Big mess with CC App auto upgrade

[adias]

Read all about it here:

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/adobe-creative-cloud-update-bug/

The problem is those using Macs but not the BackBlaze product are on their own.

[john beardsworth]

Yeah, it's already been fixed.

[ButchM]

Yeah, it's already been fixed.

Yes, to Adobe's credit they did respond to the issue quickly ... but also to the OP's credit ... it is a very good example for not setting user preferences to auto update either the CC Desktop app or the individual apps.

For me, it seems to be more wise to manually install updates after we know for sure that the updates are safe and have been properly vetted. Many end users are too busy to be unpaid beta testers.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Yeah, it's already been fixed.

Yes, except for the erased first root folder contents. Hopefully those affected have backups to restore from. So it may be fixed, but it should not have happened in the first place. Who in their right mind decided to erase folder contents based on alphabetical order alone?

What's more troubling is how did such a stupidity(!) get through Quality Control? It looks more and more like the paying customers are used as (paying, not paid) Beta testers. I know that software can become quite complex, and bugs are part of reality (100% bug-free is an illusion), but the more recent developments and oversights coming from Adobe are a bad sign, they indicate sloppy work and poor project management. Not good if your earnings depend on it being class-leading.

Cheers,
Bart

[john beardsworth]

Who in their right mind decided to erase folder contents based on alphabetical order alone?

I agree, it just sounds odd, as if there must be more to it. Equally, I find it incredible that in 2016 there are apps dependent on hidden files like these .bzvols or whatever they were.

[ButchM]

Equally, I find it incredible that in 2016 there are apps dependent on hidden files like these .bzvols or whatever they were.

Well apparently Adobe utilizes such files (or did in the past) ... why else would they have their installer deleting such files in that location if they were not dependent upon a similar function?

[Damon Lynch]

My guess is that Adobe doesn't have their best and brightest programmers working on the installers. It's not very sexy compared to other tasks, after all. Yet at the same time, writing an installer is not easy. There can be an awful amount of complexity to deal with, and lots can and often does go wrong.

Nonetheless, we all expect better, and the Adobe installer team has not been delivering like it should.

There are plenty of problems using the CC update application. One I have come across is that it would download the multi-hundred megabyte application installer (e.g. for Lightroom), run into a minor permissions problem actually installing the update, and then delete the entire installer it had just downloaded (!!!). That's extremely annoying when you pay for Internet access by the megabyte.

Nowadays, inasmuch is possible, I simply download the zip file directly from Adobe's website using my browser or a special download tool, totally bypassing the CC cloud program.

[john beardsworth]

Well apparently Adobe utilizes such files (or did in the past) ... why else would they have their installer deleting such files in that location if they were not dependent upon a similar function?

Yes, it applies equally to Adobe. The whole idea seems incredibly vulnerable, but I've always loathed sidecar files too. 

[adias]

Yeah, it's already been fixed.

Not so sure it has been fixed. Those who use BackBlaze got outstanding support from that company. All others are on their own. Unless I've missed it, Adobe does not outline the recovery details and as I understand it varies from machine to machine... Recovering from a backup is a nuisance in this case because the issue is in the root directory. I do not think Time Machine is very helpful here but I could be wrong.

[ButchM]

Not so sure it has been fixed.

That's definitely a Yes and No answer to that question.

Yes, Adobe repaired the issue that caused the problem ... though it falls upon the individual user to determine the the contents of which directory were deleted when the bad version of CC Desktop was installed ... it could be days, weeks or even months for some users to realize they have an issue if the affected files are not frequently called upon.

As one tester discovered, the file deletion was completely arbitrary:

http://petapixel.com/2016/02/13/warning-adobe-creative-cloud-deletes-data-in-your-mac-root-directory/

[adias]

That's definitely a Yes and No answer to that question.

Yes, Adobe repaired the issue that caused the problem ... though it falls upon the individual user to determine the the contents of which directory were deleted when the bad version of CC Desktop was installed ... it could be days, weeks or even months for some users to realize they have an issue if the affected files are not frequently called upon.

