CS3 Install Resolved

NH
Posted By
Not_Happy
May 2, 2007
Views
574
Replies
25
Status
Closed
I have been unable to install CS3 as per the "CS3 installation fail" thread: <http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bc3b101/171>

As I mentioned in that thread, I had a non-licensed version of CS2 that I’d been. I’ve finally saved the $700 to buy CS3 and have a real retail version now.

After going through the various threads and trying everything I decided to go back to CS2 and discovered that would no longer install either. When trying to install with my old non-licensed key, I was informed it was not valid. And when trying to install under a trial another key was referenced that I could not change.

This led me to believe that this embedded and bad key was causing CS3 to fail. And in my case, this was correct.

I hate to recommend this to anyone, but what I did was to open up the registry editor, search for "Adobe," and remove every single key I could find. In the cases where Adobe was buried a couple keys down, I was sure to delete it’s parent key. I then did this with the word "Photoshop." I did cheat a little and bypassed things that were obviously for color extensions, etc.

I can’t recommend this slash and burn method in general, but it did work for me. If you’re not familiar with the registry, I definitely don’t recommend it. You very easily could find yourself re-installing your system.

That being said, I think this is the reason people are having luck doing a "repair" installation of windows and having limited luck with some registry cleaners.

If this does or doesn’t work for you, let us know here. If you’re going to try it, please back up your data! And if you’re not familiar with any of this, have a tech-savy friend help you.

Shame on you Adobe. At least let us try to enter our purchased keys for pete’s sake.

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DP
Daryl_Pritchard
May 2, 2007
Not Happy,

I strongly suspect the product key for CS3, licensed or not, had nothing to do with the resolution of your problem, but rather just the fact that you did some thorough registry cleaning of keys related to Adobe or Photshop. I think there aren’t but 1 or 2 registry keys related to the serial number of any given version of Photoshop, and they are independent keys for each version. Regardless, congratulations on getting CS3 installed.

Daryl
C
chrisjbirchall
May 2, 2007
Shame on you Adobe

8| Erm… Pot kettle, kettle pot!!

At least you had the guts to own up to the error of your ways – on an Adobe forum!!!

And credit due (I suppose) for encouraging other to "go legal".
NH
Not_Happy
May 3, 2007
The point was ripping out the registry keys/parent keys having the words Adobe or Photoshop.

Having a good or fake key doesn’t matter. My admonishment was that people with bad keys for CS2 who are now trying to use good keys with CS3 aren’t given the chance.
DS
don_solomon
May 3, 2007
I think the install issue is far more complex than your solution. there have been numerous tactics that worked on individual machines. This is just another of the many variants.

The installer is simply inadequate for dealing with some of the complexities of putting a complex application into systems that are often equally complex. Requiring the mandatory install of numerous payloads and their interdependencies that many users do not need nor want choking up their drives and registry has magnified the possibility of conflicts–dumb move Adobe. That the job was complex does not in any way excuse Adobe. The labor theory of value has limited applications, and this is not one of them.

All that complexity aside, I guess they should have at the very least been more sensitive to the emotional needs of pirates who came in from the cold and wanted to rehabiltate themselves 🙂

Welcome to the family. You are forgiven! Your hard work on solving one step in the install problem and successfully passing the test shows your sincerity to reform 🙂
NH
Not_Happy
May 3, 2007
Didn’t post the information about CS2 to be judged on whether or not I’m a good or bad person, and not looking for forgiveness. Only pointing out that the install of CS3 saw the bad key in CS2, locked it in somehow, and purging the registry fixed the issue.

As for "solving one step," I’m hoping to help others who haven’t had any luck with the solutions previously posted, not be ridiculed for it.

If anyone not on a soap box has had luck with this solution, or not had luck with it, would be nice to hear about it here. Hope it helps someone.
JO
Jim_Oblak
May 3, 2007
The moral of the story is that if you are going to monkey with Adobe licensing mechanisms, make sure you are not an idiot. Otherwise, buy software legally.
DS
don_solomon
May 3, 2007
Not Happy,

You obviously need to learn how smilies are used. 🙂 🙂 🙂
JO
Jim_Oblak
May 3, 2007
How does one get bad keys unless they are doing something wrong, like pirating software?

Adobe supports and creates software for those that pay for it and use it properly. Fiddling with registry entries is not needed by licensed users. This thread is not encouraging folks to buy licenses properly any more than how to edit the registry to use pirated licenses.
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
May 3, 2007
Jim,

Perhaps you meant more than the simplicity of your comment implies, but "Fiddling with registry entries" could well be a necessity for anyone having software problems when the software is poorly designed in some regard.

Regards,

Daryl
JO
Jim_Oblak
May 3, 2007
I’m not trying to apologize for Adobe. Adobe does not design software with the intent that the user is going to go in and monkey with their registry keys. Adobe could not anticipate users uninstalling newer apps that they paid for and then reinstalling older pirated apps. There is no poor design here.

