This has worked for me with other versions of Windows, but I don't know about Win 7 x64.

Create a folder on the hard drive for Photoshop and copy the entire photoshop CD onto tthe hard drive using exactly the same directory/subdirectory layout as on the CD. Remove the CD after it's done copying.

Now find the setup.exe file (or whatever Photoshop calls it) on the hard drive. Right-click it and select Properties. Click Compatibility tab and set it to a compatible version of Windows (eg, XP). Save the change and see if you can launch the installer by double-clicking it.

Assumig Photoshop installs, find the exe and/or the shortcut to whatever file launches it, and make the same change on the Properties>Compatibility tab for that file. If Photoshop includes other .exe files, you'll have to make similar changes for those too.

No promises, but if this works it didn't cost you anything...! :emotion-5:

Ron 

Did you try actually installing it? Almost all the programs today are still 32bit so that shouldn't be a problem. According to this site, even 64bit win 7 will run it. After installing it, run it in compatibility mode if necessary. This is from the compatibility site at MS. It says that Photoshop 7 is compatible. Photoshop Elements needs updating.

This is for anyone researching this topic.

I had the same problem with Paint Shop Pro. It will run on my Windows 7 Pro, but has a few problems. I ended up installing XP Mode. It works very well using that. However, I see that you have Home Premium. I don't think you can install Virtual PC on that.

Thanks Ron,

Tried that, but got the same error message. "The scratch disks are full". It seems that too much room is as bad as not enough. Photoshop 7 is apparently thrown off by a 1.5 T hard drive.My only alternative is to partition the hard drive, or as some poor guy did, fill it full of huge files.

Thanks Mary,

My answer was whisked away due to a typing error. Will try again.

Of course I tried installing it. The compatibility site is only half right.

To repeat with specifics: Has anyone out there sucessfully installed Photoshop, including Elements, on  Windows 7x64 (not 32 bit)

with a 1.5 T hard drive? Photoshop7 doesn't know what a Terrabyte is.

Thank Mary

I tried installing it up down and sideways. The compatibility site verdict is why I decided to get Windows 7.

Bad move. They're half right. See previous answer.

Has anyone out there sucessfully installed Photoshop, including Elements on a new Windows 7 x64 (not 32) with a 1.5 T hard drive?

Exactly.

I would have to upgrade from Windows Home Premium to Pro ($$$), then install Virtual PC in order to install XP Mode.

before I could run Photoshop. C'mon Adobe, get with it.

What's frustrating is that I have yet to find a decent substitute that will run on my new 7x64 Dell.

You may want to try posting on Adobe's Forum. Perhaps some of the regulars there will have some suggestions.

http://forums.adobe.com/community/photoshop

Upgrading from Home Premium is not $$$, but $$ ... it is $90 from Microsoft, and as little as $70 from other places like Amazon.  Even then, graphics in a virtual machine currently will never come close to graphics on a host OS, so it may not be worth the effort and expense.  You'd be better off taking that $90 and putting it towards a new(er) version of PS.

What is the incentive for Adobe to fix old software, when they can leave it and have you buy that latest?  They are in the business of moving graphic software into the future, not focusing on fixing and making sure old software is compatible with new OS technologies.  Some companies will make tweaks to their software - or publish fixes/workarounds to get older software to work with newer OS's, but where do you draw the line?  PS7 is 9 years and 7 revisions out of date - it is unreasonable to expect even the most forthcoming companies to fix software that is that old.  CS3 is about as old as I might expect fixes to work on Windows 7.

When are you getting the scratch file error? During the installation itself or when you actually try to work on an image?

If it's while opening/working on an image, there are a number of possible causes for that error. Since you obviously should have enough free hard drive space, it may be that the amount of RAM allotted to PS is the problem. Too little or even too much alloted to Photoshop can cause problems. Read this and this.

Ron

You're right of course. PS 7 is pretty old. Problem is, even at Amazon, a new version of Photoshop is close to $900.

Which I could justify if I made my living with it. I'm not a student or teacher either, so can't qualify for the much reduced price.

You have to admit that after putting out big bucks (to me) for a new machine, and then having to scrap a bunch of favorite programs

did not exactly make my day. Ok , I'll stop whining.

The scratch file message comes up while attempting to install.

Apparently others have the same problem. I'm pretty sure its the huge empty hard drive.

And, as was correctly pointed out, Photoshop 7 is an old program. I just wish the MS compatibility site did not claim PS 7 to be compatible.

No matter. The white flag goes up, I surrender.

Just as a possible alternative ... Corel's PaintShop Pro X3 can be had for $30-40 on sale.  It would probably out-do a version of Photoshop as old as v7 is, but my wife is a Photographer and Graphic Designer, and she can do anything in PaintShop that she can do in Photoshop.  She has used both, and she recommends to everyone who does not have the money required for Photoshop (or simply as a less-expensive, top-notch graphics package) to go with Paintshop and they won't be sorry.  Just food for thought.

Corel's PaintShop Pro X3 can be had for $30-40 on sale.

Thanks for the suggestion. I never used a lot of what was available in Photoshop, and doubt if I would in Corel.

So I've decided to go with the dumbed down version of Photoshop a trial version of Photoshop Elements. The terminology is the same, as are the tools and filters etc.

At least a trial will prove compatibility, and if it doesn't work out I'll try the Corel.

Again, thanks