Will an older (new, unopened / used) version of Illustrator with a serial still work?

[jayden1308]

I am considering buying an old version of Illustrator off a reseller. I only need to use it from time to time and cant justify the subscription version. I know that some of the new features will not be available but I just  need a basic verision for what I use it for.

Thanks

[kglad]

if it's cs 5, cs 5.5 or cs 6, it can still be installed (if you have a compatible computer) and activated (if the seller has a valid serial number matching their installation file.

note 1: the seller almost certainly does not have an ok from adobe to transfer their license, so your copy will be illegal.

note 2: there are a lot of ways you can get screwed with this transaction.

note 3: it's not new.

<moved from enterprise and teams>

[jayden1308]

thanks for your reply.

[kglad]

you're welcome.  (i hope you were dissuaded from wasting your money.)

purchasing a used cs6 version would be risky, but maybe worth the risk if the price were low enough and returns to a reliable vendor are possible.  purchasing ai 8 would be very unwise.

[John T Smith]

I don't know how old version 8 is, but if it is from before CS5 you will not be able to activate it, even it it really is unopened so the serial number has never been used

[John Waller]

I assume your attached image showing Illustrator 8.0 for Mac (shipped 1998) is what you are considering buying?

The simple answer is no, it will not work on any Mac sold in the last decade or so.

Which Mac hardware and operating system are you running?

Although Illustrator 8.0 pre-dates Adobe product activation, it does date from the PowerPC era, so you'd need:

• A 20 year old PowerPC Mac or an Intel Mac with Rosetta
• A valid serial number guaranteed not to be pirated. The only way to know that is to enter the serial number after you've paid your money and installed it. If the serial number is not accepted, you've lost your money.
• To transfer the serial number from the original owner to yourself via Adobe. I suspect that process is defunct for software of this vintage.

In short, it's not going to happen.

You're better off either getting a month-by-month plan when you need Illustrator (which you can cancel at any time without penalty) or looking for alternatives such as Affinity Designer (one off cost).

[kglad]

i didn't realize you were considering ai 8.  you would need a mac computer with os 7 to 9, for example an imac g3.

[jayden1308]

thank you for your reply