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Training@Nautilus
Participant
June 7, 2021
Answered

Fireworks stuck as expired trial - tried a few things already

  • June 7, 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 2482 views

Hello,

 

As several users have already reported, my copy of Fireworks is also stuck in an expired trial state.

For reference I hold a full creative cloud license (all apps).

 

Here are all the things I have tried:

- Uninstall Fireworks, reboot, re-install (no effect)

- Adobe Cleaner Tool (wiped everything, no luck)

- Deleted all Adobe registry entrys (no effect)

- Tried setting "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\OOBE\PDApp\core\PDapp.exe" to start as administrator (caused Fireworks to fail to open every time)

- Tried what Paul-M suggested here: https://community.adobe.com/t5/fireworks/fireworks-is-asking-for-a-quot-serial-number-quot/m-p/12095452#M2340 and that prompted me to log in with my adobe ID, however it again asked for a serial number after clicking "License this software".

 

I rely on Fireworks and this problem is causing lost time in the office. Appreciate that this is discontinued software (despite it still being offered in CC). Is there anything else that could be done to fix this problem?

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Paul-M

    One of these two solutions will work for Windows users (tested on Windows 10 and Windows 11):

    1) Launch the Creative Cloud app

    2) From your  profile icon (top right) click sign out

    3) Then, Select file => Exit Creative Cloud (top left) to exit the Creative Cloud app

    4) Now launch Fireworks, you will be prompted to login with your Adobe sign in details, do so

    5) If you see a 'license this software' button click it, that should do the job.

     

    *If the above does not work try this:

     

    1) Uninstall Fireworks from your machine

    2) Rename the following folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\OOBE to OOBE_BK

    3) Download an offline Fireworks installer from here (these are official Adobe installers), be sure to visit this page first and sign in with your Adobe login to set an Adobe cookie, otherwise the download will not work.

    4) Now install Fireworks with the offline installer you downloaded

    5) Make sure you turn off automatic updates in the Creative Cloud app (in preferences=>apps) afterwards, otherwise it will update Fireworks and you may get the same issue again.

    6) See if Fireworks will now launch, if presented with a 'license this software' button click it.

    4 replies

    P
    Paul-MCorrect answer
    Legend
    August 25, 2023

    One of these two solutions will work for Windows users (tested on Windows 10 and Windows 11):

    1) Launch the Creative Cloud app

    2) From your  profile icon (top right) click sign out

    3) Then, Select file => Exit Creative Cloud (top left) to exit the Creative Cloud app

    4) Now launch Fireworks, you will be prompted to login with your Adobe sign in details, do so

    5) If you see a 'license this software' button click it, that should do the job.

     

    *If the above does not work try this:

     

    1) Uninstall Fireworks from your machine

    2) Rename the following folder: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\OOBE to OOBE_BK

    3) Download an offline Fireworks installer from here (these are official Adobe installers), be sure to visit this page first and sign in with your Adobe login to set an Adobe cookie, otherwise the download will not work.

    4) Now install Fireworks with the offline installer you downloaded

    5) Make sure you turn off automatic updates in the Creative Cloud app (in preferences=>apps) afterwards, otherwise it will update Fireworks and you may get the same issue again.

    6) See if Fireworks will now launch, if presented with a 'license this software' button click it.

    Paul-M - Community Expert
    I
    IanvdH
    Participant
    December 5, 2023

    Hi Paul,

    I am now one of the unfortunate users in exactly the same situation. I have a full "all apps" creative cloud subscription. The only CC apps I use are Fireworks, Illustrator and Photoshop. Fireworks worked fine until recently. I am now stuck on the "expired trial" loop, and neither of the above solutions work for me. I've also tried the cleaner tool; I've tried contacting Adobe support to absolutely no avail ... after being transferred six times to different consultants the ultimate answer was that they can't help me and that I should post on this forum for assistance.

    I have been a paying Adobe customer for over a decade, now this. Are there _any_ other solutions that may help?

    S
    Steve_68
    Participant
    August 16, 2023

    I suddenly encountered the same problem this week. After having tried all the things you suggested I found my solution here:
    https://community.adobe.com/t5/fireworks-discussions/fireworks-trial-notice/m-p/12165876/page/2
    Someone suggested to install Muse, an also deprecated app from Adobe (which I never heard of before).
    After I installed Mused, my trial nag screen disappeared from Foreworks.

    G
    GraphicKitchen
    Participating Frequently
    June 8, 2021

    Dear Adobe,
    I have the same problem and tried the same solutions, nothing seems to work.
    The problem doesn't seem to be a problem with the connections to the Adobe-server but with the server it self.

    After starting FireWorks I need to sign in and then it keeps asking for a serial number.
    I found my Adobe serial-number in my account at:
    https://account.adobe.com/products

    But, when I use this serial number, it sais it is not a valid serial number.
    Please advice.

    Hilda

     

     

    P
    Paul-M
    Legend
    June 7, 2021

    Are you running Fireworks as an adminstrator?

    Paul-M - Community Expert
    T
    Training@NautilusAuthor
    Participant
    June 7, 2021

    Not normally. I tried running it as an administrator and got the same result.

    T
    Training@NautilusAuthor
    Participant
    June 8, 2021

    Just adding that I've tried automatically and manually fixing the host file as documented here: https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-network-issues.html

     

    However, the problem still persists. There must be a file stored somewhere deep in the registry or elsewhere in the system which tracks how long the trial period has lasted for. I've done a quick registry search but couldn't find anything that specifically mentioned a Fireworks trial.

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