CS3 Reactivation [CS3 is dead]

Thank you.

Moving to Downloading, Installing, Setting Up​

Okay, we have the solution working here:

The problem is that the old serial number remains on the PC in a common file even after removing CS3.

Here is what worked for us:

1. Go to Adobe support page, key in CS3 activation. It will bring up the page on Activation or Connection error.

2. Sign in with Adobe login or create one.

3. It will ask for your CS3 serial number.  Key it in.  The page will respond with a new CS3 serial number.

4. Note the links further down this page for installing the new CS3.

5. Close out of CS3 and out of any browsers.

6. Go to control panel and de-install CS3 completely.

7. When this is finished, use File Explorer to find the AdobePCD folder in the c:Program Files (x86)/Common Files/Adobe folder. Delete this AdobePCD folder. This is the one that has the old serial number that is preventing the new activation and it is not deleted by de-installing CS3.

8. Now click on each of the two file links (file 1 of 2 and file 2 of 2) noted above on the CS3 install page. These will spawn a loader program which you must accept and will take quite a quite a while to load. In the middle of the first load, a box will open noting a missing AdobePDF.dll file. Use the browse button and find the file at c:Windows/sysWow64/ Once you have chosen this path, click okay.  The first file load will complete, then click on file 2 of 2 and let it load.

9. Once the loads complete, open CS3. This time it will ask for the new serial number obtained from the Adobe website above. Key it in as noted.

10. Open CS3 again.  It will bring up a box to register. Click on "Never Register." Now you are done.

I have opened and used CS3 several times since the above procedure.  There is no longer an activation request.  So far, every function is working with Windows 10 (even if the program is not certified for Win10.)

I hope this will help someone avoid the hours I spent yesterday loading and reloading.

The note on the newly assigned CS3 serial number says that we will need the new number during the installation.  However, the installation never asked for the new serial number.  Once the install is completed, it asks that we reactivate which is not possible because the CS3 activation server is no longer available. 

How do we install the new CS3 serial number?

The information on the CS3 new serial number says that loading the new version will not require activation, but we still get the activation screen and the message that the activation server is no longer available.  How do we install the new version with the new serial number?