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Crystaldream777
Participant
January 3, 2017
Answered

Acrobat 9 Pro crashing due to error licencing message

  • January 3, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 4057 views

As there is no forum for general troubleshooting of Acrobat (?), I am posting on what is the closest to my issue.

I have been happily using my Acrobat Pro 9 for over 6 years - until now.

Few days ago, when I opened the program I got an error message:

"Licencing for this product has stopped working. You cannot use this product at this time.  You must repair the problem by uninstalling and then reinstalling this product or contaxcting Adobe for help".

There is NO time restriction on my licence - but I still uninstalled and then reinstalled the program from my cd.  It worked. Until today when I got the same error message.

I rang Adobe Support only to find out that technical support for Acrobat 9 Pro is no longer provided (Why not???), that I can only seek solutions on this forum, and that I cannot update to the higher version (10 or 11) free of charge, or I can just purchase Adobe DC for close to $500.  No thank you.  I just want my current Acrobat 9 Pro to work without having to re-indstall it every time I want to use it.

I have Windows 8.1 on which I have been using my Acrobat 9 Pro without ANY issues for several months now - and so the platform is not the problem.

There are no time restrictions on my license.

I have not made any significant changes or upgrades to my computer in the past several days

Is this an inbuilt bug so that after 6 years or so the program stopped working forcing me to purchase a new version?

If not - I would be grateful if someone could give me a solution to fix this problem please.

thanks

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer try67

Adobe only sells the current version, Acrobat DC. You can still get a perpetual license for it, but it's tricky.

Follow these instructions to achieve it:

Go to the Adobe Products Page: https://www.adobe.com/products/catalog/software.html

Click on the Buy button next to Acrobat Pro DC, and then change the "I want to buy" option to "Full" (or "Upgrade" if you have a qualifying earlier version).

Then select the other options and click on Add To Cart, and proceed to checkout. You'll get a full license, not a time-based subscription.

Be aware that you will not get functional updates for this version, only security patches and bug releases, as far as I know.

2 replies

try67
Community Expert
try67Community Expert
Community Expert
January 3, 2017

The simple answer is that software becomes outdated after a while, due to the constant changes in technology and the release of new versions. If you don't keep up with the updates, or keep up partially (such as updating your OS but not the rest of your applications), these situations are bound to happen.

You're using an old, outdated version of Acrobat that's not compatible with your OS (see: Adobe Acrobat system requirements ). Adobe stopped supporting this version a while ago and it's now too old to even qualify for an upgrade to the newest version (you would need Acrobat X or higher for that). So you're left without many options in case of a problem.

Obviously there isn't a built-in mechanism that disables the program after a specific amount of time, and the error message does not mean that your license is invalid, only that there's a problem with the licensing validation mechanism.

You can try running the application in Compatibility Mode with Windows 7 or even XP and hope for the best, or try a Repair Installation, but that's about it.

If you do decide to get Acrobat DC you should consider getting a subscription instead of a perpetual license. It's a monthly/yearly payment plan instead of a large one-time payment and it includes updates to make sure that the application remains compatible with your OS.

PS. I'm not an Adobe representative and don't work or speak for them. Just a fellow user, like you...

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Crystaldream777Author
Participant
January 3, 2017

thanks try67

I felt strongly that there is more to it than incompatibility with my IOS - after all, the program was running fine for several months on my current platform - and I was right.

After a further google search I found this page published by Adobe - looks like this is a known error

Error: "Licensing has stopped working" | Windows

I haven't applied the solution yet as when I reinstalled the program it's now working.  If it stops again, I will follow the solution steps to resolve it.

My question is - how come Adobe technical support sentre in India did not give me this link and are blisfully unaware of the existing solution. Perhaps someone could send this information to them so that they can help other users to solve this problem and learn something valuable themselves on the way.

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Crystaldream777Author
Participant
January 3, 2017

PS I really think it's despicable that Adobe has washed its hands off the support for Acrobat Pro 9 which I bought as a student.

if there is no reply on the forum - I have NO way to go as you have shut down ALL support for this product. Shame on you!

I still want to use it and NOT spend another $500 on the current version - which of course you'd like me to.

There is NO reason for the "lincencing expiry or issues" as there was NO TIME RESTRICTION on the program when I purchased it 6 years ago.

Check it for yourself. My customer order number is 0116108013

I wish to speak with ADOBE representative about how to fix this issue.

Did you embed a bug to make the program stop working  at some point to force me to buy a NEW version? well, that's the ONLY explanationa I can come up with, as the program has been working fine for over 6 years.

ADOBE - please contact me with the solution.

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