PS CS Reactivation Questions for Adobe – No ranting.

DP
Posted By
Daryl_Pritchard
Jul 22, 2004
Views
980
Replies
39
Status
Closed
I don’t know that the users can expect Adobe to provide us any answers to the following questions, but these questions are better posed here for the benefit of all to see and be informed on, rather than in some attempt at direct correspondence. I feel the Adobe reps who do visit and help address user questions here are more likely to try and help, yet I’m not sure just how much they can say (of course, not being able to say anything sure doesn’t help anyone out).

1. Does Adobe acknowledge that nothing other than a computer system’s hardware configuration is needed to establish the uniqueness of that computer as one of the two allowable computers on which Photoshop CS may be installed and activated? If not, then what other factors must be considered, and why?

2. Given that Photoshop CS currently suffers a problem with reactivation being prompted when no system hardware configuration change has occurred, what is Adobe doing to resolve this problem so as to provide a time- and software-independent solution to the user community? What is the latest projected date that the users will be provided a solution?

3. Although relatively rare, situations may arise when one is prompted to reactivate PS CS, yet efforts to do so via the automated internet or telephone procedures fail and the user is denied reactivation. If these situations occur outside of normal Adobe tech support hours, the user may face a costly work stoppage and it is essential that support be obtained elsewhere. Is a foreign Adobe tech support center able to support reactivation of PS CS licenses outside of their home country? If so, where are telephone numbers provided for these foreign tech support centers, and will they accept collect calls? Note that issues regarding failed reactivations should be fully supported at Adobe’s expense or procedures should be in place to reimburse the users for costs incurred in obtaining foreign tech support.

Thanks,

Daryl

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KL
Katherine_Lawson
Jul 23, 2004
Bump
TH
Tom_Hart
Jul 25, 2004
I also received a second "activation" screen about 3 weeks after installing Photoshop CS and a day after upgrading Premiere Pro to 1.5. I’m wondering if the Premiere Pro upgrade installation did something to cause this since I haven’t installed any Windows updates since I last ran Photoshop CS. Anyhow, if I have to re-activate Photohsop CS over the internet or by telephone before I can use it, every time my configuration changes, that’s going to be a problem since I do a lot of system tweaking for 3D design, video editing, and post production, and often in remote locations where I don’t have access to the internet, or during crunch time when I don’t have time to call. I guess I should keep my copy of PS 7 around.
QP
Q_Photo
Jul 26, 2004
Bump? What does that mean?
GH
Grass_Hopper
Jul 26, 2004
it is a way of pushing the topic to the top of the screen again. Otherwise, it could fall off to secondary pages and get lost in the shuffle.
KL
Katherine_Lawson
Jul 26, 2004
I bumped it because I don’t like the way this activation thing is working out either, in spite of the fact that Adobe has been very supportive of my problems.

My laptop is at my mother’s shop, where there is no telephone, but that is where I do my printing from, using Photoshop CS. (I was lucky enough to have some artists ask me to do small runs of prints of their paintings for them on my Epson 2200, but I don’t have much room at my house, and the prints wouldn’t look too good with cat and ferret tracks all over them if I did them at home!)
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Jul 26, 2004
Too bad the bumps only work in newsreaders and not the webforum. I think the absence of any input from Adobe reps on this thread tends to speak for itself on the matter…which is rather frustrating. I’m just glad I’m not a working professional who depends upon PS CS to always be there and ready to work for me even when I’m in some remote location.

Daryl
MM
Mac_McDougald
Jul 26, 2004
Actuall, the "bump" is FOR the web interface.
It’s just that it doesn’t seem to happen instantly all the time, must need re-indexing or something.

In newsreader, one simply gets ALL the posts, in the order they happen (and/or threaded, whatever)….

Mac
GH
Grass_Hopper
Jul 26, 2004
Daryl,
the bump worked just fine in the web view (my only view!), else I might not have seen the topic at all.
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Jul 26, 2004
Hmmmm…I must have different preference settings from all of you. Checking them, I saw that I’ve been viewing posts based on newest topic first, so I tried changing the setting to most recent activity first. That doesn’t seem any better, as this thread is still on the 2nd page when I’d have expected it on the first unless all those other posts also did just get updated. Oh well…I’m accustomed to paging forward to find threads of interest. I’ll check out the other settings too though.