As one tester discovered, the file deletion was completely arbitrary:

http://petapixel.com/2016/02/13/warning-adobe-creative-cloud-deletes-data-in-your-mac-root-directory/

Exactly! Adobe should issue a procedure covering all possible situations and leading the user through a repair, step-by-step.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Yeah, it's already been fixed.

I do not know about that. As I wrote on another thread:

Installation of 3.5.0.209 failed. Error code 1003. "Get help" link says "uninstall and reinstall" the CC app. Tried running the CC uninstaller, the message is: "Couldn't uninstall CC for desktop. You still have CC apps installed on your computer that require it. WTH!?"

In my case, my last CC version was 3.4.1.181, i.e., not the one that was causing trouble for some. I usually wait a couple of days once an update is out, just to make sure all is good with it. So I never downloaded and installed the offending one. Now, when I try to install the corrected one, I get the above message within milliseconds of pressing the "install" button. The progress bar shows zero, there is no attempt to even initiate the installation.

Anyone with similar issues?

[john beardsworth]

Exactly! Adobe should issue a procedure covering all possible situations and leading the user through a repair, step-by-step.

Ooh, all possible situations, step by step, holding the user's hand no doubt. They've fixed the problem from their end, explained where any risk was, time to jog on....

[Ann JS]

Slobodan:

I saved the following from one of the Adobe forums some months ago.
Work through all the steps systematically. It worked for me.

------------
1. Re: Creative Cloud crashes at start up.
 
Follow below steps :
 
Step 1)
Click on the Finder and look for the options listed next to Apple Icon located at the top left corner of the Desktop screen and click on "Go" menu button and select "Utilities" option.
(Applications>Utiliites)
Locate Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Application Manager folder under Utilities window and trash both folders.

Step 2)
Trash Adobe Creative Cloud folder from Applications as well.

Step 3)
1) Right click on Finder icon and  select "Go-ToFolder " option.
2) You will get a text box, type-in below command and then hit ’Return’ key.( Do not miss ~ symbol)
~/library
3)Then navigate to Application Support>Adobe.
Open Adobe folder and trash folders named AAMUpdater and OOBE.

Step 4)
1) Right click on Finder icon and  select "Go-To" Folder option.
2) You will get a text box, type-in below command and then hit ’Return’ key.
/library
3)Then navigate to Application Support>Adobe.
Open Adobe folder and trash folders named AAMUpdater ,Adobe Application Manager and OOBE.

Step 5)
Click on the below link and download & run Adobe Cleaner tool :
Select the option "Adobe Application Manager for Mac OS X 10.6" and then click on "Clean up Selected" .
http://download.macromedia.com/SupportTools/Cleaner/mac/AdobeCreativeCloudCleanerTool.dmg
 
Step 6 )
Click on the below link and download Adobe Application Manager and install the same :
http://download.adobe.com/pub/adobe/creativesuite/cc/mac/ApplicationManager9.0_all.dmg
 
Once the installation process is completed, installation box will disappear;
then open Application folder and locate Adobe Application manager launch icon,
double click on it and update .
Once the update is completed, it should launch Adobe Creative Cloud.
___________

[kirkt]

I updated when it came out.  Nothing happened to my hidden folders.  i do not use the affected backup software.

kirk

[ButchM]

1. Re: Creative Cloud crashes at start up.
 
Follow below steps :
 
Step 1)
Click on the Finder and look for the options listed next to Apple Icon located at the top left corner of the Desktop screen and click on "Go" menu button and select "Utilities" option.
(Applications>Utiliites)
Locate Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Application Manager folder under Utilities window and trash both folders.

Step 2)
Trash Adobe Creative Cloud folder from Applications as well.

Step 3)
1) Right click on Finder icon and  select "Go-ToFolder " option.
2) You will get a text box, type-in below command and then hit ’Return’ key.( Do not miss ~ symbol)
~/library
3)Then navigate to Application Support>Adobe.
Open Adobe folder and trash folders named AAMUpdater and OOBE.

Step 4)
1) Right click on Finder icon and  select "Go-To" Folder option.
2) You will get a text box, type-in below command and then hit ’Return’ key.
/library
3)Then navigate to Application Support>Adobe.
Open Adobe folder and trash folders named AAMUpdater ,Adobe Application Manager and OOBE.

