classic environment no longer supported

What version of Photoshop is this?

The Classic environment refer to Mac OS before X. (Systems 1 to 9.) OS X was a complete change in the way that Macs worked, and is based on Unix, which previous systems weren't.
Apple provided a way for old "Classic" apps to run within OS X, by including the Classic Environment, which was an emulation or virtualization of OS 9 running within OS X.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Environment

Classic Environment required the use of PPC processors -- the type of CPU that classic Macs used, and which were used until Apple switched to Intel processors in 2006. No Intel Mac can run Classic, and Classic was removed from OS X 10.5 (Leopard), even for older PPC Macs.

In short: your copy of Photoshop uses an installer app that requires the classic environment. This would make it an extremely old version of Photoshop. I'm surprised it worked in 10.6 at all. As you are running 10.6, you have an Intel Mac which can't run Classic, so you can't run the installer.

There are cheaper alternatives to Photoshop that are very capable: Pixelmator is one that people often talk about.

The other thing is that you should be using Time Machine to make a backup of your entire disk, so that if you accidentally delete something, you have a copy that can be retrieved.

"When trying to clean out my computer somehow I accidently threw out photoshop. When trying to reinstall it I'm getting the above error message. I have all my original discs but I'm not sure what I need to re-install.
I'm on a Mac mini, version 10.6"

You aren't going to be able to run anything in the Classic environment on a Mini running 10.6, because Classic can't be loaded in OS 10.6, and thus Classic apps can't be run.

About the only solution that will work is to install something called "Sheepshaver", but it's not for the feint-of-heart. It can then run old Classic apps in a virtual environment, but it's a far-from ideal solution and not for the "computer-illiterate".

If you want to run a photo-editing app like PhotoShop, you'll have to upgrade your software to the Intel-based version (not cheap). An alternative might be "Photoshop Elements". There are other alternative apps out there, but photo editing isn't my thing, so you'll have to research on your own.

What alternative app you use will probably depend on the type of file format you have saved all your old images in.

If the file format is something that requires Photoshop to open, you'll need an Adobe product (again, Photoshop Elements may be the answer).

If the file format is something more "generic" (i.e., "jpeg"), any app will do. There are even free ones out there.

Can you open any of the files in question using "Preview"? It has some basic, but useful, file-editing features.

The OP may wish to consider the gimp (www.gimp.org). There is definitely a wide range of opinions on the program and its usefulness to pro's on these boards.

However, given the age of the previous PS and the advancements in present-day gimp, it is a worthy suggestion. Last time I checked, it was also possible to import favourite photoshop filters into it, which may also be a factor in the decision.

I see Pixelmator routinely recommended as a Photoshop replacement. But when I have read its reviews at the App Store it has so many negative comments it seems like a non-starter to me. At least when it is on sale for $14.99 it isn't much money to risk...

The reality is that many, if not most photographers don't really need the professional-grade Photoshop. It's really geared towards graphics pros; if you don't need the few features it has that other apps don't then look elsewhere and save a ton of money.

I've been using Photoshop since version 4 and I'm not going to be upgrading to CS6 before the 12/31/12 deadline. I'm a pro photographer and I can do everything that I need with less expensive software that is also easier and faster to use.

Something doesn't add up

If classic environment software was working on your computer prior to your clean up, it should still work once reinstalled.

I guess that depends on what you mean by "cleaning up". Did you install a new OS? Classic should work fine on any PPC Mac running up to Tiger.

ckrash said:

When trying to clean out my computer somehow I accidently threw out photoshop. When trying to reinstall it I'm getting the above error message. I have all my original discs but I'm not sure what I need to re-install.

I'm on a Mac mini, version 10.6

Click to expand...

As you are able to run 10.6, you're on intel hardware (Core something), and there's no way you could have been running the classic environment on that machine (classic was limited to G4 mini's running tiger).

What I'm guessing is that the either:
- the error message is erroneous (not common on macs, but it happens)
- you've removed a version, which runs on OSX (Photoshop CS x (x being 1 to 6)) and are trying to install a version designed for OS7-9 (Photoshop y (y being 3 to 7)

For Photoshop requirements, check: http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/...quirements-photoshop.html#main_Older_Versions

RGDS,

ckrash said:

Hello
I've looked through the threads with this error message but don't see the answer to my specific question.

When trying to clean out my computer somehow I accidently threw out photoshop. When trying to reinstall it I'm getting the above error message. I have all my original discs but I'm not sure what I need to re-install.

I'm on a Mac mini, version 10.6
(i'm pretty computer illiterate so if you try to help please keep it as simple as possible!- thanks)

Click to expand...

iThink your Photoshop application is a Carbon CFM (Code Fragment Manager) application (Adobe Photoshop CS2 or older), and needs the empty 'carb' resource in the resource fork. I heard Mac OS X removes this resource from some applications, so a new installation should help. Mac OS X checks the resource fork of a Carbon application, and opens the Carbon application via Rosetta under Mac OS X 10.6.x, if it finds the 'carb' resource. If the CFM application has no 'carb' resource, Mac OS X will open the application in the Classic environment, which is not available on non-PowerPC computers (Intel Macs).

The Great Apple Dev. Doc. Team said:

http://developer.apple.com/legacy/m...eptual/carbon_porting_guide/carbonporting.pdf
(on page 45)

Running Your Application on Mac OS X

As long as your application resides on an HFS Plus disk, you can launch it by double-clicking its icon.You cannot launch applications from a standard HFS format disk on Mac OS X.

You can also use the command-line tool LaunchCFMApp to launch CFM applications from a terminal window in Mac OS X. If the CFM application is in the current working directory, the command is:

/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Support/LaunchCFMAppfilename

If the application is in a different directory, you must specify the path.

Note that if your application does not contain a 'plst' resource, a bundled Info.plist file, or a 'carb' resource, Mac OS X opens the application in the Classic compatibility environment. To ensure that Mac OS X properly recognizes your application, it must include a resource of type 'plst' with ID 0, a bundled Info.plist file, or a resource of type 'carb' with ID 0.

Click to expand...