Fresh install of CS6 Serial number validation issue Sierra and Yosemite

[alan.kirk]

Has anyone else had trouble validating serial numbers during the install process of CS6 in the last week or so?

I cant get it to validate a legit serial number that is registered to my adobe account. When I try to validate the serial number it comes up with a “Please connect to the Internet and retry” error, saying it isn’t connected to the internet. If I hit retry it will come up with the same screen again and if I hit connect it will let me install and even run updates of the programs but won’t validate, which will only leave the software useable for 7days.

I have tried this on both a Sierra and Yosemite Mac, both freshly reformatted and I get the same problem. I also tried from home and through my phone just incase our work router, internet, virus protection software was casuing issues.  The strange thing is that I reformatted a machine last month and its all OK.

I spent time on adobe chat last night and they even issued me a new serial number, but that didnt work either and now they wont talk to me in chat saying the product is no longer supported.

[Moxie Cat]

Hi Alan - glad it worked for you! Thanks for writing out your steps.

I have gotten to the point where you opened Illustrator. I did open Photoshop and InDesign but neither of them gave me an option to request a support code, and like you, that's where I got stuck. So I guess I'll try opening more programs and see if one of them works out, as it did for you. 

What a pain, though....something still must be wrong on Adobe's end.

[Nick Gammon]

Thanks for the info, to all above .... I'm experiencing the exact same problems verifying CS6 on OS X El Capitan v. 10.11.6 when installing it on an older MacBook Pro. I also have a legitimate serial number, registered to my account, and I have no problem installing the programs just can't verify the number because I get the "Please connect to the Internet and retry" message, when I am of course connected to the internet. I've spent days on the chat line with customer service which has been largely pointless - the low point being when they suggested downgrading from El Capitan to Mojave. I've tried each step on the connection trouble shooting page https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-network-issues.html#sa_src=web-messagi... to no avail. I will follow the steps Alan outlines above - but I agree with others - it's maddening to own the right to use software but have Adobe unable to honour that licence.

[Nick Gammon]

To update my earlier post - what has worked for me is to click "activate later" from the CS6 installer when it gives me the can't connect message, then launch an app - in this case Photoshop - then in the dialogue to verify that app  click "can't connect to the internet" and from there follow the procedures for offline activation. This has now verified my serial number.

[createmyworld]

I've been pulling my hair out all day trying to download and verify my CS6 to a new-to-me "old" macbook. THANK YOU so much!!  For posting the detailed steps you did to fix the problem... it worked for me too! 

[josearm]

THIS WORKED! After hours of searching this was the solution I needed.

To review, while on a Macbook Pro 2011, running High Sierra in 2021
- I installed via the .dmg provided on the products page of my adobe profile. 

- Installed CS6 Production Premium & got around the "Missing file for [product]" error using the instructions here: https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/install-creative-suite-mac-os-sierra.html
- After successful installation I got the same "Please connect to the internet and retry window" that alan.kirk got (https://community.adobe.com/t5/download-install-discussions/fresh-install-of-cs6-serial-number-valid...)
- I clicked the link inlcuded and read the info on this page. The link on that page also showed me where I could enter my serial number and the yet-to-be-gained response code. https://exception.licenses.adobe.com/aoes/aoes/v1/t1?locale=en
- Finally I read alan.kirk's comment above and opened and closed a number of the installed production premium apps until finally a screen generated infront of Premiere Pro that gave options for offline activation. The page it took me to allowed for the creation of the response code
- I plugged in the response code along with my serial number here: https://aoes-prod.licensingstack.com/aoes/aoes/v1/imsauthstatus
 
  

[josearm]

CORRECTION: The offline activation screen generated infront of Premiere allowed me to create a request code which I plugged in along with my serial number to generate the response code.

[GYnot]

Alan,

Thank-you for your workaround. I spent endless hours today trying to install CS6. Your post nailed it. 

The only dowside is that I cannot do any updates as it fails near the end of the progress bar. Is the anywhere I can download them manually or is there a workaround for that as well?

[Chris_HB]

Hi @alan.kirk on a slightly related issue, is OSX Sierra 10.12 the last stable OS for all of CS6 Master Collection to work with? Do all of the applications work ok in it? Any issues?

[alan.kirk]

Yeah thats the latest version we could get it to work on without issues.

High sierra works but was a bit buggy.

But with the onslaught of AI coming I resided my self to the fact that we need to upgrade and I just went out a brought 6 x Mac book pros and subscribed to creative cloud.

So my 7 trusty still performing well 27” iMacs with Creative Suite 6 will be going 

[Chris_HB]

@alan.kirkI was doing some brief testing and like you, found that High Sierra was where issues started arrising…

Hope you don’t mind the questions, but did you use the CS6 master collection on OSX Sierra 10.12 for a little while? I’ve only very briefly tried opening all the apps on a test basis, so was wondering more about  longer term use/relaibility? I’m thinking of upgrading the mac its on from 10.10.5 Yosemite where everything works as it should (for years!) to either 10.11.6 El Capitan or 10.12 Sierra.

But before making any changes, I was just thinking about the old saying ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’

[alan.kirk]

No issues once we had it installed, we had been using it for a number of years before I posted the validation fix with no issue as well.

The install issue I only came across when we had a staff member leave and I chose to reformat that machine.

We are a magazine publisher and we had all theses machines running 8 hrs a day with no issues.

[Chris_HB]

Thanks, thats great to know, really helpful!

[kglad]

for anyone facing this issue, it's easiest to disconnect your problematic computer from the internet and restart activation.  then select the offline activation method.

otherwise, you have an array of issues that can cause that error, all of them caused by using an old os (while that old os is necessary for macs to install 32 software and easier to install on win computers).

[Chris_HB]

@alan.kirkhope you don’t mind, just dropped you a little message

[kglad]

@alan.kirk 

do not reply by email or remove your signature before sending. these are public forums.

[kglad]

@Chris_HB 

as long as you use an os that supports 32 bit apps, you can install and use cs6.

[kevinhinkel]

Did CS6 actually stop working after 7 days?

[markm28647596]

It did stop working after a week, but fortunately, I got the prompt to register offline.  Once I got the codes I needed, it started working again.

[MarekB839]

I have manged this. I went to /Applications and clicked on Adobe Application Manager. It said that it needed to be updated. I did it. After and update it changed its name into Adobe Creative Cloud - logged into my account and suddenly I was able to register my LR6 on fresh installation of macOS High Sierra.