Help—"Suite Product Activation Needed"—Acrobat Pro CS5

[rudy713]

Hello.

I searched the forums but no one seems to have this problem (or I missed it).

See enclosed JPEG. It says,

"Suite Product Activation Needed

Adobe Acrobat was installed as part of a suite. To enable Adobe Acrobat, please start another component of this suite (such as Adobe Photoshop)."

Yes, I entered in the CS5 serial number and activated the suite through Photoshop. Yes, I entered in the separate serial number for Acrobat. It was accepted but then gives me the activation error. Yes, I tried deactivating CS5, rebooted, reactivated CS5, relaunched Photoshop CS5, relaunched Acrobat, and... same error.

Anyone have a solution? (other than trying to uninstall and reinstall the Suite which I really don't want to do)

Rudy

[rudy713]

Hey Kids. Problem solved.

When I installed CS5, I deactivated CS4 but did not UNINSTALL it. So I had both "Suites" residing in my system.

Today, I went ahead and uninstalled the CS4's bits and pieces and, POOF!, Acrobat disappeared. Well, that was not predicted.

I then went ahead and popped in the Acrobat CS5 DVD (yes, I had installed it before), reinstalled it, entered in the proper serial number, and POOF!, it worked. Funny thing is that Photoshop CS5 gave me a "can't run" error when I went to it but that cleared up when I quit and relaunched it.

Obviously, Adobe has not groomed Acrobat to be a proper CS5 companion and so there are some bugs crawling around.

I hope that this helps with anyone else running into this problem.

Cheers. Rudy.

[Anthony Citrano]

Thanks Rudy. I had the same issue after CS4's uninstaller destroyed my CS5 installation. I had to reinstall CS5 entirely.

Even after doing so, Acrobat refuses to run - gives me the same "activation needed" message as it did you.

So, like you, I installed Acrobat again from the original DVD.

Yet, I'm still having the same problem from Acrobat and cannot use the product. I've launched the other CS5 programs and they run fine.

Would be nice if Adobe could figure out these install and uninstall routines.

Anyone else know what I should do here?

[bluefire777]

I ran the following, but it did not help, it may work for you

http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/licensing_download_eula.html

i`m contacting customer service.

[bluefire777]

getting help from adobe support is INFURIATING they dont call when they say they will and the online chat people know nothing.

[dpnDan]

Adobe,

You seriously need to address this issue. As the previous poster said, it is absolutely infuriating. Talking to your customer support folks only adds to the frustration as they seem oblivious to this problem. I own and have paid for multiple copies of your Suite for me and my employees. We faithfully dole out the bucks to upgrade but are beginning to feel like fools. If I found another solution for our production needs I'd seriously consider jumping ship.

Your software is the best EXCEPT for when it does this kind of foolishness - a foolishness only surpassed by the experience of using your tech support team. Please support them. Support us. Please, please get this right.

[Guest]

Go to adobe.com and download the Adobe Cleaner Tool.

A link to that tool can be found in cpsid_82947

Even if you have uninstalled your previous suite (CS4 and/or CS3) there might be traces of the said suite(s)

And you can removed them by this tool.

Uninstall Acrobat 9 Pro, then reinstall it.

Once reinstalled, launch Acrobat 9 Pro.

Accept the EULA then enter the Acrobat 9 Pro serial number.

[jayzrogers]

I got a new macbook pro and used Time Machine to move my old mac to my new mac.  Everything worked fine except Acrobat.  It's giving me this stupid message and won't open.

I've deactivated CS5 on the old machine.

I don' tknow why this is so infuriating.

[MichaelKazlow]

It is always best to re-install the CS Suite products moving from one machine to another just doesn't cut it. Even if you think all of the other products are working fine, something may bite you and you'll never know why.

[Guest]

So let me get this right - the only way to fix this bloody annoying error is to completely remove CS5 from my machine, re-install it from original DVD, and let the Adobe Updater bring it back up to the latest version again?

This is exactly how it got in this state in the first place!!!! WTF?

[MichaelKazlow]

You can try the license report tool.

http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/licensing.html

[Guest]

Thanks, Michael. I've just run this script, but there's been no change in behaviour with Adobe Professional - it just quits after the message in this thread appears.

[bici]

re-installed the CS5 suite , but still Acrobat Pro 9 refuses to launch EVEN  with Photoshop open!!!

