Troubleshooting Problems Opening PPM Files
Common PPM Opening Problems
Adobe Photoshop Not Present
When you double-click your PPM file, you may see a dialog box from your operating system stating that it "Cannot Open This File Type". Usually, this is because you do not have Adobe Photoshop for %%os%% installed. Because your operating system doesn't know what to do with this file, you won't be able to open it by double-clicking.
Tip: When you have another program installed that you know will open your PPM, you can select it from the other programs listed (see "Show Apps").
Obsolete Version of Adobe Photoshop
Occasionally, you might have an outdated version of Adobe Photoshop installed that's incompatible with your Portable Pixmap Image File type. If you do not have the proper version Adobe Photoshop (or any of the other programs listed above), you may need to try downloading a different version of it, or one of the other software applications listed above. The primary cause of this problem is that your Portable Pixmap Image File file was created by a different (newer) version of Adobe Photoshop than what's installed.
Tip: If you right-click on your PPM file, then select "Properties" (Windows) or "Get Info" (Mac), you can obtain hints about what version you need.
Ultimately, most of the difficulties opening PPM files are due to having the wrong version of Adobe Photoshop installed.
More Causes of Problems Opening PPMs
You can still experience errors opening PPM files even with the latest version of Adobe Photoshop installed on your PC. Other PPM opening errors can be created by other system problems inside of %%os%%. These issues include:
- Invalid PPM file references in the Windows Registry (the "phonebook" of the Windows Operating System)
- The PPM file description within the Windows Registry was removed
- Invalid installation of a PPM-associated program (eg. Adobe Photoshop)
- Your PPM can't be loaded properly (file corruption)
- Past or present virus infection has affected your PPM
- Device drivers for PPM-related hardware are out-of-date
- Windows has inadequate resources to open your Portable Pixmap Image File file
Quiz: Which file extension is the oldest in existence?
That's Correct!
The text file, or "TXT" for short, is the oldest file extension in existence. Although the exact date is unknown, it is thought to have been invented in the late-1960's.
Close, but not quite...
The text file, or "TXT" for short, is the oldest file extension in existence. Although the exact date is unknown, it is thought to have been invented in the late-1960's.
Poll: What is your favorite operating system?