*** From the Archives ***
This article is from June 5, 2008, and is no longer current.
Windows XP Service Pack 3 Breaks InDesign CS2 Pagemaker Conversion Capability
Not to be outdone by the folks in Cupertino and the problems with Leopard, it looks like our friends in Redmond may have broken a feature in InDesign CS2 with the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3, the capability to open Pagemaker files.
After reading a few reports of problems in the User to User forums, I turned on my XP SP3 laptop and tried opening a few Pagemaker documents with CS2. I was greeted with the same error message over and over again:
The Pagemaker document is damaged and cannot be recovered.
There was no problem opening the same file with CS3 under XP or Vista.
This was always a problem with CS2 under Vista and apparently some of the code made its way into Windows XP with the most recent service pack. Obviously, this isn’t a major issue (or a minor one for that matter) for most users, but for anyone still on CS2 that has a need to convert Pagemaker files, SP3 is going to be a dealbreaker.
If you’ve already installed the service pack and must remain on CS2 you’ll need to roll back to SP2.
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Eh, that doesn’t seem good, does that mean a patch from Windows or a patch from Adobe for this one?
Unfortunately, this one isn’t going to be on anyone’s radar. I posted it here as a warning not to install SP3 if you’re still using CS2 and need to open PM files.
On that note, I have no idea about earlier versions of ID but CS3 does work.
anyway, is good to know…
very nice information.
Ah, thats what it was. I tried for ages to open one of our old documents. Now we got to keep at least one machine on SP2
Looks like earlier versions are affected, too. A post today on the U2U forum from a CS user confirms it.
Hi all and Bob this seems may sound true but it’s not actually like that. :) If you are using IDCS2 v4 you should d/l the update v4.05 for that version and you will be able to open any PM7 files or lower. There is non related to SP3 update pack of Windows XP for that particular problem. Just another info.
Btw you may not believe me but if my memory is right i post this problem in Adobe InDesign forum. And also relay how i solve it. :)
You may try using IDCS2 v4.0 in clean WinXp SP2 and try opening PM7 files the same error will occur and try also using IDCS2 v4.05 in clean SP2 & SP3 respectively you will see that by using the update version for IDCS2 will solve the problem.
Regards,
Leinan
Hi again some M S SMith post this link to Adobe InDesign Forum and am trying to find my post there not with another post but can’t seem to find it now. Bob is there.
Regards,
Leinan
Leinan, not to necessarily rebuke your fix, but we’re running IDCS2 4.05 here. Rolling back to SP2 was the only way to allow us to open our old archived CS and PM files.
I called Adobe Support in July when this problem first arose on a new computer and they had only just gotten an internal tech note then. The fixes they offered were:
1. Upgrade to CS3
2. Roll back to SP2
Does anyone have instructions for how to roll back to SP2?
If I remember correctly you can just go to the add/remove programs control panel and uninstall it there.
Yeah, XP/SP3 doesn’t work with opening PM files in CS2 (that’s what I’m trying to do and why I found this site).
Nor does SP3 work with Dreamweaver 8 correctly.
We (a public school) just upgraded to CS2 last year and it’s not cheap for us to upgrade.
There is a reason to support open source…
Thank you for the information. I’m having the same trouble. Can’t open PM files in InDesign CS2.
the wrost thing about an internet article is that u have to look for it :(
I upgraded my xp to SP3 yesterday and now DW8 is not working so i searched google and found this article…
Anyways thanks. now i know never to do this again :)
Thanks so much for the information on this issue. I am running the original CS InDesign on both my work PC on Windows XP and my home notebook on Windows Vista and had no trouble converting PageMaker 6.5 files on either for the longest time. First my notebook gave me that error message when I tried to open a PageMaker file. Recently my PC did the same thing. I contacted Adobe tech support online and they referred me to telephone support. Never once did they mention my problem could be linked to SP3. I was told my software “was too old to be supported. Did I consider an upgrade?”
