# Error message: "An error occurred when attempting to change modules"



## Skylark (Oct 28, 2009)

After replacing my failing primary hard drive and restoring its contents to the new drive, when I attempt to open a catalog in LightRoom the message "An error occurred when attempting to change modules". 

I haven't been able to find any information on this error by searching the forum. Can anyone enlighten me regarding how to fix this problem?

I'm using LightRoom 1.4.1.


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 28, 2009)

Hi Skylark, welcome to the forum!

Have you tried reinstalling Lightroom?


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## Skylark (Oct 28, 2009)

Just reinstalled and that seemed to solve my problem. I had to do the new install on a different drive than the one where the corrupted version is because when I tried to install there I got a message that "there is nothing to install". I assume this is because I didn't uninstall the existing program. 

Thanks for your help.


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 29, 2009)

Oh well done. You could probably delete the existing app and copy the new install back to the normal location, and check it still works before removing it from the different drive.


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## kaoswisdom (Nov 6, 2009)

I am having this same error message: "An error occurred when attempting to change modules"
I have tried to reinstall it after deleting it, I have also tried to install it in an external hard drive BUT I always get the same error message. 
Any other suggestions?
It's driving me crazy and I need to work with my images asap.
Thanks


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## Brad Snyder (Nov 6, 2009)

Kaos, the standard troubleshooting steps are here.

If you were running Windows, I'd recommend updating video drivers and verifying monitor profile, if any. Not sure this impacts Macs as much.

BTW, welcome to the forums, sorry you're having issues.....


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## Victoria Bampton (Nov 7, 2009)

Kaos has contacted me off-forum. Some additional information he's added may well have a bearing on this, so probably not worth continuing on-forum.


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## tonyguinn (Jun 27, 2010)

It seems a prevalent problem with LR3. I am having the same issue and have tried the standard troubleshooting to no avail. I get the plist files deleted, but cannot open any existing catalog nor a new catalog..........help!!!


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## Victoria Bampton (Jun 28, 2010)

Hi Tony, welcome to the forum!

There's a mystery installer problem that appears from time to time - appears it's clashing with something already installed in the user account that prevents it installing the right files. Try repairing disk permissions and then reinstalling. If that doesn't do the trick, install into a clean user account (i.e. create a new user account in Sys Prefs temporarily) and then we'll transfer the right files back to your normal account.


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## bmendez1025 (Sep 13, 2010)

I am on Mac Version 1'.6.4

I have tried to uninstall, removed all of the files mentioned in prior posts and reinstalled several times now. I still get the same error message. I tried uninstalling from my hard drive and installing on my 1.' TB drive and STILL got the same annoying message. Adobe NEVER answers email inquiries on their website nor their FaceBook page. I'm beginning to wonder WHY I continue pumping money into a company that really doesn't care about customer service?

Does anyone know if it's just the fact that 1'.6.4 won't work with LR Version 3??? I have tried most everything mentioned in the forum posts and have had no luck. I'm half tempted to pick this computer up and toss it out the window and go back to a PC...???? (Now that's for real frustrated craziness talking!!!)


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## Victoria Bampton (Sep 13, 2010)

bmendez, welcome to the forum!

Breathe.  I'm familiar with that frustration, don't worry.

Now, tell me, have you tried one thing... create a new user account on that computer, just temporarily, and install LR in that user account. Does it work in that user account? If so, great, because we'll then transfer specific files back to your normal user account and you'll be off and running. It appears to be a permissions issue in the Application Support folder, but difficult to replicate (and therefore fix).


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## bmendez1025 (Sep 13, 2010)

Well Victoria. You are amazing. It works under a different user name, dubbed "Lightroom Fix." Now, how do I get it to work under my real user name? 

PS: I'm sending your information to Adobe, they should hire you!


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## Victoria Bampton (Sep 13, 2010)

LOL Thank you - I've already told them about the fix, but they're still having trouble replicating the problem.

To get it to work under your normal username, all you have to do is going to Macintosh HD/Users/Lightroom Fix/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom and copy that folder, and then put it in the same location on your normal user account.

And out of interest, before you put it there, I'm interested to know whether there's already a Lightroom folder in that location in the normal account, and if so, what's in it? And do you, or have you in the past, had any Nik software installed on that computer, because that name seems to keep coming up related to this issue!


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## fullkoll (Sep 13, 2010)

This has happened to me too now and then over the last years, but the only thing I have done is to attempt the same command once again - and it has always worked.
Haven´t had the problem at all with LR 3.2, though.....


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## bmendez1025 (Sep 14, 2010)

Yes, I have Nik software filters installed. I had deleted everything Lightroom related prior to this, so there is not a Lightroom folder there any longer.

I just went in to copy the folder and it tells me that I do not have access. I am the master account but there is a red minus sign on all of the folders? I tried poking around preferences and security and do not see anything out of the ordinary? Frustrated. Confused. Please guide me home?


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## Victoria Bampton (Sep 14, 2010)

Bingo, I don't know what it is about Nik, but it comes up every time I've asked. Is it the Complete Collection you had installed? I'll be loading up a clean machine to test the theory before too long!

Try copying the folder to a shared location (i.e. the root of the drive would do) and then logging back into the main account to put them in the right place.


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## bmendez1025 (Oct 9, 2010)

Do I have to uninstall of my NIK filters to get this to work? The system will not let me copy the files... access error? Ridiculous complications!


