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Question

activation

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
June 30, 2022
3 replies
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I purchased Acrobat Pro with a perpetual license from Adobe back around 1998 for my main computer. After a computer crash caused by installation of Windows 10 around 2015-2016. Adobe techs installed a newer version (XI). everything was fine for years and Adobe installed updates online. That worked fine, so I threw out the older version disc since it was useless. I never received a serial number for the program that Adobe techs installed.

Earlier this month Windows glitched and would not install updates, so after 3 days of their techs taking control they finally ended up doing a complete reinstall, but all programs were lost. While reinstalling Acrobat, it would not accept the serial number that the Microsoft tech had recovered.

An Adobe tech told me the serial number belonged to someone in Africa. An Adobe tech installed it, so how did he install it with an illegal serial number? Why did they do updates? Instead of honoring the perpetual license I purchased from Adobe, they are telling me that Adobe no longer supports my program and I have to spend over $500 for another license. This is not going to happen! I'll buy someone else's instead and open an FBI.BBB/FCC internet fraud investigation before I'd do that.

This topic has been closed for replies.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

I think your big error is thinking that "perpetual" means "supporting new operating systems forever". No, it doesn't, that would be madness. New operating system support is a new feature (an important one). This is why people buy upgrades. You got 24 years for one price, which is frankly extraordinary.

J

Jim250827641l1gAuthor

Participating Frequently

Wrong. Perpetual by definition is: "never ending or changing.", so a prepetual license by law lasts forever, not until the make a change.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

Adobe was never in the business of giving away software upgrades - the idea they would do so after 17 years is even more impossible - so I suspect the people you spoke to in 2015-2016 were fake Adobe reps, giving away stolen software. Many people have been deceived this way. If they charged you anything for this "support" it confirms the theory.

Throwing away the only proof you were a customer may not have been wise. If you registered your original version, it might still show the original serial number; if it isn't Acrobat 7 or 8, maybe you could even reinstall it. I'm not too hopeful.

J

Jim250827641l1gAuthor

Participating Frequently

Wrong. It was an Adobe tech that actually installed it.

kglad

Community Expert

my guess is this won't make you feel better, but no one's acrobat from 1998 can be activated. even much later versions from cs2, cs3 and cs4 can no longer be activated.

J

Jim250827641l1gAuthor

Participating Frequently

So the sales advertising of a Perpetual license is just a lie?

kglad

Community Expert

So the sales advertising of a Perpetual license is just a lie?

By @Jim250827641l1g

probably not. there's probably something technical about the license being valid but sorry, due to circumstances we can't (or won't) control, you can't use that license beyond a trial period.

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