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Obscure CS3 Problem (WinXP)

RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,937 moderator
edited August 9, 2009 in Finishing School
I recently had to re-install CS3 after losing my main hard drive. I had backups of all my preferences, actions, etc., and was able to restore them with no problem. However, one of the keyboard shortcuts (ctl-F2) to an action no longer works. I can invoke the action manually from the action palette and it runs fine. I can also assign a different shortcut to the action and that also works. I checked the complete list of keyboard shortcuts and nothing else is assigned to ctl-F2. When I reassign it to the action in question, it does not complain of a conflict, but when I try to execute it, nothing happens. Does anybody have any idea of what is going on?

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    NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2009
    Richard wrote:
    I recently had to re-install CS3 after losing my main hard drive. I had backups of all my preferences, actions, etc., and was able to restore them with no problem. However, one of the keyboard shortcuts (ctl-F2) to an action no longer works. I can invoke the action manually from the action palette and it runs fine. I can also assign a different shortcut to the action and that also works. I checked the complete list of keyboard shortcuts and nothing else is assigned to ctl-F2. When I reassign it to the action in question, it does not complain of a conflict, but when I try to execute it, nothing happens. Does anybody have any idea of what is going on?
    First of all: sorry about the HD issue. :cry
    Second: you managed to reinstall CS3? eek7.gif for some reason I could never do that... ne_nau.gif
    Now, re Ctrl+F2. When you said you checked the list, did you mean you check the actual list of currently assigned or just a doc? The only reliable way I know to ensure the shortcut is not used is to select an arbitrary menu command currently w/o one and try to assign the shortcut in question to it. If PS lets you do it - remove it and you should be home free. If it warns you about the conflict - there's your culprit, I think menu commands take precedence over actions.
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
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    RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,937 moderator
    edited August 6, 2009
    Nikolai wrote:
    First of all: sorry about the HD issue. :cry
    Second: you managed to reinstall CS3? eek7.gif for some reason I could never do that... ne_nau.gif
    Now, re Ctrl+F2. When you said you checked the list, did you mean you check the actual list of currently assigned or just a doc? The only reliable way I know to ensure the shortcut is not used is to select an arbitrary menu command currently w/o one and try to assign the shortcut in question to it. If PS lets you do it - remove it and you should be home free. If it warns you about the conflict - there's your culprit, I think menu commands take precedence over actions.

    It lets me reassign the shortcut and doesn't complain. It shows up as assigned. But it just doesn't do anything. Hmm...I wonder if the key itself could be faulty headscratch.gifscratch. More experiments soon.
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    RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,937 moderator
    edited August 6, 2009
    Richard wrote:
    It lets me reassign the shortcut and doesn't complain. It shows up as assigned. But it just doesn't do anything. Hmm...I wonder if the key itself could be faulty headscratch.gifscratch. More experiments soon.

    Nope...the F2 key does what it's supposed to in other programs. I also just tried assigning ctl-F2 to a different action and got the same result...no conflict detected, but it does not run the action. Curiouser and curiouser.
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    NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2009
    Richard wrote:
    Nope...the F2 key does what it's supposed to in other programs. I also just tried assigning ctl-F2 to a different action and got the same result...no conflict detected, but it does not run the action. Curiouser and curiouser.
    Can any other shortcut run *this* action?headscratch.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
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    RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,937 moderator
    edited August 6, 2009
    Nikolai wrote:
    Can any other shortcut run *this* action?headscratch.gif

    Yes, that's what makes this one so weird. I reassigned the action to another shortcut and it works fine. So I'm not terribly inconvenienced at this point, but the old programmer in me wants to know WTF is going on. ne_nau.gif
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    pyrypyry Registered Users Posts: 1,733 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2009
    Richard wrote:
    Yes, that's what makes this one so weird. I reassigned the action to another shortcut and it works fine. So I'm not terribly inconvenienced at this point, but the old programmer in me wants to know WTF is going on. ne_nau.gif

    I'm guessing you don't have a bad control-key?

    Can you assign the same shortcut in a different program?
    Creativity's hard.

    http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
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    RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,937 moderator
    edited August 6, 2009
    pyry wrote:
    I'm guessing you don't have a bad control-key?

    Can you assign the same shortcut in a different program?

    Well, I have verified the both the F2 and the ctl (both of them, actually) are OK. I'll have to look around to see if I can assign the combination in some other program, as nothing comes to mind.
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    NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2009
    Well, this one is gonna be in the "Grasping the straws" category...
    Any chance that Ctrl+F2 is somehow registered witn Windows itself (like to launch a desktop shortcut/link), yet it's made as a "go-through" for some other programs. headscratch.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
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    RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,937 moderator
    edited August 6, 2009
    Nikolai wrote:
    Well, this one is gonna be in the "Grasping the straws" category...
    Any chance that Ctrl+F2 is somehow registered witn Windows itself (like to launch a desktop shortcut/link), yet it's made as a "go-through" for some other programs. headscratch.gif

    I suppose anything is possible, but I don't have a clue as to how I would diagnose or fix that. With the desktop selected, hitting Ctl-F2 does nothing at all visible.
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    NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2009
    Richard wrote:
    I suppose anything is possible, but I don't have a clue as to how I would diagnose or fix that. With the desktop selected, hitting Ctl-F2 does nothing at all visible.
    Same thing as with PS: select a random desktop shortcut, Properties (Alt+Enter), assign a Shortcut Key, Apply, test, clear after testing.
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
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    RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,937 moderator
    edited August 6, 2009
    Nikolai wrote:
    Same thing as with PS: select a random desktop shortcut, Properties (Alt+Enter), assign a Shortcut Key, Apply, test, clear after testing.

    It won't let me assign Ctl-F2, but insists on Ctl-Alt-whatever. Since I have never assigned keyboard shortcuts to the desktop, I don't know whether this is normal or not.headscratch.gif
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    NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2009
    Richard wrote:
    It won't let me assign Ctl-F2, but insists on Ctl-Alt-whatever. Since I have never assigned keyboard shortcuts to the desktop, I don't know whether this is normal or not.headscratch.gif
    Mine allows Ctrl+F2 no problem. Check your keyboard and keyboard driver (Control Panel for the keyboard). Maybe it's something keyboard itself decided to hold on to...
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
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    RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,937 moderator
    edited August 6, 2009
    Nikolai wrote:
    Mine allows Ctrl+F2 no problem. Check your keyboard and keyboard driver (Control Panel for the keyboard). Maybe it's something keyboard itself decided to hold on to...

    Interesting. Mañana, amigo. It's getting too late to muck with drivers here. But I suspect you are on to something.
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    NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2009
    Richard wrote:
    Interesting. Mañana, amigo. It's getting too late to muck with drivers here. But I suspect you are on to something.
    De nada, señor, buenas nochas! :-)
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
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    cletuscletus Registered Users Posts: 1,930 Major grins
    edited August 9, 2009
    Any luck yet?

    I'll be back at the office on Monday with access to a WinXP box with CS3 to run some experiments if it would be of any help.
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    RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,937 moderator
    edited August 9, 2009
    cletus wrote:
    Any luck yet?

    I'll be back at the office on Monday with access to a WinXP box with CS3 to run some experiments if it would be of any help.

    No luck. I poked around some but couldn't locate anything that was hooking ctl-F2. CS3 continues to think that it's free and assignable, but then ignores it. Sort of like writing to your congressperson about healthcare reform. As I wrote earlier, I have assigned the action to another keyboard shortcut, so it's not getting in my way. But it is rather strange. headscratch.gif
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