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 9, 2010)

I'd bet there's a Nik file in an existing LR application data folder. Try moving it elsewhere temporarily, delete the LR folder and then try copying. Oh, and you might not have access to that user account from the other one - might be a case of copying the folder to a shared location.


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## bmendez1025 (Oct 9, 2010)

I copied the folder onto a jump drive and then pasted it into my LR library, and I'm still getting the same "An error occurred when attempting to change modules" error.


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 9, 2010)

What did you paste, from where, and to where? Did it copy correctly? Is the Nik plug-in still in that folder?


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## bmendez1025 (Oct 12, 2010)

Do I need to uninstall all of my NIK products and then reinstall after LR3???? Any suggestions to an easier fix. Moving the files from the New LR Library to my old user library did NOT work????


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## bmendez1025 (Oct 12, 2010)

Sorry I just noticed all of the responses were on a 2nd page in this posting. I'll try moving the NIK folders!


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## bmendez1025 (Oct 12, 2010)

WOOT WOOT! 

FYI.... Lightroom 3 + NIK Filters = disaster!!!

I deleted my NIK folders and the Lightoom3 folders. Reinstalled LR3, then it worked. Reinstalled NIK filters  WOW. What a headache! But now, it's all good!!!!


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## b_gossweiler (Oct 12, 2010)

[quote author=bmendez1'25 link=topic=8227.msg7596'#msg7596' date=12869'7'7']
WOOT WOOT! 

FYI.... Lightroom 3 + NIK Filters = disaster!!!
...
[/quote]

This generalization is not valid!

I've been using Nik Viveza with LR2 and LR3 for quite some time without any problems on WinXP SP3.

There might be a problem in some configurations, but you cannot generally say it does not work properly.

Beat


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## bmendez1025 (Oct 13, 2010)

Might also be a "Macintosh" thing? I don't use the windows platform.


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## Skylark (Oct 28, 2009)

After replacing my failing primary hard drive and restoring its contents to the new drive, when I attempt to open a catalog in LightRoom the message "An error occurred when attempting to change modules". 

I haven't been able to find any information on this error by searching the forum. Can anyone enlighten me regarding how to fix this problem?

I'm using LightRoom 1.4.1.


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 13, 2010)

Yippeee!!!!

And Beat, don't worry, it's not a criticism of the Nik filters themselves.... but there definitely seems to be a clash between already-installed Nik filters and the LR installer when installing LR for the first time. It looks like some kind of permissions problem and happens on both platforms. It's on my testing list to get reproducible steps, and then hopefully they'll be able to fix it at last.


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## b_gossweiler (Oct 13, 2010)

[quote author=Victoria Bampton link=topic=8227.msg7599'#msg7599' date=1286961416]
Yippeee!!!!

And Beat, don't worry, it's not a criticism of the Nik filters themselves.... but there definitely seems to be a clash between already-installed Nik filters and the LR installer when installing LR for the first time. It looks like some kind of permissions problem and happens on both platforms. It's on my testing list to get reproducible steps, and then hopefully they'll be able to fix it at last.
[/quote]

Never mind, Victoria, I neither have shares of Nik Software nor am I emotionally attached to them. I just thought the statement needs to be put in perspective a little bit.

Beat


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## JohnD19 (Oct 15, 2010)

Hi,
I'm new here. I just downloaded the LR3 trial and received the error message: An error occurred when attempting to change modules. So I used appzapper to remove LR3, I could not find the LR3 uninstaller. Then I repaired permissions and removed the Nik complete collection plugins that I had installed for Aperture using the Nik uninstall program. With all of that done I re-downloaded LR3 and tried the install again. Still the same message. I read through the posts but am unsure what to try next. Can anyone offer help? :(


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## JohnD19 (Oct 15, 2010)

Uh-oh. Just noticed my profile was not correct. I am a Macbook Pro user with Snow Leopard 1'.6.4. It should be corrected now. Sorry.


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 15, 2010)

Yeah, no worries John, and welcome to the forum!. 

Easiest option is to create a clean user account and install/open LR in that account. It should open ok in that account. 

If/when it does, grab the Macintosh HD/Users/[your user]/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom folder, copy it somewhere that's shared between both accounts. 

Switch back to your main account and copy that folder into that same location in the other account. 

LR should then hopefully work. Shout if it doesn't!


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## JohnD19 (Oct 20, 2010)

Victoria, thanks for the tip. I now have the trial version of LR running on my main user account. Don't know if you use Nik software or not? I do. Just downloaded the new HDR Efex Pro plugin for Lightroom and when I try to use it I get "launching external application failed". The a crash report appears for the Nik product. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling several times. Any ideas?
Thanks!!
BTW. How do I easily find my posts? I'm sure I'm missing something.


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## Brad Snyder (Oct 20, 2010)

Finding your posts: Click your user ID there at the upper left of your post, which will take you to your Profile page. At the top of the left hand frame, 2nd down is 'Show Posts'.


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## JohnD19 (Oct 20, 2010)

Thanks for helping out a newbie.


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## linkwoman (Oct 27, 2010)

Hey John, how are you liking the Nik HDR software? I am thinking of getting it; thanks for mentioning it. Have you tried others? Since it's off-topic to THIS post, I created another post, so please answer there! thanks.


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