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rbrennan55
Participating Frequently
April 10, 2025
Question

Master Collection CS6 Max License Issue

  • April 10, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 2422 views

I am one of the few remaining CS6 users.  Adobe has finally had enough of us CS6 users

 

Don't re-install, deactivate (with the attempts to reinstall) Master Collection CS6.  I was having an issue with exporting to H.264 after years of being able to do so without issue.  After searching the Forums, it was suggested to re-install.  I pulled out the CD's (remember those?), ran the installation, entered the serial number and off it went.  When launching one of the programs, I was presented with a dialog box that stated that I have exceeded the maximum computers for my license.  I selected the close button and was able to use the application.  I then did a Master Collection Update thinking that it might pick up that the machine it was installed (Mac address) would be recognised - nope.  After the update, I was now presented with a 27-day application stop due to the multiple computer installations.

 

Again, search these Forums.  The suggestion was to call.

 

I called.  Apparently, my license was installed on 4 or 5 computers.  This is untrue.  It is on 2.  But, 4 or 5 means that they don't know how many as it was not a specific number.  I was then told that the servers were gone and there was no way to make changes to allow me to have my rightfully valid license on my computer.  I was also informed not to deactivate my other license on my secondary computer as it would not allow me to reinstall on my intended computer.

 

But I was in luck!  They could sell me the latest and greatest package.

 

Moral of the story - Adobe is using the call home feature to force people to upgrade to the SAAS products.  The life-time license is no longer valid.

 

It is too bad that customers are treated like this.

 

    2 replies

    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    Nancy OSheaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    April 11, 2025

    I question why anyone would attempt to use 13-year-old software on a modern computer and NOT expect problems.

    • CS6 has been unsupported for more 10+ years.
    • It's way beyond its 3-5 year shelf-life.  
    • The longer you continue to use unsupported software, the closer you come to sudden failures.  It's just a matter of time until the wheels come off. 

    I would argue that this is not an Adobe problem as much as unrealistic customer expectations.

     

    Modern Creative Cloud apps work on these systems:

    • Windows 11 (64-bit) versions 24H2, 23H2; Windows 10 versions 22H2, 21H2;
    • MacOS 15 (Sequoia), 14.7 (Sonoma), 13.6.7 (Ventura).

    - https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/system-requirements.html


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

    Creative Cloud Photography Plan (Annual & Monthly plans available)
    https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html

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

     

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    R
    rbrennan55Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 11, 2025

    Well @Nancy OShea , I did not expect problems because I was re-installing the Suite on the machine that it had previously been running on for years without issue.  I re-installed based on Adobe Forums like this that suggested that I re-install.  In hindsight, I should have just exported to MOV then to H.265 which was my original workaround for the issue. 

     

    I use the Adobe Master Suite CS6 for volunteer work with my church and the local hockey teams.  I never needed anything more than CS6.  But thank you for your input on how stupid you think I am.

    kglad
    Community Expert
    kgladCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    April 11, 2025

    @rbrennan55 

     

    what problem are you having?

    kglad
    Community Expert
    kgladCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    April 10, 2025

    you can still deactivate cs6, but you have to use a computer that has an activation and that meets adobe's security standards.

    R
    rbrennan55Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 10, 2025

    I was told not to because they say I have 4 or 5 activations already - which I don't, I have 2.  1 on the computer that I tried to re-install on and my secondary computer.  I was told that if I did that, I would not be able to active on any computer becasue there is no way to update the activations because the servers are long gone.

     

    R
    rbrennan55Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 11, 2025

    @rbrennan55 –

     

    Did you happen to manually deactivate the software before reinstalling it?

     

    Most folks don't realize but one does not automatically do the other with Creative Suite.

     

    The only way to ensure activations are preserved is to (1) deactivate, (2) uninstall, (3) re-install, (4) reactivate.

     

    Though this is not always possible if a disk has crashed or access to a machine is otherwise lost before deactivating.

     

    Note it's also a good idea to do these 4 steps before making any changes to your system hardware/configuration, because the software may think it's on a different computer afterwards.


    The customer service person expressed that the deactivation servers were 'long gone' and that deactivating the software will not 'reset' the activation count.  Therefore the above would not work.

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