[Locked] Activation for CS3 [CS3 is DEAD]

[JeffAWI]

I want to move a license for Adobe web suite premium CS3 on an old computer to a new computer. I have tried deactivating on the old computer and activating in the new computer, but neither operation works.

I contacted the adobe chat support and they told me to "post on the forums.adobe.com and our dedicated team will revert you back."

Please let me know how I can resolve this issue.

Thank you 

[John T Smith]

Read my reply in https://community.adobe.com/t5/get-started/installing-adobe-creative-suite-1-cs1-cs2-and-cs3-are-dea...

[JeffAWI]

Thank you John for your response

However, I wait for a response from the adobe employee regarding this issue.

[Nancy OShea]

You cannot resolve this.  CS3 and earlier are officially dead.  There's no possible way to activate once it's installed.  So you must replace outdated CS3 with modern software or a paid Creative Cloud plan.

Photoshop Elements (no subscription needed)

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html

Creative Cloud Photography Plan

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html

Creative Cloud All Apps Plan (31 + apps & services)

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html

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Beware of fake Adobe reps offering to sell you Creative Suite software.  It's a scam.  Adobe ended CS sales in 2017.  It's not leaglly sold by any vendor, retailer or country now.  

3 Easy Ways to Identify Genuine Adobe Staff

https://tinyurl.com/10791730

[JeffAWI]

Why would the chat support tell me that dedicated team on the forum could resolve htis issue?

[Dov Isaacs]

… because regrettably, that chat support agent apparently either (1) misunderstood what you you were saying or asking for or (2) wasn't properly trained. We are very sorry that you had this very poor experience.

The advice given in the previous responses is correct. And again, beware of anyone who claims to be Adobe Support trying to sell you CS6 or to check out your system, etc.

            - Dov

[ukgkgjghvj]

@Dov Isaacs I was also previously told to go to the for Adobe forums and post about this and that an Adobe staff member would get back to me on the forums. Since then I have been contacted by a scammer on your forums pretending to be from Adobe, who said they could help me. So it seems that  online chat people think that this is an official support channel. I have a ticket that has been open for weeks without any reply, and my requests for it to be escalted have been ignored. Due to a lack of help from Adobe, I was forced to go back to my local retailer that sold me the software, and they are trying to contact Adobe too about it, but it doesn't seem they are having much luck either. It has been one of the worst and most frustrating cusomter experiences I have had, and I have software that I paid for that I can't use, and am just being ignored . I have asked for it to be escalated as a complaint and that has also been ignored. Apart from this forum, there doesn't appear to be any other way for cusomters to engagae with more senior  Adobe staff outside of India, who are having problems with the frontline support, who just ignore escalation requests..

[JeffAWI]

Thank you Dov for your response.

I have to say that I am not only disappointed in your chat support, but also Adobe's policy to stop supporting the activation of products... no matter how old. When I purchased the product originally there was no end of activation life clause in the terms and conditions. That was not part of the deal. CS3 still works just fine if it were activated. It would really be an easy fix for Adobe to cure this problem. Clearly a business decision by Adobe to stop supporting Stand Alone products like CS3 to try and force customers into buying subscriptions. Customers who justified paying a substantial sum of money for CS3 believing that they could use the product indefinitely apparently are "suckers" in Adobe's view. This "business decision" could also anger customers to the point that they stop paying for Adobe products altogether and download cracked versions CS3. Class action lawsuits are also and option as well as small claims court actions.

Unless this activation problem can be fixed...I am afraid that I will be in the angry customer camp.

[ukgkgjghvj]

There are two problems with the way Adobe has handled this. Firstly they didn't notify CS3 customers that they were switching off the activation server, and that all customers who own a license to use this software, need to download the special non activated version if they still use the software, and they must do it within a certain window. Then they refused to provide the fix to those people who didn't have the opportunity to download that fix, prior to them removing it. Even the moderators here weren’t informed they had removed the ability to download it, as it was removed without notice. There was no grace period provided because no customers were made aware they had switched off the server, until they tried to reinstall it again.

