Activation code for CS3 design standard

[ali25536279pjvj]

Hello, how do we get activation code for CS3 design standard? Software is used on Windows 10 with no problems, but needed is the activation code. Adobe support chat could not help in this case.

[AxelMatt · Accepted solution]

CS3 activation servers were taken offline years ago. You can't activate your CS3 suite.

It's a dead product.

[kglad · Accepted solution]

as stated above, you can't activate cs3 (or cs2 or cs4): https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite.html

cs5, cs5.5 and cs6 are probably next.

[ali25536279pjvj]

there is no expiration date on my dvds, but adobe do this just for the money and will get bad reviews, but does not bother them, at least could have given some years of free use of cloud versions, but money is most important

[LinSims]

The activation servers were failing and could not be kept online. The software doesn't run on modern systems. It would take a great deal of time, resources, and money to port the activation software, and Adobe would rather spend those on products that they are getting money from now rather than one that hasn't given them any revenue in over a decade. And that assumes they can even find the source code or someone who has the expertise to update it.

And yes, of course the money is important. If they don't make money, they go out of business.

I'm not fond of the subscription model myself, but that seems to be the direction a lot of the software industry is going, especially the ones that supply business software. 

As far as I know, the only activation servers still running are for CS5 and CS6, and they're pretty much on death watch. Not that their existance would help you since it is no longer possible to buy CS5 or CS6 anymore. (And if someone contacts you via private message to say they're from Adobe and/or can help you acquire those, report them immediately. They're scammers and your identity can be stolen.)

[kglad]

read the info at the link i posted.  it explains adobe's reasons for discontinuing their efforts to maintain the activation servers.

[Retune]

I'm afraid it doesn't bother them, because they are a global megacorporation and we are not. The standard excuse about the activation servers and the cost of maintaining them is beside the point, because Adobe already have a special version of the CS3 Design Standard installer (ADBESTPPCS3_ESD1_WWE.exe), which is compatible with Windows 10, doesn't require activation, and comes with a replacement key that doesn't expire. When they first took the activation servers offline, they used to distribute this installer and its key on request to registered users via a support web page, though this was never advertised and the page was shut down without warning. I don't know what the legal position would be if a licensed user like you were to obtain them from another licensed user who saved the files (I believe everyone with the same version of the suite for the same OS was given the same installer and same replacement key). Someone at Adobe must still have these files, of course, but they won't give them to you via the support channel.