Message was edited by: bici

[bici]

The Acrobat Pro is on a third DVD and i simply drag it to the Applications folder. i was never prompted for a code for it. so why does it not launch? It must see the other apps that do require the activation code.

[Phillip M Jones]

Look on the paper Sleeve of the Acrobat Install DVD. Go to Registration or activation  either will be in The Acrobat menu or the Help menu. (Some apps put in help menu- others in the Application name menu.) Type in that number. make sure every letter or number is correct and with letters make sure the are in proper captitalization (case).

Although Technically not part of the CS5 install Package is added as spearate install when you buy CS5.

[bici]

This is what is so FRUSTRATING: there is no separate activation code on the DVD for Acrobat Pro nor a chance to enter one.

There  are three DVDs with CS5. One installs the suite AI, PS ID. The second is Content, and the third contains the Acrobat Pro files which we simply drag into Application folder on our Mac ( Mac OS X ).

Launching the app fails. There is NEVER an option to enter a code or activation code. Acrobat knows that it is part of a Suite and asks us to have Photoshop or another component running. I have all three running and it still fails to stay open or launch!

It worked on my older mac. I had deactivated the programs before re-installing into my new Mac. I have even deleted un-installed all programs and re-installed all to no avail.

Adobe .. .this needs a fix! 

[Larry G. Schneider]

Did you run the Cleaner tool between reinstalls?

My version of the Installer has the following instructions if you have problems starting the app

1. Open Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PCD/Cache and delete the file cache.db.

2. Open Library/Preferences and delete the file FlexNet Publisher.

3. Restart Adobe Acrobat Pro. You shuld be prompted for the license (serial) number.

[bici]

Wel li have gotten further but still no go.

It now respnds that "Licensing for this product has stopped working"

I deleted and re-installed twice.

I am never prompetd to type in my license code....

[bici]

I ran the Adobe uninstaller and the Adobe Cleaner.

I uninstalled Adobe Pro

I ran the Adobe Uninstall and I deleted the Adobe suite.

I deleted every single file that I could find on my hard drive that had to do with Adobe.

I re-installed the CS5 SUITE. I tested all the programs and they worked fine.

I copied the Acrobat pro into my Applications folder. I started up and it asked me to accept the licence info. I said OK..  then it quit!! WTF! am i supposed to do to use a product that i paid for!!!!

[AllisonCordner]

I am having the same problems and really need to be able to use this product.

[bici]

@ xirtame

Have you tried all the steps outlined in Larry G. Schneider's post?

i was not able to solve this issue / problem. A real disappointment as I spent days trying to resolve it!  Adobe should be ashamed.

I installed my copy of Acrobat Pro on my son's computer. He is running Lion as well, It prompted me for the licence code, something that was _NOT_ happening on my computer when I tried to install it. Installed on his machine no problem and is working fine.

I ended up purchasing a copy of Acrobat Pro X from a co-worker who didn't need  his copy for very little.

[Guest]

THIS IS THE SOLUTION.

Thank you very much Sir. I was having the exact same problem as the initial poster of this problem, and I followed your steps, and now it's working perfectly again.

Thank you!!

[Guest]

I was having the same problem, having just migrated CS5 Design Standard to OS X 10.7, Acrobat 9 stopped working and gave the error 'Suite Product Activation Needed' which did not work...

a (very helpful) discussion on livechat with Adobe suggested:

1. changing the name of cache.db in Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PCD to cache.old, then trying to start Acrobat

if that did not work, try

2. deleting the FlexNet Publisher folder in Library/Application Support, which when you try to start Acrobat should now allow you to re-enter the serial number

worked for me, anyway...

[willytkoch]

I also experienced this issue when I transferred a user from an iMac with Snow Leopard to a new iMac with Lion. CS3 and CS4 had been used on the old iMac. Only CS5 was transferred.

I fixed it by copying Photoshop CS4 from another Mac on the network the new iMac. Opened it OK. Next time I opened Acrobat 9, the error message was gone.

Regards,

Willy T. Koch

Norway

[dskimmer]

I have cs4 and cs5 master collection installed.  I opened both Photoshop from CS4 and CS5 at the same time, then opened Acrobat from the applications folder, and the message went away.  I had open both before, but not at the same time.  Good Luck

Dee Gardner

USA