CS6 revoked serial number after reinstalled that was only necessary because of adobe!

[4099]

hi,

i purchased a cs6 master collection licence in december 2019, via a reseller in the uk. i did activate it back then and used it flawlessly since then. now i got a new computer and had to reinstall the software and reactivate the licence:

which i successfully did on monday, april 28 around 10 am. i think you can see the activation attemps on your server log.

because i made the mistake to install the whole suite, i got the warning that a driver of elements was not compatible with windows 11 security (because it does not have the necessary certificate), it was suggested to disable a core function of windows 11 so that it would not make this security checks - i did not disable any core function.

however i did install the neccessary patch for adobe acrobat X, i did sign in with my adobe account to activate the licence - and it worked beautifully.  all programs were working on the activated serial number. perfect!

then i restarted the machine and it crashed an basically got stuck in windows repair loop. it was all due to windows\system32\drivers\PxHlpa64.sys

well, so i did a clean fresh install of the whole system, basically because of an incompatibility of adobe CS6 with windows 11 - which - whatever i could have avoided had i done the research first. so fine, since it is a lifelong licence and the product is no longer supported with updates, that is not the issue.

the issue comes now:

i reinstall everything on the fresh windows 11 install, and this time i only chose to install the programs i really am using: indesign, photoshop and acrobat X.

it works fine - no issues. i put in the serial number and all of a sudden it says "the serial number has been revoked".

can you please let me know how this is possible? and yeah i am gonna safe us some time and be straight and direct: my mistake was that i did never register the serial number on our adobe account. i was not aware of this. and so now your hotline tells me that there is a different email address assigned to this serial number. fair enough i missed that step. but can you please send me anonymized screenshots or data showing that this serial number was misused in the last five years, i am sure your server logs show exactly when attempts for registration/ activations were made ... because honestly to my legal understanding it does not really matter which email address is assigned, since i also have a legal civil purchasing contract with ... i guess that person, but i do not have this person's private data (only company name, and no direct email address since the contract was processed via ebay). but if there was only my activation (five years ago) on this serial number, the successful activation on monday, april 28th 10AM and then with multiple attempts yesterday, i do not see how this is an issue. since it was not necessary to assign my adobe account with that serial number for activation.

so the point is, i would not be in this trouble if i hadn t tried to install elements. then my system now was up and running. but then all of a sudden the serial number gets revoked by adobe? why? and i read already many posts on here - so i see the pattern, this is not only my problem, it seems to be adobe's attempt to force everyone (even those who bought the licence directly via adobe) into signing up for the subscription model, thanks, but NO thanks.

i really would appreciate your help to get the lifelong licence i purchased back working, please help! i do not want to get a subscription model, because to me this is a terrible development in all the software services - and i myself believe in open source. i do not need updates, i do not need artifical intelligence or anything, i just want the product i am happy with and that i bought to work.

looking forward hearing back from you!

all the best outta vienna

mk

[kglad]

who's at fault and what happened in the past are not primary issues at this point.

having a revoked license is the primary issue you have to resolve before proceeding.

the 2019 purchase was probably problematic because that was only legal if the vendor was a private party and you have a signed license transfer from adobe.

and even that last paragraph you can hold in abeyance for now while you try to contact support and see if that revocation was an error on adobe's end.  if they state that it is, you can proceed with the next steps.

[4099]

thank you for your reply.

i was in contact with customer support yesterday and today. they transfered me to the english technical support hotline. they did not say that the licence was not legit, the issue as i described above, was that it was not my email address. they did not say that it was a a problematic serial, they just say it is a different user name and email.

the technical support hotline said, that they cannot help because they do not have access to the server logs. they said my only chance of resolving the issue was posting here. so this is what i do.

and thank you for teaching me about the word abeyance, since english is not my first language i always enjoy learning something new. but i disagree, because other people are reading this forum and i really wish for change in this world on many levels, i think it is important to mention my point, if this makes one person think about what is happening with all software turning to subscription models, i might have encouraged some more discussions and awareness.

only maybe the line about "i don t need updates" i would take back - because many open source programs provide neccessary updates. what i meant was: i do not need any new tools.

and since i hope people with similar issues are reading this, i will recommend switching to affinity, since they still provide a life-long licence.

i would love to see how many times my serial got activated since 2019. i think that is fair enough to ask of adobe ...

