Need help please. Unable to enter new Serial Number for CS3

[neptune58]

Hello, I have a copy of CS3 that I bought around 2007/2008. I have had it installed on this machine for about a year now. And now it is asking me to register it, and says it will expire in 2 day. However I am unable to connect to re-register it. So I went here Obtain a new serial number | CS3, CS4  and got a new Serial Number to use when registering it.

However the problem In now having is that when I open Dreamweaver and select register, there is no place to enter the new Serial Number. It does not give me the option. The only option seems to be 'Reactivate', but no place to enter the new serial number. It then tries to connect to the server and then fails. It seems im stuck in a loop.

Do I need to uninstall and then reinstall in order to enter the new Serial Number?

Could someone please help assist. Very much appreciated.

[neptune58]

Hi Jeff, Ive never gotten that particular screen that your showing.

I'm sorry I can't post the message as I have totally uninstalled DW.

I'm willing to try this one more time if you can, give me step by step instructions taking me from re-installing etc. I still have the new serial number.

If you can give me the steps, from once I install DW etc... thanks again

[Nancy OShea]

Dan,

Did you run the CS Cleaner tools to wipe all traces of old CS3 off your system?

Use the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems

[neptune58]

Im a little confused on that. Is it this  Use the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems  for windows?

[Nancy OShea]

YES.

[neptune58]

I installed it, and first selected for choice:

CS3, CS4 = it came back and said there were no sessions to delete, and then quit to get out'

then ran choice:

Creative cloud 2017, 2015, 2014: it came back and said no sessions to delete then quit to get out

then ran choice:

Creative cloud only: it came back and said no sessions to delete and then quit was the only choice.

I then went into Add/Remove programs to see if there were any Adobe products listed. The only program I saw was Adobe Flash Player 23 NPAPI.

At this point, what would I need to do? Before when I did this, I re-installed DW and ran into the same issue.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Dan after running the CC Cleaner tool please also manually remove the caps.db file.  You can find the file in the following locations:

Windows 7, 8, 10

• 32-bit
  • \Program Files\Common Files\Adobe PCD\Cache
• 64-bit
  • \Program Files(x86)\Common Files\Adobe\Adobe PCD\Cache

This will help prevent you from receiving the error message that the Activation has expired.

Here is a screen shot of the location of caps.db

After you remove the caps.db you should be able to successfully utilize the serial number, provided to you from Download Adobe Creative Suite 3 products , to install and activate successfully.

For future viewers of this discussion please make sure you have uninstalled any other installed Adobe software before removing this file.  It's removal will affect the product licensing for other installed Adobe applications.  To avoid unexpected behavior please reinstall any purchased Adobe software after Creative Suite 3 has successfully been opened.

[neptune58]

Hi Jeff,

Just so I'm clear on my next steps after I delete that caps.db file.

Do I then just go ahead and re-install DW and then enter the new serial number?

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Yes Dan you understanding is absolutely correct.  Please don't hesitate to update this discussion if you have any additional questions.

[neptune58]

Hi Jeff, in your post you mentioned deleting the caps file? I don't seem to find that. What I am finding

is a cache.db file? see screen shot below...

However if I do a search for caps.db on my c drive I find the below. Is this what I am looking for and do I

delete just both of them?

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

My apologies Dan.  The correct file to remove is the cache.db file.  Please see the updated screenshot below:

The Cache.db is located in the following locations for Windows:

Windows 7, 8, 10

1. 32-bit
   1. \Program Files\Common Files\Adobe PCD\Cache
2. 64-bit
   1. \Program Files(x86)\Common Files\Adobe\Adobe PCD\Cache

My apologies again for the confusion. Let me know if you have any additional questions.

[neptune58]

Hi Jeff,

I found and removed the cache.db file.

I then rebooted my machine, and re-installed DW.

Right after the installation was completed message, I started up DW and got the screen where I enter the Serial Number. So I entered the "New" serial number that I had received. After that I then received the below screen.

This is the same issue I have been having the whole time.  I never get the screen where I can choose to "never activate or register" etc...

Please advise where do I go from here?... thanks Jeff

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Odd Dan did you completely remove all installed Adobe software, and ran the CC Cleaner Tool, prior to removing the Cache.db file?  The error you have posted has been resolved by other individuals by removing this file.