I now know where the true InDesign gurus are and will become a subscriber.
We tried upgrading to v. 4.05 and it didn’t work. The only solution we are finding is an upgrade since we are a company with over 100 work stations and cannot downgrade to SP2.
Bummer Adobe.
I’m having the same problem, only I don’t have SP3 installed. I have IDCS2 4.0.5
Any ideas?
Are you positive you don’t have SP3? It’s an automatic update.
Ah…I just remembered that I have a 64-bit version of XP. I’ll try it on a different computer.
There is no support at all for any Creative Suite software on XP 64. If you want to run a 64 bit operating system, then your best bet is to move to Vista.
Thanks. Most of the time I have no problems. Thanks for your help!
I have no clue if we have SP3 installed or not, but I am unable to open Pagemaker files using CS2 (InDesign). I am running XP Pro.
Before upgrading to InDesign CS4, I was trying out my daughter’s software (CS2) to see how smooth a transition since I am deeply ingrained in PageMaker.
Is this problem resolved in CS4? Will I be able to open my PageMaker files in it?
Yes…it’s fixed in CS3 and CS4.
I hae vista and id cs3 and cs4 . but still not opening pmd files
Vahan,
What happens when you try?
Ok i have vista and installed cs3 and cs4 indesign. When i try to open files it says, Cannot open the file *.pmd. Adobe indesign may not support the file format…………
That was the same error message when i tried to do that in other pc (xp system).
I thing thats an update problem again because 2 mounts ago i didi it with this vista…
But now its the same with xp system….
I thing after an update it happened…
i donk know what can i do…
Interesting, its opening some files and its not opening some other files…
Needing to buy a new laptop asap to work on school yearbook at home. School is running InDesign cs2 and can’t afford to upgrade.
In looking at laptops, found that if I buy one with Windows 7 professional version I can run in XP mode. Do you know if there is going to be a conflict working in CS2 files and running in XP mode and in running on a 64-bit system?
Also, I would be transporting files generated at school (most likely on a 32-bit system) working at home and then taking back and re-saving to our network and re-opening there. Does anyone know if there are conflicts? I realize this is all new stuff with 7 just coming out, but some help/advice would be appreciated.
You might want to try posting in the U2U forums to see if anyone has any insight into this.
I’m running Win 7 Ultimate 64 here but I’m not installing CS2 or anything else that requires XP mode.
I sure need a patch to be able to open my hundreds of Pagemaker 7 files into Service Pack 3. That is very nice to force an upgrade, I’ll be sure and tell ALL my clients that, since I have used it because they did not want to upgrade and couldn’t use the Adobe CS files. I have been an Adobe user for 25 years and this is the first time I have found my files rendered useless and unopenable in a newer version with no workaround. Please somebody out there develop a patch!
Nobody is forcing you to do anything. This is an operating system change, not something that Adobe did.
You have two choices, roll back to SP2 or upgrade to CS4. And you should be aware that if the current policy holds when CS5 is released you won’t even be eligible for upgrade pricing.
I’ve newly got the same problem due to SP3 and can’t at the moment afford a CS upgrade. So I go to add/remove programs, and it doesn’t give me the option of removing SP3. What am I missing? Thanks for any insight . . .
Did anyone answer jay Deacons question? I am having the same problem.
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/950249
Bob, thanks for the link! there are 4 options none of which work, but that is an XP problem. A great place to continue the struggle! thnks again!
Just got a new computer 64 bit, Windows 7,CS5 ID and can only open some PMD’s (7), any info would be apprecited. Thanks
@Doug, what happens when you try?
Im running CS5.5 on a Windows 7 SP1 32-bit and I have the same problem. My Indesign 5.5 refuses to open pagemaker 6.5 files, but I can open them on the same machine with a trial of PageMaker 7.0. In Indesign5.5 it throws the same error as everyone else here gets, that its corrupted and damaged.
@Conny, Can you share one or two of those files?