[kglad]

ok, that was helpful. 

as mentioned, if you purchased from a private party AND have that license transfer (https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/transfer-product-license.html), you can resolve this in your favor.

if you purchased from a third party and don't have that license transfer, you might be able to make the transfer now.

did you purchase from a private party?

[4099]

the seller has a CRN number, so no, i do not think it is a private party. but all the reviews on the ebay profile were positive but it seems like they are inactive for now. last reviews on ebay are from a year ago. i was able to find out about the email address of the reseller and am hoping that the licence he sold to me is registered with this one. i will also try to contact the seller myself via the provided email address.

it would be really helpful of adobe to see the activation counts made with this serial over the last 5 years. because with that information it would be super simple to figure whether it was misused or not. because if there was only my activation back in dec 2019 and now again my attempts this week, then he did not sell it to multiple parties ...

[kglad]

information about that serial number is available to users that purchased that serial number or registered that serial number with adobe.

[4099]

sadly no one seems willing to really help. i already explained the full situation. it just really seems that adobe wants to get rid of as many old licences as possible and push users into their suscription model, i just got a "special offer" for 29 euro a month. i do not want or need that. i just need to work with what was working fine for the last five years.

super sad. i wish i was an attorney.

[kglad]

there's no support from adobe for cs6.  

the problem appears to have been caused by that reseller and you.  you both are needed to fix that.  if the reseller is not able and willing, then you're at the end of the road.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

4099, I am sorry, Kglad, is correct. Your next step is to complete the license transfer process listed at https://adobe.ly/3GwUKSn from whoever you purchased the software from. I confirmed that no Adobe software titles are registered under the account you used to post to this public discussion forum.

Once you have completed the transfer of license process, then you will be able to access the installation files from your account, by following the steps listed in https://adobe.ly/4lZ3bpN. I would also recommend bookmarking https://adobe.ly/42EYycX which discusses how to manage any remaining activations for Creative Suite 6 in 2025. ^JW

[4099]

this is not helping. i do understand what you are talking about. but i did activate the product in dec 2019 with the purchased serial number and the adobe account. it did not tell me that it is neccessary to register the product, so i didn t. i am pretty sure there is server logs, which account used what serial number. as it did work on monday, befor that one driver crashed my system. also there it was no problem that i had not completet the licence transfer. to be honest - i did not know that i had to do that.

but to my technical understanding it should be possible to see how many times my serial was just for activation, that would be proofing that it was only used by me, or if the seller was a scammer, would show multiple attempts in the last years. if that was the case, then well yea, i was scammed, but otherwise i do not understand why the serial got revoked.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

I am sorry, but activation is not related to registration. The proper legal form that needs to be completed is available as an attachment in https://adobe.ly/4d9bKuo.

If you are not able to complete the license transfer process 4099, then you will need to look for a new solution for your creative software needs in 2025. ^JW

[kglad]

returning to what worked in the past is only saying adobe's better at detecting improperly used serial numbers now than in the past.

 it's no different than arguing with a judge or police that you've never been punished for breaking a law in the past so you feel it's unfair to punish you now.

and only the legal owner could register.  you were never the legal owner because you did/do not have that license transfer.

getting that transfer is the next step and only option for you.  if that's impossible, then you can't use that serial number that still belongs to that ebay vendor.

[4099]

oh no that is not what i am saying. i will close this case the second i get proof (you came up with the judge example) that the serial number was used illegally.

i am just going through the legal terms. since in the archive i can only find the CS5 version i guess this was also applied to 

https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/legal/licenses-terms/pdf/CS5.pdf

CS5:
please show me where it states that i have to connect it via adobe account. i cannot find it.

point 4.6 No Transfer:

You may, however, permanently transfer all your rights to use the
Software to another individual or legal entity provided that: (a) you also transfer (i) this agreement, (ii) the
serial number(s), the Software affixed to media provided by Adobe or its authorized distributor, and all
other software or hardware bundled, packaged or pre-installed with the Software, including all copies,
upgrades, updates, and prior versions, and (iii) all copies of font software converted into other formats to
such individual or entity; (b) you retain no upgrades, updates or copies, including backups and copies
stored on a Computer; and (c) the receiving party accepts the terms and conditions of this agreement and
any other terms and conditions under which you purchased a valid license to the Software.

here it does not state that i have to "transfer via adobe account"

so please refer to the legal terms of use from that release, that states that. and just to say "it has been revoked" with no proof of violation of the terms quoted above (like server logs showing that there were multiple activations with this serial) does not do for me - when it comes to my legal understanding.

it just really feels legally wrong to me. i really would like to understand.

