Unsupported adobe software

[glbeas]

Has anybody figured out what adobe did to our computers to allow the older versions of photoshop to run? Since they no longer support the versions up to CS6 i think, it seems someone would have figured out a patch that would allow you to run a version you bought and own on Windows 10. I would love to have my CS3 up and running again so I can work on my digital negatives. Gimp doesnt have the features needed to do the necessary steps.

 

[4season]

I'm guessing that it's updates to Windows security which broke your CS3. It might be possible to continue to use it under an older version of Windows running as a virtual machine.

 

[koraks]

Gimp doesnt have the features needed to do the necessary steps.

Out of curiosity, what are those? A lot has been added to GIMP3 that wasn't available in 2.x

I can't help you with the Adobe problem; I stopped using their software altogether.

 

[glbeas]

I'm guessing that it's updates to Windows security which broke your CS3. It might be possible to continue to use it under an older version of Windows running as a virtual machine.

Im thinking of the stack entries and hidden files the installer puts in place when you go to verify with the serial number on the disk case. Since the website no longer exists to do those changes it would be nice to know what was going on behind the scene and figure a way to do it manually.

 

[glbeas]

Out of curiosity, what are those? A lot has been added to GIMP3 that wasn't available in 2.x

I can't help you with the Adobe problem; I stopped using their software altogether.

Its mainly to do with creating the gradient layer and applying it to the image file. Details are in Mrhars Easy Digital Negatives book. I can find very little in Gimp that corresponds to the instructions for the Photoshop process.

 

[koraks]

I don't have Mrhar's book, but the feature that's known as dynamic adjustment layers in Photoshop was introduced in Gimp 3.0. Anyway, if your work instructions are Adobe-based, then evidently the easiest solution is to use Adobe. IDK what their plans are on a monthly basis, but this is what you pay for - conformity.

 

[Tom Taylor]

CS3 runs as normal on both Windows 10 and the new Windows 11 machines. I know because I had it installed on both. Here's Adobe's explanation:

Regrettably, we must inform you that Adobe officially announced the discontinuation and end-of-life status for CS3 and earlier legacy products several years ago. As a result, the activation servers for older versions of Acrobat and Creative Suite (CS) applications have been retired. Consequently, without these activation servers, these application will not reactivate on new or same machine. If you still have CS3 product already installed and activated on any device, you can still use them. But they can't be re-activated anymore on new or same devices.

In the past, as a goodwill gesture, we provided free replacement serial numbers for CS3 when Adobe was offering one-time exceptions for CS2 and CS3 users. However, this process has also been discontinued in accordance with our support policies. At this time, we no longer have access to download links, updates, knowledge base articles, tools, or support teams to assist with the activation or installation issues related to these end-of-life products.

Here is the replacement serial number that they provided to me at the time: 1045-1631-8110-5780-1232-7825. Try it and see if that number will work on your machine. If it does, check "Never Register" when prompted.

Note, however, that if you get it to work on your, say Windows 10 machine and you move it to the newer Windows 11 machine, then you can only use it for 30 days until it needs to be activated by Adobe. This explains Adobe's unscrupulous motivation:

As a valued long-term customer, we are pleased to offer you the latest Photoshop CC subscription at a discounted price of $13.79 per month, along with an additional eight free months on an annual plan, as approved by our management team (one-time exception). This discounted price offer is available only for limited time period. The latest Photoshop CC subscription includes the following benefits:

Bunch of thieves, in my opinion.

Thomas

 

[glbeas]

I cant get into that subscription model. I dont use it enough to be worth it. I paid for CS3 and expected to use it for a lot longer. I’ll try that new number and see what happens, thanks for the info!

 

[koraks]

I'm with you on that; sorry I can't offer any help other than mentioning that I stopped using Adobe a few years ago and decided I'd try and get the job (whatever it turns out to be) done with alternatives. So far, that's always succeeded. There are some use cases where it's difficult or maybe even impossible to use GIMP for some purposes; e.g. for channel separations (for color printing, in particular custom spot colors) Adobe really has the edge. The same is true for their halftone screening options, although GIMP can be used for at least the latter (I've tried it; works quite well), I think Adobe's PostScript output is more robust (then again, they invented it...)

