I really need to install CS3 [CS3 IS DEAD]

[ravs005]

I have the CDs and the serial number, but looks like Adobe is not allowing to intall this anymore. Previously, I recollect getting an exe installer when you registered the serial key on adobe.com. Now, that option seems no longer available. Its really frustrating as I have the genuine copy with the serial key and everything and its not alowing me to install. 

Can someone or even Adobe team make changes so we can use genuine old copies which always worked until now!!

[Ben M]

If you have a genuine copy and the serial number is valid, the only thing that could potentially get in the way of you installing is your operating system. The system requirements stated that you needed Windows XP/Vista or Mac OS 10.4.8. If you are not running the software on a system it was intended for it may not run properly.

Are you getting an error when you try to install? If so, what?

[Jon Fritz · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately there is no legal way to install anything Adobe CS4 or lower.

The activation servers for CS3 were shut down in 2017, and CS4 a few years later.

Only version 5.0, 5.5 and 6.0 can currently be activated, and for how long is anyone's guess.

[ravs005]

Its really a shame! The CS3 version works perfectly fine even on Windows 11. The last time I did it, Adobe gave me an installer once I registered the serial number on their website. Now, I had to change laptops and there is no way to install it. I tried everything including physically copying all the installation files from my old laptop and it doesn't work.

The old versions were really nice and simple and the new one now, everything, including simple things like copy/paste or even deleting blank lines is convoluted! 99% of the time, I edit part of html pages and css, but the new DW version is geared up to treat everything as a complete html page! It is frustrating!

And don't even get me started with Fireworks! My licence came with Fireworks as well and adobe conveniently decided to kill it off. Fireworks really was amazing and more than sufficient for simple image editing or basic web design. You don't need to use Photoshop for those tasks which I believe is a total overkill!

Come on Adobe, give us some sort of an installer so we can still use our genuine, licenced old versions!

[Nancy OShea]

Obsolete web authoring software from 2007 is useless for creating modern websites.  Web and browser technologies have changed too much.

Get a modern code editor or use an online web service.

Fireworks alternatives.

ADOBE TOOLS:
===========
- Illustrator CC: https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html
- Photoshop Elements: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html
- Photoshop CC: https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html

OTHER TOOLS (raster & vector):
===========
- Affinity Photo & Affinity Designer: https://affinity.serif.com
- CorelDRAW Graphics Suite: https://www.coreldraw.com/
- GIMP: https://www.gimp.org/
- Gravit Designer: https://www.designer.io/en/
- Inkscape: https://inkscape.org/
- Krita: https://krita.org/
- Paint.NET: https://www.getpaint.net/
- PaintShop Pro: https://www.paintshoppro.com/
- PhotoPea: https://www.photopea.com/
- Photo Pos Pro: https://www.photopos.com/PPP3_BS/Default.aspx
- Pixlr: https://pixlr.com/
- Vctr: https://vectr.com/
=====================================
CODE TUTORIALS:
- https://www.w3schools.com/html/
- https://www.w3schools.com/css/
- https://www.w3schools.com/bootstrap/

CODE EDITORS:
-- Adobe Dreamweaver CC - https://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver.html
-- Codespaces (free, browser-based) - https://github.com/features/codespaces
-- Nova (Mac only, formerly called Coda) - https://nova.app/
-- Pinegrow - https://pinegrow.com/
-- Sublime Text - http://www.sublimetext.com/
-- Visual Studio Code (free) - https://code.visualstudio.com/
-- Wappler ~ Visual Web App Builder - https://wappler.io/

============
ONLINE SITE BUILDERS:
-- Squarespace - https://www.squarespace.com/
-- Webflow - https://webflow.com
-- Wix - https://www.wix.com/
-- WordPress (open source) - https://wordpress.org/

Hope that helps.

[Nancy OShea]

Activation servers for CS3 don't exist anymore.  CS3 is dead.