LR6 "The serial number is already in use by the maximum allowed"

[shantanua19332455]

I am one of the many users impacted by this problem. I am migrating to a new computer and received the Serial Number issue on the new install. Chat support said I had 4 active installations (when I've never even had 4 computers!). Chat support had me sign out from my most recent computer I was just using it on - logged out - rebooted. Chat support says I still have 4 active installations, and this is the rub, tells me I need to install CC and start paying monthly for it. 

I now have all 3 computers I have owned (2 old and the 1 new I am migrating to), all with Internet access and ALL are signed out of Adobe Lightroom.  Chat support says I have old software and I should buy CC.  They just ignore that they had me sign out of LR6 and lose access on my most recent computer! (as that computer now gives me the error as well "the serial number... is already in use by the maximum allowed computers". 

Is there a way to get this resolved in 2024?

This feels like class action lawsuit... we paid for a perpetual license, Adobe created a system to track it, Adobe's system doesn't work.. and their solution is to get customers to pay perpetually for the future?

[kglad]

there are sone unusual details in your post, but you need to deactivate le6 on, at least, one of your older computers.

[shantanua19332455]

While talking with support, they siad I have 4  I *signed out* of my only active computer using LR.  The chat representative who asked me to sign out, says I still had 4 installations (despite it only being possible to have 2 at any time, I've only had 2 devices with LR ever, and despite my just signing out and the 4 count being unchanged). What's intriguing is.. the computer I signed out... still loads up the Adobe  "max serial" even though I never re-entered it and there are no ghost processes (and I rebooted my computer).

[shantanua19332455]

If there is something else one can do to de-activate, please let me know. I have the two old laptops in front of me now.

[shantanua19332455]

Chat notes there are others with this issue. Chat acknowledges they asked me to sign out, the only offer they will make is to sell me CC or photoshop,  acknowledges there are activation issues and they will not remedy customer inability to use the perpetual license they purchased.

[shantanua19332455]

I found this old thread which seems to link motherboard changes to activations:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/quot-the-serial-number-is-in-use-in-max...

I've had the motherboard replaced on my last laptop multiple times due to a technical issue (which is why I now have a new laptop I'm migrating too). Perhaps this explains Adobe's insistence that I have 4 live activations for a software that can only be on 2; it does not explain why signing out didn't reduce the count by 1 or 4

[Ben M]

It might not be possible for Adobe to see activation counts anymore as support is no longer allowed to reset them. Even if you removed one of your four installations, you would still have 3 installations running which is beyond the maximum allowed. Unfortunately as activation counts are no longer beind reset as of this year, the only option is to subscribe to lightroom which is $10/mo by itself or $20/mo with Photoshop or consider alternatives. 

[shantanua19332455]

This feels illegal and unethical. We all paid for a perpetual license. Adobe decided to not keep track of installations and effectively block the software (and in my case, getting me to uninstall it, and then saying I need to pay in perpetual going forward) for me and others. If Adobe decided to retire activation servers, they should not have ability to stop the owner from using the software. This does not feel that complicated. They can give fresh serial numbers, disable needing a serial at all (as they themselves ignore it) or grant a replacement perpetual license to the software they want users to use instead (and that should just be an offer, not a requirement).

[kglad]

this complaint by users dates back many years when all cs2, then cs3 and cs4 became impossible to activate.

[kglad]

each hardware change counts as a different computer.  ie, changing motherboard is no different (to adobe) than changing a computer and should have prompted a re-activation. 

after two activations, you were prompted to deactivate which, in months past, could be done several ways so having a non-functioning computer (mobo) was not prohibitive to obtaining an activation count reset.  or you could have used your adobe account to deactivate one or both computers with older mobo's.

anyway, there's no sense heeding any threads about reactivation problems that are more than one month old.  they contain out-dated info (including that adobe support can and will reset your activation count).

so, if you can't use either of the computers that has an activation, you have no way to activate another installation.

[shantanua19332455]

Just curious, how would Adobe know I changed the motherboard on a computer? Why would Adobe care about a hardware change like that, to monitor it so closely? 

[kglad]

i don't know how they detect what computer is used for activation 

[shantanua19332455]

Also if I changed out a motherboard, there would be no way to de-activate unless I then swapped motherboard back (e.g., Adobe gave a pop-up after my motherboard fix and said "you need to go back and unfix your computer, first deactivate Lightroom, and then you can fix your motherboard"). Doesn't seem practical when one is fixing hardware to know in advance to deactivate Lightroom?

[kglad]

and yes, with a hardware failure, there's no way to deactivate.