When it comes to digital negatives and the processes of linearization and adjustment curves, there's no reason this cannot be done with GIMP - it's just that the process will be different from a description based on Photoshop. That's an inconvenience as it means you have to basically reconstruct the same process in a different 'language'. But it can be done; I've done plenty of linearizations using GIMP - but not using Mrhar's guide, so I can't tell you how to translate his particular approach to GIMP.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

CS3 runs as normal on both Windows 10 and the new Windows 11 machines. I know because I had it installed on both. Here's Adobe's explanation:

Regrettably, we must inform you that Adobe officially announced the discontinuation and end-of-life status for CS3 and earlier legacy products several years ago. As a result, the activation servers for older versions of Acrobat and Creative Suite (CS) applications have been retired. Consequently, without these activation servers, these application will not reactivate on new or same machine. If you still have CS3 product already installed and activated on any device, you can still use them. But they can't be re-activated anymore on new or same devices.

In the past, as a goodwill gesture, we provided free replacement serial numbers for CS3 when Adobe was offering one-time exceptions for CS2 and CS3 users. However, this process has also been discontinued in accordance with our support policies. At this time, we no longer have access to download links, updates, knowledge base articles, tools, or support teams to assist with the activation or installation issues related to these end-of-life products.

Here is the replacement serial number that they provided to me at the time: 1045-1631-8110-5780-1232-7825. Try it and see if that number will work on your machine. If it does, check "Never Register" when prompted.

Note, however, that if you get it to work on your, say Windows 10 machine and you move it to the newer Windows 11 machine, then you can only use it for 30 days until it needs to be activated by Adobe. This explains Adobe's unscrupulous motivation:

As a valued long-term customer, we are pleased to offer you the latest Photoshop CC subscription at a discounted price of $13.79 per month, along with an additional eight free months on an annual plan, as approved by our management team (one-time exception). This discounted price offer is available only for limited time period. The latest Photoshop CC subscription includes the following benefits:

Bunch of thieves, in my opinion.

Thomas

Fortunately, Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft sent into deep space 50 years ago still operate on the original software and there hasn;t been a recall or discontinuation of it. Not so good with my five-year-old Samsung Galaxy cellphone. It stopped operating my bank app because the new bank app requires a later operating system that the old phone won;t support. So I had to spend $800 to update a perfectly good phone. This happens across industries, as old apps aren't updated, forcing people to update not only software but also hardware furnished by other companies. Meanwhile, Voyagers keep plugging along.

 

[BradS]

Fortunately, Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft sent into deep space 50 years ago still operate on the original software and there hasn;t been a recall or discontinuation of it. Not so good with my five-year-old Samsung Galaxy cellphone. It stopped operating my bank app because the new bank app requires a later operating system that the old phone won;t support. So I had to spend $800 to update a perfectly good phone. This happens across industries, as old apps aren't updated, forcing people to update not only software but also hardware furnished by other companies. Meanwhile, Voyagers keep plugging along.

I'm thinking that the Voyager hardware and software may have cost a bit more than $800.

 

[bdial]

Actually, even Voyager had to have a software fix installed a year or two ago. But it is still running a supported version.

 

[slackercrurster]

You have to run it on a dedicated machine that is offline. I had similar problem with other programs that Windows didn't like. Or run them from a thumb drive.

 

[MattKing]

When you first licensed the software - you don't own it - it was designed to be used on your computer at that time, with the operating system you had at that time.
Your computer has had a bunch of changes to it since then - courtesy of Microsoft - and Adobe updated your Adobe software for years, without any charge to you.
Adobe finally stopped providing you free software updates, even while Microsoft continued.
Your Adobe license is still usable on a computer set up the same way as when you first paid for the license. But you don't have one of those.

 

[4season]

Im thinking of the stack entries and hidden files the installer puts in place when you go to verify with the serial number on the disk case. Since the website no longer exists to do those changes it would be nice to know what was going on behind the scene and figure a way to do it manually.

Hidden files and registry keys can be found readily enough, but if the DRM scheme involves "phoning home" to the mothership periodically, that might complicate matters.

 

[Tom Taylor]

“When you first licensed the software - you don't own it - it was designed to be used on your computer at that time, with the operating system you had at that time. “



“Owning” the software was never an issue. If you “owned” it then you would be free to do whatever you wished with it, like reselling its algorithm for example. Of course it “was designed to be used on your computer...with the operating system you had at that time.” That was the software's compatibility that Adobe advised the prospective buyer of. But Adobe clearly recognized that the program would be re-installed on different or newer systems by setting out the steps necessary to reinstalling on a different computer.



