CS3 activation unsuccessful, error 194:12

[Stacey789]

I want to activate my CS3, but the phone activation is no longer supported and online activation returns "unsuccessful" and error code 194:12. The customer support wants to have nothing to do with that.

(I know the quickest way would be using some keygen but I legally purchased the CS3 so I expect it to work legally too.)

[kglad]

attach a screenshot of that error message.

[Stacey789]

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Stacey789 what version of Windows are you using?  What is the reason which you are needing to reinstall Creative Suite 3 on this computer?   Was Creative Suite 3 installed on this computer previously?

[Stacey789]

I use Windows 7 and the CS3 was installed there before and worked, but I needed to restore the system and afterwards none of the applications would launch (but PS CS6 still works). It is a long story, but in short it kept having some licensing subsystem problems, then it did not want to uninstall etc. When I finally managed to install it, it all failed again at this stage. If you think it would help to write the story here, I will.

[kglad]

uninstall cs3, clean and then try installing and activating per Use the CC Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems | CC, CS3-CS6

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Thank you that was the needed information Stacey.  I figured either a system restore or migration of files was involved to cause this type of damage.

Please utilize any available Adobe uninstallers in the Programs and Features control panel.  Once you have removed all Adobe software then please use the CC Cleaner Tool to help ensure complete removal.  You can find details on the use and download of the CC Cleaner Tool at Use the CC Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems | CC, CS3-CS6 - http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/cs5-cleaner-tool-installation-problems.html.

Once you have completely removed all Adobe software and run the CC Cleaner Tool you can then try reinstalling.  If you need a fresh copy of the installation files the retail installers can be found at Download CS3 products.

[Stacey789]

Thank you, but the previous not-working CS3 was removed with the cleaner tool so I don't believe that it will solve the problem, TBH. Also, when I see this, I don't really want to uninstall even the Photoshop CS6 and Acrobat as those are the only apps that work and if they stop working too, I can just go hang myself, just now I was asked by my superior how the work goes and I just couldn't tell her I have about nothing because of these two weeks of trying to make the apps work... What bad luck.

Isn't there yet another way? I really don't want to lose the Photoshop CS6

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Stacey789 no you need to remove all Adobe Creative software titles if you want to be able to repair the licensing system from the system restore which was performed.

If you need to install CS6 the installation files are available at Download CS6 products.  I would recommend you reinstall CS6 after installing CS3.

[Stacey789]

Thanks, okay, I guess I will have to risk it. I will do it later after saving all the settings for Photoshop, I'm really tired now. Thanks for your time. If it works, I'll let you know.

[Stacey789]

Ok, I don't know if I should make it public and it pains me that I had to stoop so low to get my apps working, but there are other people with this problem, so I guess I should post how this issue got resolved.

I'm angry at myself for trying to settle it the legal way asking the customer support one after another for more than a month. Some of the staff were really kind and if nothing, I learned some new things, but they were downright useless because phone activation is probably some kind of taboo or what. They would persistently force me to unistall the CS3 and install to no end, even though I told them that I had formatted my harddrive and run a different OS...

Whatever, long story short, the only known solution to this problem is to download a keygen and activate the CS3 with it through phone activation. The only problem is that you don't have the serial number you purchased in the application itself, but don't waste your time trying to be all good asking the support questions they don't know or are forbidden to answer.

I still would like to report somewhere that I'm using an illegal serial number due to those circumstances and post the Software Licence Certificate I received upon purchasing the CS3 somewhere, so that nobody comes to bother me about that in the future, does anybody know how to do it?

Last note: I'm really curious how the Adobe wants to manage the CC versions when they have to go through this kind of activation every month or so. I'm glad I bought the boxed versions.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Stacey789 thank you for the update.  Did you try the steps listed in Sign in, activation, or connection errors | CC, CS6, CS5.5 - http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-network-issues.html.  In particular I would recommend reviewing the section regarding the host file.

[Stacey789]

Thanks for trying to help, but I have tried everything you can think of, I just don't want to list it here. And I don't have any hostfile altered or whatever. What's with this presumption that everybody does bad things and that the problem is only on the other's side? There were people who had the guts to ask for customer support when they had their software cracked or what? I don't want to list why it is clear that the problem is on the Adobe side, starting with their activation servers and with their avoiding simple questions dues to some taboos or what. I respect that some companies have things the workers are forbidden to talk about but why can't they just say that they cannot do it for the company wants to erase all traces of phone activation from history (or whatever, I don't give a damn why they just can't give you the authorization code like this when they suspended the links for phone activation) from the start and stop pulling the customer's leg to no end? I want my month back.

Sorry, but the only thing I want to know now is where I can post my software licence certificate I got when buying the CS3 and that I'm using a false serial number due to those circumstances so that nobody comes bothering me in the future.

[Stacey789]

And don't get me wrong, I love Photoshop (the other programs I use rarely) and I admire the people who made this amazing software, and by no means I don't want to not to reward them for their amazing work, but when the great program is wrapped in this, it really spoils the fun. No way I want to increase troubles for me by going CC. I remember back in highschool there was general distaste among the students to buying Adobe software even with low student prices simply because the activation processes and such made it more difficult for people to get the apps working than getting a cracked copy. It is understandable that they want to protect their software but they should do it by making it easy for people to activate it and such. The friend who told me to solve this problem by getting a keygen has been laughing at me because with their illegal software they haven't experienced nearly as much trouble as I have, doing things "the right way".

"CS3 is an old product." What kind of argument is that? And when the support copies this sentence to all of your chat questions... Well, only two out of all I chatted with did it, but still, what the hell? How do they expect people to upgrade when they can't get help with previous versions? How can they know they will get help for their upgraded apps when few years pass like that?

All this "wrapping" is seriously spoiling the great work of the programmers of the programs themselves.