Daryl
JB
Jonathan_Balza
Jul 26, 2004
Daryl, I know that you and some others are having problems with it, but I don’t agree with this statement:

"Given that Photoshop CS currently suffers a problem with reactivation being prompted when no system hardware configuration change has occurred, …"

as it implies that the problem exists in ALL Photoshop installs, which is not the issue in my case. As a matter of fact, it is the exact opposite for me. I just replaced my motherboard, RAM, video card, and several PCI cards, and just for kicks, didn’t format and reinstall Windows. And guess what, no reactivation dialog at all. Not for Windows, not for Photoshop.

So I guess you could say that while some Photoshop installs are having your problem, others are not having a problem at all.
GA
Gabriel_Ayala
Jul 26, 2004
I don’t know if bumping this is going to do any good. There was a similar posting that was deleted by the moderator. I believe posting solutions on this issue in this forum is considered some form of piracy support or something like that.

Just give up.
B
BobLevine
Jul 26, 2004
Yes, I deleted it, but you didn’t post a solution, you posted a hack that’s flat out illegal.

Bob
TH
Tom_Hart
Jul 26, 2004
Hi Jonathan,

I think the activation detection mechanism is more attuned to hard drive, I.P., and OS version changes, so maybe everything on your list went under the radar so to speak.

On my system I did plug the laptop into a couple of new FireWire hard drives which caused some reshuffling of drive letters, I also installed a Premiere Pro update and changed my login ID to conform to my ID on my home network. However, even after all those changes, I was able to launch and use Photoshop CS several times before the activation dialog appeared.

The dialog also indicated that I was past the 30 day activation period, even though I had just installed Photoshop CS 2 or 3 weeks earlier, so there’s a bug there too. I haven’t even had my new system for 30 days!

One other thing, I installed Photoshop CS from the Creative Suite package, not from an individual Photoshop CS package, in case that makes a difference in the way activiation is handled since it’s a "bundled" application.
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Jul 26, 2004
Hi Jonathan,

Thanks for your comments. I didn’t mean to imply that Photoshop CS has an across-the-board problem with reactivation that affects all users. In fact, while I’ve seen the reactivation problem myself, the worst situation was only one instance. But, as a matter of principle regarding the product and how it is used by many graphics professionals (which I am not), it just irks me that Adobe doesn’t seem to be taking more responsibility for a bad design of the reactivation process and providing a rapid fix. Again, I’d just hate to be a professional on a remote assignment where I need to use PS CS but find a reactivation prompt has arisen for no good reason. IF the problem for the random notices is tied in with any sort of time factors, then those factors need to be eliminated since time has nothing to do with establishing the system as the orignal one of two on which PS CS was activated.

For what it’s worth, while I say "Adobe doesn’t seem to be taking more responsibility" in fixing this issue, perhaps they are. I’ve not talked to anyone directly because it’s not worth my time to do so and I’d hope the concerns voiced in the forum would be sufficient to drive them toward providing a fix. In the past, Stephanie and Scott have made some comments that indicate they at least have some appreciation of the problem. But, enough time has passed that I think Adobe should have already provided a fix or at least advised the user community of when a fix will be provided. That departs from their normal way of doing business I’m guessing, but if the application has a critical flaw that can randomly prevent it from being used when needed, then Adobe needs to be more forthright in sharing information about when the flaw will be corrected. For now, the only solution for those where loss of PS CS usability would be critical, is to maintain a dual installation with an earlier version or employ an alternate strategy.

Hmmm…taking a second read of your post Jonathan, that seems a rather extensive change of hardware that, for example with Windows XP, I’d suspect might require a reactivation. I’d have thought PS CS would as well. The fact that it didn’t nearly leaves me to think that it is the system hard drive and my so-called "time synch" factors that are more the key players in what the license manager monitors and determines as having changed, thus prompting reactivation. There’s likely a camp of folk who may prefer this approach over one that is strictly hardware-based, but it sure seems much more open to causing problems in my opinion.

