawson​Amy_Wong​

[Jeff Arola]

This is the contents of an old no longer available adobe kb on the subject:

Error "...missing or invalid...information" when you start (Photoshop Elements 3.0 on Mac OS X)

Issue

When you start Adobe Photoshop Elements, it returns the error "Could not start the application because of missing or invalid personalization information."

Solutions

Do one or more of the following solutions:

Solution 1: Log in to an administrator account, and then remove   and reinstall Photoshop Elements.

1. Log in to the computer with an administrator account.

2. Move any personal files from the Applications/Photoshop Elements 3.0 folder on the hard disk to another location, such as the desktop.

3. Drag the Applications/Photoshop Elements 3.0 folder to the Trash.

4. Drag the Users/ [username] /Library/Preferences/Photoshop Elements 3.0 Settings folder to the Trash.

5. Insert the Photoshop Elements CD and then double-click the Install Adobe Photoshop Elements icon to install.

Solution 2:   Back up   the Adobe Registration Database file, and then remove and reinstall Photoshop Elements.

To back up the Adobe Registration database file, move it from the Library/Application Support/Adobe folder to the desktop. To remove and reinstall Photoshop Elements, see Solution 1, steps 2-5 in this document.

Important:   This solution may cause other Adobe applications to not start.

If other Adobe applications won't start after you complete this solution, do the following steps:

1. Open the Adobe Registration Database file on the desktop in a text editor by double-clicking the file.

2. Copy the data for each Adobe application that won't start.

3. Double-click the new Adobe Registration Database file in the Library/Application Support/Adobe folder to open it in a text editor.

4. Paste the data into the file.

5. Save and close the new Adobe Registration Database file.

6. Once you've successfully started all Adobe applications, delete the backup copy of the Adobe Registration Database file from the desktop.

Background information

If you install Photoshop Elements from a nonadministrator account, the serial number isn't recorded in the Adobe Registration Database file. Therefore, when you try to start Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Elements cannot be validated and won't start.

A new Adobe Registration Database file is created when you move the existing Adobe Registration Database file from the Adobe folder and reinstall Photoshop Elements. The new Adobe Registration Database file records the Photoshop Elements serial number only. To ensure that other installed Adobe applications can start, you must paste serial number information for each application to the Adobe Registration Database file.

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[Guest]

Thank you R Kelly for your reply.  This did not resolve the issue. Please note I can successfully install Adobe Photoshop Elements, but when clicking on the PSE icon in the Applications folder the message says, "could not complete your request of missing or invalid personalization information".  In your reply, Solution 1: point 4 - There is no Library/Preferences/Photoshop Elements 3.0 Settings folder available to drag to the Trash. 

Should I be asking you which ID is associated with my Adobe Photoshop Elements serial number? Because when I enter the valid serial number and click next, the installation window reverts to my Name which I entered and highlights my name in blue, however, the PSE does get installed but I still can not open the PSE icon. Please advise. Thank you.

[Peru Bob]

ms cb92746861 wrote:

Should I be asking you which ID is associated with my Adobe Photoshop Elements serial number?

No, because we are not Adobe employees, just volunteers, and do not have access to that information.  Also, keep in mind that this is public forum, so don't list your serial number here.

Adobe Staff will have a badge that shows they are an Adobe employee.

Can you sign in to your Adobe account and find that information?

[Jeff Arola]

There is no Photoshop Elements 3.0 Settings folder because you haven't successfully started pse 3.

My guess is that the Adobe Registration Database file is the culprit.

There were a lot of posts about this very thing on the apple support forum and a few here on adobe forums when mac snow leopard was new and it was about half and half between people who got pse 3 to work and those that couldn't on snow leopard.

Most who had pse 3 working already had pse 3 installed when upgrading from a previous os x to snow leopard.

If you look in Library/Application Support/Adobe do you see an Adobe Registration Database?

But then again you said in the first post that an install error occurred?

Your now able to install pse 3 without that error?