posted February 08, 2012 11:11 AM
I'm in deep doo doo and need some help. All of a sudden, Illustrator CS2 on my Mac is refusing to save files or open files from the menu. I can open a file by double clicking on it, but cannot save any changes. I checked with Adobe and they tell me that CS2 is not compatible with Snow Leopard (10.6.8). That's funny, been running it just fine for almost 3 years now, so I'm guessing that a recent update isn't playing nice any more.
So I have this cut file ready to send over to the computer I use to cut vinyl. I'm using an old version of Flexi which will only open Illustrator files up to 6.0. I've always saved my Illy files in 3.0 for cutting. So when CS2 on the Mac decide to be ornery I figured I would bring the file over to my Dell laptop and save the file in legacy 3.0 from there. The new problem is when I saved the file on the PC as Illy 3.0, the icon for the file looks like the new standard Illy icon of the orange rectangle with a white Ai in it instead of the white rectangle With a script A and a blue & white number 3.
Sure enough, Flexi does not recognize the file. So now I'm wondering that even if I upgrade my Mac CS2 to CS5, will it make me a legacy 3.0 file that will work in Flexi?
So, is anyone out there with CS5 running on a Mac willing to make me a simple quick file, it can be as basic as a rectangle, save it as legacy 3.0 if CS5 goes back that far and e mail it to me to see if it will open in Flexi?
Also, if anyone can open a CS3 file and convert it to 3.0 so I can get on a job I have. I'm totally dead in the water right now. Thanks
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted February 08, 2012 01:03 PM
Dave, Sorry to hear of your problems. I don't know much about Mac but can you export as a pdf? I have imported a lot of pdf vector files and been able to cut from them.
-------------------- Jean Shimp Shimp Sign & Design Co. Jacksonville Beach, Fl Posts: 1266 | From: Jacksonville Beach, Fl. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted February 08, 2012 02:14 PM
I'm using an old version of Flexi Sign for cutting my AI files. The program works great as a bridge program on one of my old Mac's. (They just won't die) So my system is to design on my new Mac or Dell laptop, save it as an Illustrator 3.0 file, send it to the other Mac through the network and cut it on that computer. My Roland cutter, which also is old but runs great has an old round 8 pin plug which when it was new was the way they connected to a mac's printer or modem port. I haven't had any luck with a serial to USB adapter to try to use a newer program and computer.
But now I'm thinking Adobe has changed their legacy file formats. My Flexi will read up to AI 6.0 so when I upgraded to 9.0 then 10.0 then CS2 I always saved the files to version 3.0. When CS2 quit saving anything I tried it on my laptop, CS3. When saving those to version 3, Flexi does not see those files. Sean sent me a quick file created on CS5 saved to 3.0 so I could see if that worked before I upgraded and again it did not. This tells me that starting with CS3, they changed something.
This version of Flexi doesn't read PDF files. I even tried dxf and eps and those don't work either. I am so screwed.
[ February 08, 2012, 02:15 PM: Message edited by: Dave Sherby ]
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted February 08, 2012 03:05 PM
I draw the files in corel X4 running win7 I save the X4 file as a CRD 8 to a mem stick, carry it to the XP PC, open in cdr 8 an then export as .PLT (hpgml?) into the summacutter driver. Smoother then making holes in the wall for cables
-------------------- Stein Saether GullSkilt AS Trondheim Posts: 1183 | From: Trondheim Norway | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted February 08, 2012 03:49 PM
I think I found the solution to the problem, for the short term anyway. It turns out that an update to my OS has affected Rosetta which was a part of the OS that allowed Power PC programs to run on the new Intel chip Macs, sorta like running XP era programs on Windows 7. Illustrator CS2 was the last of the Power PC versions, so I've found a patch already for this to get me up and running again.
But this disclosed another thing with Illustrator though and that is saving Illy files to legacy versions in CS3 and newer ends up being a file quite different than the original legacy versions.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted February 08, 2012 03:59 PM
I can save down to an 3.0 .eps from CS5.5 and it does open in Flexi 5.6 on a PC. I still use CS3 for most of my design.
If your are going to upgrade, you might think about doing it real soon, The 20% off ends March 15 and when CS6 comes out, they are going to lock out CS2 users from upgrading.
[ February 08, 2012, 04:01 PM: Message edited by: Rick Chavez ]
-------------------- Rick Chavez Hemet, CA Posts: 1538 | From: Hemet,CA U.S.A. | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted February 08, 2012 05:03 PM
I've solved my problems for now. Turns out that an update from Apple disabled the dynamic translator for Rosetta which allowed Power PC type programs to run on the Intel based Macs. I had called my IT guy to see about uninstalling the update and just 2 hours before he called back he was listening to a pod cast about the problem and there is a patch to fix it. I downloaded the patch and it's back to normal.
Rick, the problem is CS3, 4, and 5 do not save legacy Illustrator files in their true legacy format as I've learned today. Sean Starr sent me a test file from his Mac running CS5, then saved to Version 3.0 and it acted the same way as my CS3 version did.
And I KNOW Adobe doesn't give a rip whether their software backwards saves properly or not.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5397 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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