Regards,

Daryl
GA
Gabriel_Ayala
Jul 26, 2004
Adobe should have already provided a fix or at least advised the user community of when a fix will be provided.

I agree; I think an ETA would relieve a lot of these users that are having this problem to some extent.

If PS CS is asking for re-activation but Win XP isn’t after all those changes with the hardware and stuff, we can conclude that there’s definitely a problem.
TH
Tom_Hart
Jul 26, 2004
Interesting article on XP Activation some of which seems to apply to Photoshop CS… and Adobe activation in general… regarding possible pitfalls of the activation process.

<http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,462414,00.asp>

There is some concern that activation might open a door for spying on users, but there is no evidence to back up any claims that sensitive or personal information can be transmitted through the activation process.

Please feel free to use this new thread for all your activation issues, since there are currently several threads. Maybe consolidation of our discussions will keep the topic at the top of the list and help to garner an official response.
B
BobLevine
Jul 26, 2004
Tom,

The last thing we need is another thread. I’ve moved your post here to join the thread already in progress.

Bob
TH
Tom_Hart
Jul 26, 2004
Hi Bob,

When I was on the PSA team at Adobe I monitored that user forum for a few months and found it much easier to consolidate topics when several threads were active on the same subject. It helps both the users trying to find answers and the Adobe engineers who are looking for the problems by making research and responses easier to manage… but, to each his own.

tom
—–
B
BobLevine
Jul 26, 2004
The problem is that nobody reads, anyway. They just post away and we wind up with umpteen threads. I monitor quite a few forums and I can tell you that PS users are the most passionate of the group.

And no matter what Len and I, and to some extent Ian do, we get accused of being censors, shills or forum nazis. We’re doing out best to keep things in some kind of order here and while I think your idea was a good one, I just don’t see it working in this forum.

Bob
TH
Tom_Hart
Jul 26, 2004
"…And no matter what Len and I, and to some extent Ian do, we get accused of being censors, shills or forum nazis."

LOL! I remember feeling the same way. Don’t worry, you’re doing great and the forums are a much better place with you than without.

I wish someone had told me "you’re doing great" when I was there.

They revamped the forums long after I had had enough of the verbal abuse and stopped getting involved.

On the one hand, you can’t fault the users for being po’d but at the same time, there’s no point in the users ‘shooting the messenger,’ or the moderator, in this case.

Keep at it Bob, you’re doing great!

tom
—–
HW
Hans-Georg_Wilden
Jul 26, 2004
Bump or not Bump. I have read several threads on the activation problem. I think there is enough evidence for Adobe to understand there is a REAL problem due to poor design of the process.
A process which is only relevant for a part of their customers – and I insist on saying that exempting the MAC community is a discretionary measure. (If OS’sse would have a color – black or white – one would it call racist)
To my knowledge, ADOBE has made no attempt what so ever to take measures to correct this situation. It speaks for itself!
Hans-Georg
PF
Peter_Figen
Jul 26, 2004
Darryl,

Why not keep a copy of 7 on your drive. It should be more than adequate to tide you over until you can get a hold of Adobe. That’s not saying I’m in favor of activation as I’m not, but it might help.
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Jul 26, 2004
Indeed Peter, for the moment that or any other earlier version of PS is the only legitimate solution.

Daryl
QP
Q_Photo
Jul 27, 2004
Keep version 7 on drive. This isn’t much of a solution for the people that purchased CS as their first version. Actually, it isn’t a proper solution for people, myself included, that paid for the CS upgrade.
KL
Katherine_Lawson
Jul 27, 2004
Keep version 7 on drive. This isn’t much of a solution for the people
that purchased CS as their first version. Actually, it isn’t a proper solution for people, myself included, that paid for the CS upgrade.<<

I agree Q Photo.

Besides, aren’t we only supposed to keep our previous versions installed long enough to get us through the transition period?