Yes it would be a simple fix, because they already know that customers still use this software , and provided a special version to some customers affected by this. So Adobe are able to provide those affected customers who purchased the software,  with the fix, and it wouldn't cost anything to anyone. But instead they only offered me a few free months of their cloud service as compo. All this means is that other  affected people who suddenly discover that they can't install their software, will continue to post on here in the coming months and years that they can’t install their software and why, wasting all the community moderators time. The communcity moerators do all they can to help, but they don't work for Adobe, and their only solution is to suggest signing up to the rented cloud version,which maybe okay for some who want to use it on new computers.   Even if they couriered out USB sticks with the non activated version of the software on to their resellers, who could then provide it to their affected customers who contact them. I have now gone to my retailer for a solution, after having my complaint ignored by Adobe management.

[Nancy OShea]

Evidently nobody bothered to read their end user license agreement at purchase. But here it is for anyone who wishes to read it now.  English starts on page 419.

https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/en/legal/licenses-terms/pdf/CS3.pdf 

Basically, Adobe owns the software.  You had a limited, non-exclusive license to use it  at Adobe's discretion for however long they could make it available.  There is no such thing as a "forever" license and there never was.   Every product has an End of Life.  And CS3 was no exception.

https://helpx.adobe.com/support/programs/eol-matrix.html

If you had just upgraded to CS4, CS5 or CS6 when you had the opportunity, you would still have working software for a few more years.  But regrettably you didn't.  And now that option is gone.  So accept responsibility for your decision not to upgrade and move on.  

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Beware of fake Adobe reps offering to sell you software or remotely access your computer. It's a scam.  Run away!

[ukgkgjghvj]

With all due respect, that is only your opinion, and you aren't an Adobe staff member. So I don't think it is your place to try and defend them. If that was however correct, Adobe also never contacted customers, to terminate their license agreement with them. Instead they have actually provided a software fix to many other customers, allowing them to continue to use their software license. So the license is still valid. But the have refused to provide the software fix to other affected customers like me who own the license, which is grossly unfair. They never notified customers this software fix was available either. Does that sound fair to you?

That is really the problem, and IMO it is not acting in good faith, when they could provide the fix to those customers that individually contact them on a case by case basis.  Instead they have ignored me via their contact medium, even though I asked for it to be escalated. They also don't appear to have any complaints process. I have a ticket that has been open for weeks, and there hasn't been any reply, and it hasn't been resolved within a reasonable period of time. So I was forced to go back to my retailer. My retailer that sold me the software agrees that I should still be able to reinstall and use my software, especially as the fix has been provided to other customers.

You possibly need the newer versions for newer features, so you wouldn't be affected. But a lot of people paid a lot of money for this software and don't need the newer features.Based on all the posts different people are making, it is a topic that you will keep getting people posting for months or years to come, as people discover they can't reinstall their software . When Adobe could easily solve it by continuing to provide the software fix. It is just common sense, instead of wasting moderators time trying to defend it.

Anyway, I have now left it to my retailer to resolve with Adobe, which is no doubt wasting more peoples time. When the software fix could have been provided to me in just a few minutes, and I would then never need to contact Adobe again. I have been usng Adobe and Macromedia  software for over 25 years, and this is the first time I have ever used these forums, or needed to ever contact Adobe.

[Nancy OShea]

No, it's not my opinion.  Those are the facts. CS3 is dead.  End of story.

Be happy for the 12+ years of service you got from CS3 without ever buying an upgrade.  Now it's over.  There's not much more to say that hasn't  been said already except goodbye and good luck to everyone!

I'm locking this discussion as this topic has run its course. 

[John T Smith]

>wait for a response from the adobe employee

No Adobe employee is going to help you... and any private message you receive is likely a scam to steal your information, as Nancy said

[JeffAWI]

John again...thank you

but please do not reply to my post anymore

[Cosa è?]

Hi Jeff,

I have a worse problem with CS 5.5 and CS 6. They are officially supported but I could not anymore use them. I am asking if there is a plan behind.

See here if you are interested in the story...

https://community.adobe.com/t5/get-started/activation-of-old-cs-no-longer-working/m-p/10825040#M4476...

[Nancy OShea]

"I have a worse problem with CS 5.5 and CS 6. They are officially supported but I could not anymore use them."

According to your other discussion, your serial numbers are non-genuine.  Only Adobe Customer Support agents can confirm if that's true.  Unfortunately, we cannot help you with that.  I'm sorry.

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Beware of fake Adobe reps offering to sell you software or remotely access your computer. It's a scam. Run away!