Can't uninstall Photoshop CS

[leafnose]

after discovering that users will now have to download Photoshop CS in order to activate rather than use the CDs, the solution includes removing the failed install of Photoshop CS. Now my Windows XP system is saying that there is any error using the remove tool in Control Panel

The screen says the setupdll/setupdll papp and some other gobbeldy gook about closing programs, etc. ,

tried a search for setupdll and found a file referred to in windows\system32 file, but not going further until some tech here advises

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

It sounds as if you have utilized a registry cleaner at some point in the past which has compromised your Windows registry.

Are you referring to the activation servers no longer being available for Creative Suite 2?  You can find links to download the volume license of the install files at Error: Activation Server Unavailable | CS2 or Older products, Acrobat 7 - http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/creative-suite-2-activation-end-life.html.

[leafnose]

Jeff,

fresh install of all programs

tried install a lisc. full copy of Photoshop CS from original cd and it won't do it.

No, registry cleaner was used.

Just tried to remove the unfufilled install of Photoshop and it won't remove it using Windows Control Panel. That failed.

Believe I'll end up needing to use your adobe ccleaner to remove all evidence of CS

Is that correct?

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

The clean tool only works with CS3 and later.  You can try the Microsoft Fixit tool at http://support.microsoft.com/mats/program_install_and_uninstall.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Vijay3686 please review the page you have linked too.  The cleaner tool only works for Creative Suite 3 and above.

[leafnose]

Thanks........have moved back to the other thread in here.

Have downloaded CS from Adobe, but it fails to recognize my serial number as valid

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Is the serial number registered to your account?  During the time period of the original Creative Suite invalid serial number issues were actually genuinely invalid.

Where did you download CS from?  We don't offer any links to software that old that I am aware of.  The earliest we have available is Creative Suite 3 and now Creative Suite 2 due to the activation servers being shut down.

[leafnose]

Yes, this my product.....full package, with org cds on my desk. Using my serial number.

You guys list the download in this same thread !!!!

here it is again:

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/creative-suite-2-activation-end-life.html

Are you saying I spent hundreds of dollars on software that I can't use anymore?

I guess this all just now dawning on me. I just had to reinstall my entire operating system and software on my laptop.

Photoshop CS can't be installed because.........because the activation isn't allowed anymore.......due to why ????

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

My apologies but with the multiple references to Photoshop CS it appeared you were trying to install the original version of Creative Suite not Creative Suite 2. 

The software offered in that document is the volume license version.  You will need to use the serial numbers also available on the page you downloaded the software from.  Your retail license serial number would indeed give you the message that the serial number is invalid.  This is due to the fact that the volume license installer will only accept a volume license serial number which has been provided on the download page.

[leafnose]

It may be that it I who owe you the apology. This is upon me. Yes, the multiple references to CS and CS 2 might misled both you, and in turn myself.

I have the original CS version. And, it my haste, yes indeed, I have botched it to some degree by trying to download and install CS2. Not a wonder it's not letting me do so, since that isn't the product in question.

However, this does bring me to the keynote. How can I install the original Photoshop CS on my computer? Is it possible? Or has Adobe managed to close the door on me?

[Jeffrey_A_Wright · Accepted solution]

I believe the Windows version of Creative Suite did contain activation technology.  It was quite a long time ago so I may not fully be remembering and much of our documentation from that time period has been archived.

I would recommend you do the following:

1. Try the Fixit tool offered in message #4
2. Try installing from your installation media again.  If you receive an activation error then it will not be possible to use Creative Suite any longer.
3. Download and install Creative Suite 2 per the directions offered in Message #1 and 8.  You can find the serial number to utilize on the download page.

The reason we released the volume license versions of the Creative Suite 2 products was to allow users who had purchased software using our activation technology to be able to continue using the software.  In your case you will be getting an upgrade to Creative Suite 2 but my assumption is we did not offer a volume license offering for Photoshop CS as it was the only product affected by this issue.

[leafnose]

Done !

Had I realized the SN was along the right column on the download page and that it was for the vol lisc? Well, then I'd have a college degree.

Thanks for the persistence in helping get this resolved.

[Jeffrey_A_Wright]

Excellent Leafnose thank you for the update!

[vijay123686]

Hi Leafnose

you can use Adobe Creative Suite Cleaner Tool follow the below link for more details.

http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cscleanertool.html

[jerry8955]

This also happened to me last night; my Photoshop CS lost its activation while trying to fix a Windows OS issue, and I found that it could not be reactivated due to the Adobe server shutdown for older products.

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/creative-suite-2-activation-end-life.html

I followed the link to the activation fix that would take me to CS2 version, however, I wanted to remove the CS version first. It would not uninstall using the regular Windows XP unistaller, reporting an error connecting to internet (probably needed code related to lost server activation ??).

For the heck of it, I inserted the original Photoshop CS software CD, assuming there was an uninstall option (there isn't). It finished its install thing, I re-entered the key code, it asked for activation, but couldn't complete for previously known activation support issue. I went back to Windows unistaller, and it worked this time, removing Photoshop CS without any issue ... the re-install from the CD must have overwritten a DLL or something flagged that had prevented the first unistall attempt. Good luck!