I use photoshop elements 7 on windows vista and recently got an error message saying it has stopped working... any suggestions?

First variant you may use if your .psd file was seriously damaged

https://www.repairtoolbox.com/photoshoprepair.html Photoshop Repair Toolbox

Second solutions are showed as knowledge bases about Adobe Photoshop

http://www.techrepublic.com/forums/questions/repairing-damaged-adobe-photoshop-psd-files/
https://forums.adobe.com/message/6698481

Third one is a guide from Adobe

·Open "My Computer." In Windows XP, the icon is on the desktop. In Windows Vista or Windows 7, you must access this via the "Computer" option in the Start menu.
·Double-click the "C" drive, followed by the "Windows" folder inside. Locate the temporary Photoshop folder, which will look similar to this: "Photoshop Temp6382948398." Double-click the folder when you find it.
·Locate the file inside the temporary folder that matches the name of the corrupted file. Double-click it to open it in Photoshop.
· Click "Save As" in the "File" portion of the main menu bar. Save it in a different location and under a different name

Without your computer specs, it is hard to judge if this is a bug in Photoshop Elements 3.0 or your system causing the issue.

If you are using Windows 7/Vista, please press Shift+Control+Esc to enter your task manager while running Photoshop Elements 3.0. Click Performance. Under Physical Memory, view the "Available." If this number is low, saw under 1,000, your system most likely needs more RAM. In Windows XP, press Control+Alt+Del ONCE to access your Task Manager.

Hold the CTRL key down while this software is starting. This process will prompt you to recover the catalog. If you don't see this pop window then try it again as timing this right will ensure you see the window.

If your catalog cannot be recovered then rename the hidden file psa.prf - This file can located under your user profile folder:

Windows 2000 / Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\[username]Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\3.0\Organizer

Vista or Windows 7 - C:\Users\[username]Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\3.0\Organizer

I'm sorry to inform you that Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 is supported only upto Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit versions only). You have to install the Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0.2 update. The Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 5.0.2 update provides compatibility with Microsoft® Windows Vista™ (32-bit versions only). Refer the URL for more information:

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3569

You may use the Photoshop Elements with Windows 7. Refer the URL for the comparison with various versions:

http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/compare/

Refer the URL for System Requrments:

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopel/systemreqs/

You have to wait for the information about the compatibility of the Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 7. You can upgrade to Adobe Photoshop 8 which is completely compatible with Windows 7. You can check the compatibility here. Check event viewer for the error message, for this click on start menu type Event Viewer and press Enter. It would be better to check with Adobe for what operating systems that Photoshop Element 6 would be supported. However you can try installing Adobe Photoshop Element 6 in a fresh installed Windows 7.
I hope this helps.

The system requirements for Photoshop Element 6 shows to be compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista.
You may want to check with Adobe to see what os Photoshop Elements 6 supports., or to see if there is a patch or update.

You might also try out the XP mode in Windows 7 to see if you can get it installed and working.

Starting Adobe Photoshop Elements, the Editor returns the error message "Unable to continue because of hardware or system error. Sorry, but this error is unrecoverable," and the Organizer returns the error message "Interface not found."

Solution: Enable the Event log service.
1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.
2. Double-click Administrative Tools, then Services.
3. Right-click Event Log and select Start.
Note: The Event Log can only be disabled in the Microsoft System Configuration utility (msconfig) under the Services tab, but should never be turned off.
Background information
The error messages "hardware or system error..." or "interface not found" when you start either the Editor or Organizer indicate a system level problem. These messages display if Event Log is disabled. The Event Log is a Microsoft service that should never be disabled.

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could be any number of reasons. Hhere is a very good troubleshooting page for you.

http://www.johnrellis.com/psedbtool/photoshopelements-6-7-faq.htm#_Troubleshooti ng_Organizer_crashes

Are you trying to use it with a tablet device? Because some tablet devices override the drivers that are dependent for Photoshop. If this is not the problem, please leave a comment and I'll get back to you =)

Even though this says Elements 6, it still works for 7. The only difference is the TWAIN file is at: C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 7.0\Locales\en_US\Plug-Ins\Import-Export


http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/408/kb408846.html