Adobe CS6 Package installation causes Hp laptops (WIN11 provided) to get stuck on HP logo

[Mather666]

Now that I'm out of the nightmare, and fixed my problem, I thought this is really worth being shared with all HP laptops owners to avoid anyboy to get sucked into the same void.

After less than 1 year of almost perfect activity, my Victus 16 just decided to freeze on HP logo one day after turning on.

Due to the fact Win11 users get constantly annoyed with weekly updates (and so I was just one night before), I immediately thought this was due to the classic badly and too early pushed windows update : after tried everything to get into safe mode and activate windows installer and update services, I just proceeded to remove every last update from windows. Of course without success.

Due to an unfortunate coincidence, I also got a firmware update from HP on that very week which (especially for the fact every HP auto troubleshooting guide always brings you to the possibility of a corrupted BIOS when talking of "boot stuck on HP logo") took me to conclude I needed to flash a previous BIOS thorugh USB key to quickly fix the issue.

I TRIED EVERY AVAILABLE BIOS, including different versions intended for win 11 22h2 / 24h2 (you never know) and even when the installation was successful and BIOS correctly restored, the problem was ALWAYS THERE.

I tried hard reset 15 sec power button, WIN + b keys BIOS/Firmware auto restoring, getting into Safe mode and rebuild UEFI boot partition with BCDedit, Windows 11 Media Key reparation tools, HP diagnostic tools,  4-in-1 USB Key , disabling all startup apps and services : N-O-T-H-I-N-G WORKED.

The most I could do was entering safe mode, backup all my data and just try to reinstall windows 'cause every time I attempted to relaunch the O/S in NORMAL MODE I got stuck in the same loop.

After reinstalling all my software, and having some days of normal working activity, the VICTUS LOGO of Death shown up again : considering I had to install the last Quicktime software to do some video editing (which is not guaranteed for Win11 as Apple dropped support for Microsoft users) I thought that could be the most probable reason, however even by using a Win restoration point and uninstalling quicktime there was no way to fix.

I so decided to reinstall Win 11 from the scratch one more time, but be prepared for the third assault : I so created a lot of Win system restore points, a huge system image on an external HDD and wait.

As expcted, and after installing software by software except for Quicktime, the problem finally re-appeared.

Restoring Win from EVERY restore point was PERFECTLY UNUSEFUL. Uninstalling the few installed apps, unseful too.

In contact with the support, and looking at similar cases, I was at the point to conclude this was due to a motherboard problem just got unrecognized by HP diagnostic tool, and finally brought to light "thanks" to latest HP/Win updates : however, before proceeding to call the closest HP authorized service center, I just thought which "unusual software" I could have installed during that week (even if not the exact day before). The answer was ADOBE CS6 Package which I've been ALWAYS used on my desktop pc mounting WINDOWS 10 without ANY PROBLEM AT ALL.

I've just did some research and BOOM : here's the thread from Adobe. 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/download-install-discussions/installed-cs6-on-windows-11-machine-now-...

>>>THE SOLUTION ? JUST MANUALLY MODIFYING A VERY SPECIFIC WIN REGISTRY KEY and PROBLEM SOLVED !!!

So the question : how it's possible I didn't realize this was the problem from the start if this was a recently installed app? BECAUSE (LISTEN LISTEN !!!) THE ISSUE DOES NOT SHOW UP RIGHT AFTER INSTALLING CS6 and reboot ! But ONLY AFTER an unspecified number of MULTIPLE REBOOTS, which implies you can literally keep working for a couple of DAYS without any bad sign and got taken by surprise.

PLEASE HP SUPPORT, take into account this could literally save LIVES of people stuck in a situation where your agents and guides almost always identify the issue as a BIOS update or corrupted installation of Win11 problem, and something can be easily fixed by just reinstalling the O/S.

Again, I reinstalled my O/S (Factory installed OS with OEM key in the BIOS INCLUDED BY HP) 3 TIMES and please note, this could have been avoided !

I'm not here to blame you, cause I well understand that's an extremely hard to recognize compatibility issue, but PLEASE keep it in mind as much as possible and give it visibility as NOBODY (not even my worst enemy) should crawling in the dark in this way while just trying to make his job 🙄

I hope this will be useful to someone else 😄

Cheers !

[A_Gayathri · Accepted solution]

Hi @Mather666,

Welcome to The HP Support Community.  

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

Thank you for sharing your experience! It sounds like a frustrating ordeal, but it’s great that you found a solution and are willing to help others avoid the same problem. Compatibility issues between software and operating systems can indeed be tricky and lead to unexpected problems.

The Adobe CS6 package causing boot issues on Windows 11, especially when the issue manifests only after multiple reboots, is a valuable insight. It’s a reminder of how software interactions can be complex and how problems might not always be immediate.

For others who might face similar issues, here’s a summary of the steps you took:

1. Initial Troubleshooting: Tried standard solutions like removing Windows updates, flashing BIOS, and performing hard resets without success.
2. Software Conflict Identification: Identified Adobe CS6 as the culprit after noticing the issue started after its installation.
3. Solution: Resolved the problem by manually modifying a specific Windows registry key related to Adobe CS6.
4. Reinstallation and Prevention: Reinstalled Windows, created restore points, and avoided reinstalling problematic software.

Your detailed account can certainly help others who might be dealing with similar issues and save them a lot of time and frustration. It’s also a good reminder for HP support and others in the tech community to consider software compatibility issues as part of their troubleshooting process. Thanks again for sharing your solution!

Refer to this document: Victus by HP 16.1 inch Gaming Laptop PC 16-r0000

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.