I may be wrong because I haven’t read the EULA for a while but I thought that was what it said. Besides, that solution won’t work for photographers who do all their shooting in RAW, and lose their activation while out in some remote area.
QP
Q_Photo
Jul 27, 2004
Katherine
RIGHT ON…
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Jul 27, 2004
Katherine,

Straight from the EULA:

"You agree that by using an upgrade or update you voluntarily terminate your right to use any previous version of the Software. As an exception, you may continue to use previous versions of the Software on your Computer after you use the upgrade or update but only to assist you in the transition to the upgrade or update, provided that the upgrade or update and the previous versions are installed on the same computer."

In other words, there is a great degree of freedom and who is to say that anyone is willing to fully transition to a product with problems?

Cheers,

Daryl
X
Xalinai
Jul 27, 2004
wrote:

Keep version 7 on drive. This isn’t much of a solution for the
people that purchased CS as their first version. Actually, it isn’t a proper solution for people, myself included, that paid for the CS upgrade.<<

I agree Q Photo.

Besides, aren’t we only supposed to keep our previous versions installed long enough to get us through the transition period?

Transition period is finished when PS CS works as needed. If PS CS doesn’t work as needed, the transition period will be longer.

Any problem for you?

Michael
TI
Thomas_Ireland
Jul 27, 2004
Folks,

FYI, I just installed the new version of a a video editing package, and had to copy the free-standing hard drive to the one in the machine yet again. Yet again, activation was required. It went smoothly for third or fourth time.

I’m still not in favor of the activation thing though. I now believe for Adobe, it’s all a matter of money. But for those pros who use RAW and CS refuses to work due to reactivation being required and the Photog being away from civilization, isn’t is also a matter of money?

Since Adobe has clearly demonstrated its indifference to some users activation problems, will Adobe refund a portion of the price paid? …I didn’t think so either.

Tom Ireland
T
tmalcom
Jul 27, 2004
Since my original post was deleted, I’ll say again in simpler terms: call Adobe Customer Service at 800-833-6687 and file a complaint about the activation/reactivation problem. Since Adobe doesn’t follow this forum, they need to be told it’s a problem by everyone who has it.
GA
Gabriel_Ayala
Jul 27, 2004
Since Adobe doesn’t follow this forum, they need to be told it’s a problem by everyone who has it.

Not Adobe but their employees do. They are watching all the time.
GH
Grass_Hopper
Jul 27, 2004
They are watching all the time
They are watching *some* of the time and on their *own* time.

As far as I understand, they are not required to pay attention to this forum, but do so as users to help others users, NOT as Adobe reps.
GA
Gabriel_Ayala
Jul 27, 2004
So the moderators are doing so on their free time and not being paid?
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
Jul 27, 2004
Gabriel, that is my understanding. And, in fact, the moderators are not Adobe employees but rather just fellow Photoshop users.
B
BobLevine
Jul 27, 2004
Not a dime. We’re volunteers.

Bob
GA
Gabriel_Ayala
Jul 27, 2004
Wow! How does that work? I mean how do end up a moderator in these forums, is it done from home or? I used to do the same in mIRC. I am guessing it’s similar.

Not that I want to do it have the time or feel qualified enough to moderate here I’m just curious if you don’t mind answering.
DM
dave_milbut
Jul 27, 2004
I mean how do end up a moderator in these forums,

you need to have some nasty dirt or incriminating photos of someone on the adobe staff, from what I understand.

(luckily I hear they’re not to hard to come by!)

🙂

gr&d!!!
MA
Mark_Allen
Jul 27, 2004
Madness XD But seriously, although we may get an occasional ticking, (me especially), the guys do a good job at keeping things in line.

I’ve been lucky regarding activation but I do wish someone would keep us informed , even in a roundabout way. I know it’s company policy not to spout about the latest so I suppose choice questions MAY have to be asked

XD (Still my Favourite)

Regards

Mark
DM
dave_milbut
Jul 27, 2004
(Still my Favourite)

then it’s good you haven’t found this one:

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