[kglad]

cs6 has to be activated to work beyond the 30 day period.  that doesn't mean you have to register it, but that does entail connecting the license to adobe's servers.  that's where/how you got the revoked serial number message.

and you already know you're using the serial number illegally because you're not the legal owner of that serial number.

i'm not implying you are a criminal.  you just got snagged because of ignorance (that the serial number needed to be transferred).  

it's likely the seller wasn't doing this intentionally.  they probably just didn't know, either.  of course, ignorance of the law/rules is no excuse etc.

[4099]

no. this now starts to become defamation! please refer to the part in the terms of use in CS6 that requires me to transfer via adobe. this is really too much now.

you are really saying that i used that serial number illegally ??????? are you serious ... i ll get an attorney involved - i do have a receipt of the reseller and i cannot see your accusations having any legal ground. please refer to the document that you are basing your accusation on!

[kglad]

yes, you're trying to illegally use the license.  or do you actually think you're the legal owner of that serial number ?

[4099]

i mean honestly: this is a tactic

[kglad]

well, unfortunately adobe software is/was among the most pirated.  the fact that adobe's steps to stem piracy entangles non-pirates is well-known and unfortunate.

and there's nothing new about that license transfer requirement.  it's been in force for decades.

[4099]

then please - that would be really helpful - refer to the legal terms where this is stated. i agreed to the terms of service of CS6 - not anything later than that, since i never upgraded.

you are implying that i used it illegaly, which is defamation, please read the statements above carefully again! when the servers are not working anymore then i wonder how the serial got deactivated tuesday, but was working (on a new install) monday?

you are implying i did something illegal but have no proof. where did i aggree to the "new transfer of licence" statement? can you please show me that?

[kglad]

you're trying to use someone else's serial number (unless and until you get that license transfer form).  you can phrase that however you like, but to an outside observer (and adobe) that's illegal.

anyway, you're losing sight of the important thing: get that license transfer.  then nothing's illegal, the serial number revocation should disappear and you can proceed to (hopefully) use cs6

[Nancy OShea]

Adobe quit selling CS6 in early 2017.  It has NOT been legally sold from any vendor or retailer in any country since then. And it was never tested on Windows 11 which didn't exist at that point.

You purchased an untrusted license for old software from a complete stranger on eBay. So you got EXACTLY what you paid for: no guarantees and no product support in the event that anything went wrong. 

Fast-forward to 2025.  The license is useless to you. That's not Adobe's fault.  That's between you and the eBay seller.  Good luck sorting that out.

MODERN OPTIONS:
Photoshop Elements or Premiere Elements (3 year license, no subscription needed).
https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html

Creative Cloud Photography (Annual & Monthly plan options).
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html

Creative Cloud Bundles & Single App Plans for mobile, web & desktops
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html

Hope that helps.

[4099]

again: as i linked the licence agreement that you can still find in the archive of adobe, there it says it is allowed to resell the serial number. please send me that legal statement that all of you here are referring to.

it feels like you are trying to tell me it is ok, if the original seller of a car changes his terms and conditions like 10 years later and now nobody is allowed anymore to resell that car??? are you serious?

please explain - and please send me the part in the licencing agreement that states so.

[kglad]

you can resell the license, but you must do it properly.

[Nancy OShea]

Here it is in English.  Other languages also available.

Creative Suite General Licensing Terms

https://www.adobe.com/cc-shared/assets/pdf/legal/licenses-terms/pdf/gen-wwcombined-multi-20111031-12...

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/transfer-product-license.html

Hope that all makes sense now.

[4099]

not really, because adobe did not say that my serial was of an education version or something like that, they just stated it was not assigned to my email address. and as you have copied the point 4.6 it states that it is allowed to "permanently transfer all its rights to ... another individual or legal entity." further it says the serial needs to be transfered but it does not state that this needs to be done about the "transfer a license" - words matter. in 4.6.2 there it does not state "transfer the license". it only says "the serial number". adobe account likely can see how many times this serial got used for activation. i still do not see the legal basis of revoking the serial.