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gener7
Community Expert
gener7Community Expert
Community Expert
October 4, 2019
Question

150:30 error updated License repair guide for CS3, CS4, Acrobat 8-9 and Photoshop Elements 8

  • October 4, 2019
  • 7 replies
  • 2963 views

Error 150:30 message "License for this product has stopped working" is displayed when Photoshop CS4 will not open because activation has been broken, usually on restore from backup such as MacOS Time Machine or migration from another computer.  This fix is for CS3, CS4, Acrobat 8 and 9 products and Photoshop Elements 8.

 

Since my old guide was lost in the transfer to the new forum software, I've updated and reposted it.

 

A simple fix would be to reinstall CS4, but given that installers have been removed from Adobe servers, and users likely lost track of their install media, this may not be possible.  The other answer is to download the License Recovery Repair Tool from Adobe. This saves a reinstall and having to re-apply all updates.

If the error is in Windows, running the repair tool is simple, it is a Windows executable.

 

Mac OS has a problem. Their repair app works only for OSX 10.6 which is easy to run. OSX 10.7 and above is a bit more complicated. It comes with a python script--LicenseRecover.py which can only be run on the MacOS Utility: Terminal.

 

Many users are not familar with this procedure, so I hope to break it down into easy to understand parts with screenshots to explain it. Go over the instructions until you understand them before attempting the repair.

 

Before I start, a warning that CS4 and similar Adobe progams are 32-bit apps and will not run in MacOS 10.15 Catalina which now allows only 64-bit apps. Don't upgrade if you want to keep CS4.

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    7 replies

    L
    leejohn1
    Participant
    July 20, 2024

    So, here I am in July 2024 and attempting to get PS CS4 working. After a couple of hours came across this and it worked like a charm. Fortunately, had SNs for CS4 and CS3. Thanks.

      gener7
      Community Expert
      gener7Community ExpertAuthor
      Community Expert
      July 20, 2024

      Interesting. I think it was a way to repair old activations that broke when restored from backup. Was this by chance a new install?

      gener7
      Community Expert
      gener7Community ExpertAuthor
      Community Expert
      October 4, 2019

      Again you will see the "are you sure?" screen, final instructions and a warning that this will take a few minutes.

      Press Enter/Return to run the repair.

      When the process is complete, you will get a message saying so. You may have to press Enter/Return to see the exit code telling you it's done. Usually that's "Tool exited with status = 32512"

       

      Quit Teminal (cmd q) and restart Photoshop CS4 It should open without the 150:30 error and work as before.

       

      That's it. Hope it saves you a reinstall.

       

      Gene--

      W
      Wolfram23726036uyta
      Participant
      March 23, 2022

      I know it has been a few years but this seems to be my best hope for error 150:30 following restoring CS4 from Time Machine after installing a new SSD. MacBook Air 2013, OS Sierra 10.12.6

      The script is correct, however, when hitting return, I get this:

       

      sudo: unable to stat /etc/sudoers: Permission denied

      sudo: no valid sudoers sources found, quitting

      sudo: unable to initialize policy plugin

       

      Any help is appreciated!

      gener7
      Community Expert
      gener7Community ExpertAuthor
      Community Expert
      March 24, 2022

      Seems like an Mac OS permissions glitch that I am not familar with, so best hope is:

      https://apple.stackexchange.com/ or any other Mac support communities you may know.

       

      gener7
      Community Expert
      gener7Community ExpertAuthor
      Community Expert
      October 4, 2019

      If you see this screen, you are good to go.  e  then press Enter/Return for English

      n (Enter/Return) to start the repair or y if you forgot to close your Adobe apps.

       

      N
      Nicole24959185rhd8
      Participant
      June 21, 2022

      hope this will be the correct place: just ran your suggestion and it worked perfectly, thank you so much!

      gener7
      Community Expert
      gener7Community ExpertAuthor
      Community Expert
      October 4, 2019

      Next you will be asked for your admin password. Usually that's your own account, but it could be a separate one.

      You will not see dots or stars, and the cursor will not move in response to your keystrokes, so carefully type in the password and press Return/Enter.

       

      gener7
      Community Expert
      gener7Community ExpertAuthor
      Community Expert
      October 4, 2019

      Next, drag the LicenseRecover.py file into the Terminal window.  If you see this command, you are successful and you can close the LicenseRecovery windows. Do not unmount or eject the Disk.

      Now that the command is set up, press enter/return on your keyboard to run the script.

       

      gener7
      Community Expert
      gener7Community ExpertAuthor
      Community Expert
      October 4, 2019

      Next, click on https://www.adobe.com/support/contact/licensing.html for both the Windows and MacOS License Repair Tool. Mac users download the dmg file. Windows users download the zip file.

       

      Double-click on the dmg file to mount the Disk on your Desktop.

      Double-click on the disk and navigate to and select "LicenseRecover.py" (highlight).

      gener7
      Community Expert
      gener7Community ExpertAuthor
      Community Expert
      October 4, 2019

      First let's open and prepare Terminal.  Terminal is under /Applications/Utilities  Double-click Terminal.app to start. Type sudo python after the $ prompt, and add a space as shown below. It's needed to make the command run properly

       

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