Dreamweaver CS3 support on Windows 10 (was: Windows 10)

[alfc12237933]

I am now running CS3 together with Windows 7. Will it be possible to use CS3 with Windows 10?

Regards

AC

[Nancy OShea · Accepted solution]

I wouldn't bet on it.  CS3 is very old even by today's standards. 

Win10 is a big leap.

EDIT:  CS3 Activation Servers no longer exist. 

It's impossible to re-activate CREATIVE SUITE 1, 2, 3, or 4 software on any operating system.

[alfc12237933]

Thanks Nancy O. I suppose you are right. But, anyway, there must be someone inside the Adobe company who knows the correct answer.

Regards

AC

[David_Powers · Accepted solution]

I very much doubt whether anyone in Adobe knows whether CS3 will be supported in Windows 10. CS3 is no longer supported by Adobe, so it won't have been tested.

I haven't been using the public beta of Windows 10, but Windows 8.1 has a Troubleshoot Compatibility option on the context menu when you right click a program's shortcut icon. It's highly likely that Windows 10 will offer the same option, allowing older programs to be run in compatibility mode. But, as Nancy says, CS3 is very old. Even running it in compatibility mode might not produce satisfactory results.

[cdeatherage]

I was going through some of my news aggregators yesterday and ran across links to three articles on PC World about Windows 10. Early consensus seems to expect most--but not all--programs will migrate. Primarily what is expected to be affected are gadgets, games, and utility programs. Given that older versions of Photoshop, et al, did not migrate to the most recent version(s) of the Mac OS, I too would not expect CS3 to be supported. (I lost three valued, non-Adobe programs when I went from XP to Windows 7). Check out the articles for yourself:

It's official: Microsoft says you can download the final version of Windows 10 on July 29 | PCWorld

Microsoft announces Windows 10 versions for consumer and business, but pricing remains murky | PCWor...

How to upgrade to Windows 10: What you need to know | PCWorld‌ (Stresses the importance of backing up critical files and having installed most recent updates.)

Chris

[Phil16723]

Adobe officially says it cannot guarantee it. Windows 10 compatibility for Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 version 9

[knertje]

Despite all the other answers I can confirm Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 and Fireworks CS3 actually DO work on a Windows 10 Home edition.

I had both installed on Win 8.0 (after upgrade on 8.1). I upgraded to Windows 10 and both programs still work perfectly.

So in short: it does work.

[Phil16723]

With no compatibility issues?

[knertje]

I worked with DW CS3 the entire day. php, tpl, xml, html. Changed, edited, used hotkeys etc etc... Works very smooth and fast. Started and used Fireworks CS3 too but couldn't find any bugs till now.

[llm2015]

My Dreamweaver CS3 and Photoshop CS4 have both been working fine with Windows 10 Pro edition, after upgrading from Windows 7 Pro.

[ALsp]

CS3 works perfectly for me in Windows 10. No issues whatsoever.

[Ilan770]

Unfortunately I do not have the same experience.  My CS3 does not work after Win 10 upgrade.  Once I try to open the app, it shows the splash screen, and then closes immediately.

[Nancy OShea]

Did you try this yet?

Issues with installing or opening Dreamweaver on Windows 10

Nancy O.

[terences5666816]

I cant get mine to get deactivated from my old computer to activate on my new computer with Windows 10,and live chat has told me thatCS3 will not work on Windows 10, they also added that they have not tried to see if it will work on Win 10 = confused!

[Nancy OShea]

CS3 is 10 year old software, no longer sold or supported.  It was developed long before Win10 and therefore is not supported by that operating system.

If you wish to use a modern computer, you need compatible modern software from the Creative Cloud.  Or you must find an older computer that still has an older OS.

[ALsp]

CS3 runs fine on our Windows 10 machines. So does Dreamweaver 8. There seems to be a lot of misinformation going around without adequate testing. Evidenced-based dialog is to be cherished as it is so rare these days 🙂

[Nancy OShea]

Adobe's official policy is that pre-CS6 software is not certified to run on newer OSs. That's not anecdotal.  It's the official policy. 

I know someone who drove a late model car for 6 years and never once checked the oil.   She took it for granted that the car would keep running forever.   Then one day, the engine seized up and would run no more.   One could argue that if she had been more vigilant about  taking care of her car's engine, it would have lasted a lot longer.  Or maybe not.  We'll never really know for sure. 

Some people take care of their equipment and have good luck running legacy software well beyond its sell-by date.  Others don't.  If you can eek out more years from your software than is expected, good for you.  That's probably a credit to your efforts more than anything.   The bottom line is that nothing is guaranteed to last forever.

[ALsp]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Nancy+OShea  wrote

I know someone who drove a late model car for 6 years and never once checked the oil.   She took it for granted that the car would keep running forever.   Then one day, the engine seized up and would run no more.   One could argue that if she had been more vigilant about  taking care of her car,'s engine, it would have lasted a lot longer.  Or maybe not.  We'll never really know for sure.  

Some people take care of their equipment and have good lucking running legacy software well beyond its sell-by date.  Others don't   If you can eek out more years from your software than is expected, good for you.  That's probably a credit to your efforts more than anything else.   The bottom line is that nothing is guaranteed to last forever.

Nancy

Perhaps a better automotive metaphor would involve driving an older car on a brand new road 😉

The bottom line is that CS3 works on Windows 10 under normal conditions. And... the original poster is simply asking if his copy of CS3 will continue to work if he upgrades his OS from Windows 7 to Windows 10. To intimate it won't is clearly misinformation and the only answers of value would logically be those coming from people who actually are running CS3 on Windows 10. Seems a no-brainer to me 🙂

[Nancy OShea]

For every 2 people who successfully run legacy Creative Suite on newer operating systems, these forums and others report many more who have had a bad experience.  Why?  Maybe because of the swift & frequent updates that MS & Apple send out. Or possibly because the user's computer system is not running optimally and needs to be checked by a trained technician.  

[ALsp]

For every 2 people who successfully run legacy Creative Suite on newer operating systems, these forums and others report many more who have had a bad experience.  Why?  Maybe because of the swift & frequent updates that MS & Apple send out. Or possibly because the user's computer system is not running optimally and needs to be checked by a trained technician.  

That's not true based on my observations and with my customers. It's not even close to true 🙂 And, based on years of experience, the one thing that causes problems with Adobe software more than anything else is Adobe software's inability to clean up after itself - even after an uninstall/reinstall. Give it up Nancy. You are giving poor advice in this situation, and as a matter of fact, the type of advice that could cause people to spend a lot of money they don't need to.

[branni]

My dear old website, made years ago in CS3 runs perfectly in Windows 10. No problems at all - still added to weekly with image, video - all elements just fine.

[terences5666816]

Why pay a fortune for CS Cloud version (or CS4 or 5 etc.) when the good old trusty CS3 does everything I need to do with my website designs and authoring, It just does not make sense to pay for a newer version, well certainly not in my case.

My CS3 is now working perfectly in Windows 10.