If you did complete all of the steps previously then please run the uninstaller for Creative Suite 3.  Once it has been removed then please remove the entire Adobe PCD folder.  For your reference the Adobe PCD is located at \Program Files(x86)\Common Files\Adobe\Adobe PCD.

Once the Adobe PCD folder is removed then please reinstall Creative Suite 3 and continue to use your serial number.

The error you are receiving Dan is still due to cached licensing data from other Adobe software titles.  I would recommend also reviewing CS3 - Still getting Activation Error Message with new Installer where other individuals have successfully resolved this error.

[neptune58]

Hi Jeff,

I went into Add/Remove programs and these are the only Adobe programs I am showing on my machine.

I might be confused. You mention 2 programs if I ran. CC Cleaner Tool and Uninstaller for Creative Suite 3. Are these 2 entirely different programs I need to run? and in what order?

I have ran the AdobeCreativeCloudCleanerTool that I still have in my downloads file. But what is the Uninstaller for Creative Suite 3?

I think that I am not doing one of the instructions or in the correct order??? The instruction on this page Use the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems  are somewhat confusing I think...

Please advise what I need to do at this stage of the game with the 2 programs that I have right now installed below??

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Dan you will want to remove Adobe Dreamweaver CS3.  Adobe Flash Player 23 NPAPI will not be affected by the removal of the cache.db file or the Adobe PCD folder.

After you have run the uninstaller for Dreamweaver then please use the CC Cleaner tool available at Use the Creative Cloud Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems to remove any remaining installations.

Once you have run the CC Cleaner Tool you can then remove the Adobe PCD folder as was discussed in post #50.

[neptune58]

what is considered the uninstaller for DW? do you mean the add/remove programs then click remove like a person does for any app?

And for the CC cleaner, there is a selection, do I choose CS3, CS4 or the selection to remove any Adobe apps?

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Dan yes for the uninstallation process you click on remove to access the uninstaller.

When using the CC Cleaner Tool you will want to choose to remove any software listed. The options available will depend upon what is detected as being installed on the computer.

[neptune58]

I removed the whole pcd folder, rebooted, re-installed CS3, entered the new serial number and still get the same. I think I'm done messing around with this unless anyone has any other suggestions. . Its very unfortunate as I liked using CS3 however I am not a developer and therefore have no need to pay monthly/yearly payments for something I only use once a week or month to make updates to our website. What I don't understand is why I have been able to use it for over a year without any issues at all, no reactivate messages etc.

[neptune58]

is there anything else I can do?

[Nancy OShea]

Did you try installing on another computer?

[neptune58]

No never did. I downloaded MS Expression Web 4. Very similar to DW but free.

[Nancy OShea]

Adobe Brackets is free too.

Brackets - A modern, open source code editor that understands web design.

And it uses the same code engine that is in the current version of DW CC 2017.

[neptune58]

Are there some screen shots of what the interface looks like? is it like DW with code or Design view etc?

[Nancy OShea]

Brackets is a code editor.  It uses Chrome browser for Real-Time Preview.  But the app contains no Design View.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

I am sorry Dan I don't have any additional suggestions.  These steps have resolved this error for other individuals.  As a final step you are welcome to re-read the steps implemented at CS3 - Still getting Activation Error Message with new Installer .

I do not know why you are unable to remove the cached licensing data successfully.  You may want to consider backing up any required files and settings and reinstalling Windows 10.  If the first thing you install is Creative Suite 3 then it will install and license successfully.  I have tested the installation and activation myself on a fresh Windows 10 64-bit virtual machine.

You may also want to look at an alternative to Creative Suite 3 as Nancy has suggested.  Even if you get the Creative Suite 3 to install, under Windows 10, it is likely that you will face some difficulties utilizing some of the applications features on a modern operating system.

[John T Smith]

The special serial number you obtained will, of course, only work with the special program that you download and install... after removing all traces of your previous CS3... did you do that?

Also, CS3 is really old, and may not work properly on Win10

Two ideas that MAY work to install and/or run old programs in Windows 10

-RIGHT click the program icon or EXE and select a compatibility mode in the pop up option window

-or Run as Administrator http://forums.adobe.com/thread/969395 to assign FULL Windows permissions may help... says Encore, but sometimes required for ALL Adobe programs (this is NOT the same as using an Administrator account)