“Your computer has had a bunch of changes to it since then - courtesy of Microsoft - and Adobe updated your Adobe software for years, without any charge to you. “



Microsoft, unlike Adobe, has updated it software/hardware on a regular basis over the years and CS3 continued to work through out them all. But not once did Adobe update CS3. Their “update” plan at the time was CS4, then CS5, CS6... until the program reached such perfection that they ran out of ideas. Then they switched to a subscription model and decided to compel past purchasers of their product into the new subscription model. CS3 was never a subscription license.



“Your Adobe license is still usable on a computer set up the same way as when you first paid for the license. But you don't have one of those. “



As set out earlier, CS3 performs flawlessly on both Windows 10 and 11 machines. It's not a hardware or software issue like it is with the Macs but purely a matter of greed on the part of Adobe. It's analogous to buying a new car which comes with a specified warranty and at the end of which the manufacture tells you that you can't drive it no longer and that you have to subscribe to the newest model whether you want to or not.

Thomas

 

[glbeas]

I tried the numbers, the installer liked the numbers but the option to never register didnt ever show up.

 

[warden]

...then CS5, CS6... until the program reached such perfection that they ran out of ideas.

Wait, they ran out of ideas at CS6?

 

[xkaes]

I have Adobe Acrobat 5 and it won't run on Windows 10, but I solved that problem a long time ago -- because I have lots of other software that I can't run on Windows 10. This is not just because of operating system incompatibility, but to move some software to a different computer with a different operating system you have to buy a different license. That's why I still have a Windows XP 64-bit computer.

 

[ShawnKielty]

There used to be a way to run an application (in your case PS3) in compatibility mode. Not sure it’s still in 10.1.

 

[reddesert]

When you first licensed the software - you don't own it - it was designed to be used on your computer at that time, with the operating system you had at that time.
Your computer has had a bunch of changes to it since then - courtesy of Microsoft - and Adobe updated your Adobe software for years, without any charge to you.
Adobe finally stopped providing you free software updates, even while Microsoft continued.
Your Adobe license is still usable on a computer set up the same way as when you first paid for the license. But you don't have one of those.

Matt, I don't use Adobe software (other than Acrobat), but I don't think this is quite correct. The software probably remains usable on the original installation on the original computer and OS, but if for some reason you have to change to a different computer or reinstall the old OS, or just reinstall the Adobe software, you cannot reactivate the software only because they took down the activation server. That's one reason people get agitated. Adobe is, I believe, actually worse than many other software companies in this area.

 

[xkaes]

Matt, I don't use Adobe software (other than Acrobat), but I don't think this is quite correct. The software probably remains usable on the original installation on the original computer and OS, but if for some reason you have to change to a different computer or reinstall the old OS, or just reinstall the Adobe software, you cannot reactivate the software only because they took down the activation server. That's one reason people get agitated. Adobe is, I believe, actually worse than many other software companies in this area.

You're right, but it goes further than that. I use Acrobat 5 and it's a standalone product. It installs without any internet access -- but it will not install on Windows 10. There is a software company that sells a "fix", but it costs over $100, and since I have the use the computer for other programs that won't run on Windows 10, I'm not forking over that amount of cash.

I've got lots of software packages (and hardware drivers) that will not install on Windows 10 no matter what compatibility setting I try -- but a couple installed when I set compatibility for Windows 7, even though the software was designed for Windows XP. Go figure.

I think a lot of people will be reluctant to make the jump to Windows 11, because of all the problems that had moving to Windows 10 -- and I don't just mean having to buy completely new hardware. Every 18 months everyone is going to have to trash their old gear & software, and get new stuff. Planned obsolescence at its peak.

 

[F4U]

Try this; Create a separate folder in your program files. Label the folder as Progra 2 Install the CS2 in that. folder May work for CS3, assuming you are installing from CD's. I know nothing about later versions where Adobe stopped selling their product on CD's. If your CD's are a package where the suite is loaded as a suite, AND has the individual programs within the CD set, Load the suite first, then go back and load the separate programs individually. Personally I was an XP man unti years and years after the bitter end, till I was forced to use Win 7, which I used till last year when that hard drive crashed. But one thing I did learn is that any Adobe that could run using the Progra 2 trick (be sure to use the space between Progra and 2), the same trick worked on Win 10. Now I'm on Mint, and after a year of it, I get by well enough. GL