Going into the registry and deleting all instances of ‘Adobe’ is the second most idiotic thing I have heard in this thread. The first most idiotic thing, of course, is announcing on an Adobe forum that you are using their software illegally.
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
May 3, 2007
Jim,

I don’t disagree with you entirely in what you said, but the only thing "idiotic" about editing the registry is when you do it with no knowledge of what you’re doing and taking appropriate safeguards. Registry edits for software problems yet to be resolved by the manufacturers are relatively common…I won’t waste your time talking about what I had to do, per Symantec recommendations, to fully and truly clean my system of all Norton Internet Security components when their Live Update continuously failed to install one component, but Symantec is among the worst I’ve seen of manufacturers who seem to have poorly designed sofware in this regard. Overall, Adobe seems pretty good, but clearly there are problems with the CS3 installer that may well warrant registry editing. I’d certainly not delete "everything Adobe" though, unless (and even then, still with caution) I knew there was no other Adobe product installed on my system. I doubt any software manufacturer designs their software product with the intent of a user having to fix some product problem via a registry edit, but it does happen.

Daryl
LH
Lawrence_Hudetz
May 3, 2007
Software going to places like Intel or large insurance companies can stand such a luxury, but this is bordering on the obscene. I say bordering because the jury is still out. Adobe has yet to weigh in.

In any case, i have no problem, well, little problem, editing a Registry. Little because I truly do not know what’s going on. All I can do is follow instructions, as I have not been trained in Registry mechanics.

So far, so good!
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
May 3, 2007
Ah…instructions….a good thing.

I remember the case of a student in college who, upon receiving his graded exam, found that unlike some fellow students that were given a 10 point bonus on their grade, he did not. Why? In the exam instructions at the top of the page was a step to intial the top right corner of the exam sheet for an extra credit to your grade.

Damn…I missed that one! 🙁
LH
Lawrence_Hudetz
May 4, 2007
Sucker punch, imo. I had teachers like that. No credit for creative, only for "Following Instructions". Well I in turn, snookered my math teacher in my Junior year HS. She never knew what hit her. I not only aced the exam, I was the only one to finish the test, and finished it before time was up. Everybody thought I left early in frustration.

He,he! My only regret is she never asked me how I did it, and the test was impossible to cheat.

The test was on quadratics.
JO
Jim_Oblak
May 4, 2007
Daryl, I do not deny that others are having issues with CS3 installations. I am only mocking this particular issue, in this particular thread. The thread should really be titled: "CS3 Install Resolved for Pirates". There are other threads that are being used to discuss issues with legitimate Photoshop installations. This thread is a joke.

The advice that ‘Not Happy’ gave in this thread is reckless and was in response to his criminal stupidity. It should not apply to those that legally use Photoshop and install CS2 and CS3 in the manner prescribed by Adobe.

Adobe should be contacted to support failed installations. This forum should not be used as a mechanism for pirates to continue their behavior.
DP
Daryl_Pritchard
May 4, 2007
Jim,

I pretty much agree with all you said. At the same time, regardless of who a person is, I’d encourage anyone who feels they’ve come upon what may be a valid and working solution to the CS3 installation issues we’ve seen discussed, to share what they’ve learned here. I think there are many knowledgeable folk here who can look upon any information shared and help assess what merit it has, not to mention the source of that information. 🙂

Daryl
JO
Jim_Oblak
May 4, 2007
But the information shared in this thread is totally stupid. It is not a valid solution unless you have mucked up your registry trying to enter pirated or invalid serials.

Removing everything ‘Adobe’ from a registry is just dumb – – especially when there are only a few easily identifiable keys that are responsible.

This thread is about a moron that wants to return to using a pirated copy. The ‘many knowledgeable folk here’ know that announcing ways to circumvent Adobe copy protection may be illegal in their locale.

If you are going to pirate software, do it on your own time. Don’t expect assistance or compassion here.
DM
dave_milbut
May 4, 2007
Removing everything ‘Adobe’ from a registry is just dumb – –

no it’s not. the piracy issue aside, it’s as good a way as many to clear out adobe stuff from your registry. you’ll need to reinstall anything from adobe that you need or use regularly.
JO
Jim_Oblak
May 4, 2007
This mentality assumes that every key written by Adobe apps contains ‘adobe’ in it. This is a silly assumption.

If I were authoring a copy protection/activation scheme, I would not use something as obvious as this.
H
Ho
May 4, 2007
How does one get bad keys unless they are doing something wrong, like pirating software?

One doesn’t have to be a pirate to use a workaround. Anyone who’s had a legit version of CS quit on them (more than once) because of activation issues—in the field, without access to phone or Internet—has probably been sorely tempted to use any available option just to be able to go back to work.
G
graffiti
May 4, 2007
But isn’t the workaround something that needs to be downloaded?
JJ
John Joslin
May 4, 2007
Anyone who’s had a legit version of CS quit on them (more than once) because of activation issues—in the field, without access to phone or Internet—has probably been sorely tempted to use any available option just to be able to go back to work.

Good point. Cracking is not necessarily piracy.

If you lost your keys and had to kick in the front door that ain’t burglary!
LH
Lawrence_Hudetz
May 4, 2007
Especially when you have alligators snapping at your butt!
H
Ho
May 4, 2007
But isn’t the workaround something that needs to be downloaded?

"more than once" is the key phrase.

One should not be unprepared for a recurrent event.
DM
dave_milbut
May 5, 2007
If I were authoring a copy protection/activation scheme, I would not use something as obvious as this.

maybe so, but i was speaking about those legitimate users who can’t install.

and true to "One doesn’t have to be a pirate to use a workaround." too.

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