Step 5)
Click on the below link and download & run Adobe Cleaner tool :
Select the option "Adobe Application Manager for Mac OS X 10.6" and then click on "Clean up Selected" .
http://download.macromedia.com/SupportTools/Cleaner/mac/AdobeCreativeCloudCleanerTool.dmg
 
Step 6 )
Click on the below link and download Adobe Application Manager and install the same :
http://download.adobe.com/pub/adobe/creativesuite/cc/mac/ApplicationManager9.0_all.dmg
 
Once the installation process is completed, installation box will disappear;
then open Application folder and locate Adobe Application manager launch icon,
double click on it and update .
Once the update is completed, it should launch Adobe Creative Cloud.
___________

(** Ann, the following comment is not in response to you and your helpful post ... merely to illustrate the absurdity of the nonchalant attitude some seem to have over the issue)

That sure sounds like a lot of work to perform before anyone with a problem can "jog on" ... but hey ... the problem is fixed on Adobe's end ...

While I think it would be impossible for Adobe to list all possible solutions ... this grave error by Adobe has caused issues far beyond a few users losing Backblaze files in the root folder ... Slobodan didn't even utilize the faulty installer and may be faced with considerable extra effort to get up to date ... which was no fault of his own. Is that what we are paying Adobe for?

[ButchM]

I updated when it came out.  Nothing happened to my hidden folders.  i do not use the affected backup software.

kirk

You don't have to use the "affected" software, it was happenstance that Backblaze users that first discovered the issue.... the installer simply deleted the the contents of the folder at the top of the hierarchy of your root folder.

Watch the videos at this site:

http://petapixel.com/2016/02/13/warning-adobe-creative-cloud-deletes-data-in-your-mac-root-directory/

Like I pointed out earlier, if the folder that had it's content deleted is something you don't use often ... you may not notice it's missing.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Creative Cloud crashes at start up...

Ann, thanks for the tips an the effort to help. Just to clarify, my CC app did not crash at start up; it worked, telling me there is an update, just refused to install that update.

In the meantime, I resolved the issue with the tried and true Bill Gates' advice: restart the computer. Go figure.

[adias]

Ooh, all possible situations, step by step, holding the user's hand no doubt. They've fixed the problem from their end, explained where any risk was, time to jog on....

One would hope forum posts would not be snarky... but should you have experienced the issue, do you know which files were missing?

Some of us have extensive IT knowledge and some of us would not be so arrogant as declaring a 'know it all' re a rogue action created by a buggy application.

[CatOne]

Ooh, all possible situations, step by step, holding the user's hand no doubt. They've fixed the problem from their end, explained where any risk was, time to jog on....

I'm not sure you understand how bad and ham-fisted this is.

Adobe ARBITRARILY DELETED files in a folder they do not own on the user's hard drive. This is as incompetent as any software company could be.

The whole Creative Cloud architecture is a shit show. I won't use it, because simply to have Photoshop on my system, Adobe installs about 40 executables, of which no fewer than TEN of them are running AT ALL TIMES, even when I'm not using Photoshop. And a couple of them are just software update checkers, which, as it turns out, JUST GO AND EMPTY OUT THE CONTENTS OF SOME OF YOUR FOLDERS.

This is what you get when you outsource development to incompetent junior developers. This is really a violation of trust of the highest order: It doesn't MATTER that the folder was Backblaze; in fact they're just who noticed it. Adobe took the FIRST folder at the root of your file system and deleted the contents. For some people, their Backblaze backup status was deleted. For others, all their Spotlight data was lost (hey, Apple, your software sucks! Spotlight doesn't work! Can't you make software anymore?! For others, their version information for saves in Apple files was lost... again, NOT actually Apple's fault, but deleted by Adobe, and people may not even know about it for weeks because cause and effect with random deletions is so hard to discover).

Adobe also cannot really walk people through fixing this. Data has been deleted, and blindly. Unless people have a backup of that information, if it's critical, it's gone.

Honestly, I've seen some stupid software and bad QA in my time, but if I had a top 100, this would be in the top 2 of incompetence. It's ghastly bad how they shipped this.