Opening Bridge from Windows Explorer Fail

[Banksiagirl]

Hi  Brian,

Every time I try to open a file in Bridge directly from windows explorer I get this error message on uploaded image- Its been happening for months.

My computer is old but fast, I think my graphics card might not be up to it. NVIDA Quadro 600. I cant find where to check the driver right now however I updated it just before Christmas when I was having this issue.              The C drive - a SSD has  42.5G free of 232G The D Drive has 263G free out of 1.8T  - needs a clean out.

I have a Creative Cloud subscription and Bridge is up to date. Running windows 10.

Another issue which may be related is that the windows 1809 update wont work for me - maybe because our internet is unreliable and limited to 5Mbps.  It gets worse when the kids come home from school. The update downloads but fails to install and its a huge download. Ive had it at that point three times.

Hope the solution is not buy a new computer!

[Brian]

21 hours ago, Banksiagirl said:

windows 1809 update wont work for me

That Update has a TON of issues and bugs. If you do update, make sure you keep checking for updates, even though Windows says you are up-to-date. For those reading this thread, make sure the "Cumulative Update for Windows 1809" gets installed. It sometimes takes 3 or 4 checks to appear.

The reason you can't install the update, is you don't have any room on your C Drive. 42.5GB Free is VERY DANGEROUS and is NOT enough room for a Windows Update. In fact all sorts of weird problems can happen. This is why I jump up-and-down about 250GB or 128GB SSD drives for main drives. Sure they are fast...but it they won't do you a damn bit of good if they are full. These days I recommend a BARE-MINIMUM of a 500GB SSD, and prefer a 1TB SSD for your main drive. With the Samsung EVO 870 drives being released, they are trying to get rid of the EVO 860 Stock, so you can get some pretty good deals. I HIGHLY recommend you replace your 250GB SSD Drive with this Samsung EVO 860 1TB drive. Speed isn't your issue, it's lack of space and right now you are in dangerous territory...meaning you could have corruption and the whole thing goes.

So yes, a new computer might be in your future, or if you want to tackle replacing the main drive, that is an option. In either case, before we address the other issues, you need more room. Honestly, with PS getting more and more advanced, it doesn't surprise me that it's not liking older hardware.

[Banksiagirl]

Thanks Brian, that's really frightening. I've had to replace the data drive twice now. I'll get onto it with my IT guy tomorrow.

I see that Amazon will ship to Australia which is good.

What specs should I be looking at for a new machine?  Ive copied the system info  and attached.

Meanwhile I'll move and clean up files to get some free space

Thank you - a lot!

[Brian]

Spec-wise, your computer isn't THAT bad. Your main issue is your lack of HD capacity on your main boot drive. As of today, Saturday March 9th, 2019...I recommend the following for a computer that just edits photos and does other normal things:

• Intel i7-8700K CPU. You could get the latest model, the i7-9700K, but without HyperThreading that you get with the 8700K, it's kinda of a wash. Meaning that 5-7% boost you get with a i7-9700K isn't worth the extra money, especially if you are just editing photos. I'd rather you take the savings with the i7-8700K and put that towards more RAM or bigger HD / better video card, etc.
• 16GB RAM at a minimum. In reality, I would hope that folks get a computer that allows them to upgrade to at least 32GB of RAM or larger. So call it 32GB Preferred.
• At least a 500GB SSD Main Drive, with a 1TB SSD being what you really should strive for. As you have found out the hard way, a full hard drive is worthless to you, no matter how fast a SSD Drive is.
• A Second Traditional 7200RPM Hard Drive, with at least 6TB of storage. This is where your data files will reside.
• A video card that has it's own separate and dedicated video memory. 4GB of Video RAM at a Minimum with 6/8GB Preferred. Here is a list of cards that Adobe has tested and recommends.
• A power supply with enough wattage to support the hardware and motherboard. I'd say a 600 Watts to 800 Watts power supply on the average for today's performance motherboards.
• Windows 10 Pro. Sure you can get the "Home" edition and everything should work fine, I personally like having all the options turned on with the "Pro" version. This is especially true if you use your computer to connect to your work. That said, for the majority of the people out there, Windows 10 Home is fine.
• A decent case, if you are building the computer. One that has room to grow and is easy to work with. Proper airflow to dissipate heat, and a case that has filters to help keep dust to a minimum is great to have. As for my recommendations, I'm still looking myself. Lian-Li cases are usually very good, so I'd start there. Keep in mind that there are many manufactures that produce quality cases, and this is a very personal thing to purchase. What would work for me and what I'd do with it, would be different on what you'd do.

Now for the answer to the question of "How much?" Depending on who you buy from or build it yourself, expect to pay between $1000-$2000 US Dollars for the above configuration.

A store-bought computer or one from a large manufacturer like Dell, it will be less (towards the $1000 - $1200 mark) since they purchase their hardware items in bulk. If you are building it yourself, the cost will be closer to the $2000-ish mark, depending on what you buy. Not only because you are just buying a single motherboard, and one cpu chip, it's also due to you purchasing higher quality components, like a fancy video card that will run you $400-$600. Trust me, buying a high-end motherboard yourself will give you more bang for your buck then a motherboard that Dell gives you. It's just the nature of things. The downside is cost, for those on a limited budget, building a PC might not be the best path to follow. Your Mileage May Vary.

Bottom Line:
So what would I recommend for you?

I'd purchase the 1TB SSD Drive and be happy. You can always use that HD in a new computer so it's not like you are throwing money away.