stuck in a loop ... trying to install Photoshop CS6 standalone Mac

[digeratti]

I deactivated my Photoshop 6 standalone, on my Mac before upgrading it to the new MacOS Sierra in case I had problems and would have to start from scratch.

First, I went to the Adobe website and checked to be sure this was what I should do and it said ...

Deactivate an app

What is deactivation?

Deactivation disconnects an application from a valid user license. Once deactivated, you can reactivate at any time, if you choose.

"Unfortunately, this was NOT the correct information (Adobe should fix this!).

So, I tried Adobe online help (nothing there) and then Adobe chat where I was told to first I'd have to uninstall Photoshop CS6 completely and then I could install using my serial number. I did as I was told but now, when I attempt to install from my Photoshop CS6 Installer, I get a circular message ...

Clicking on the link to "Get Adobe Support Advisor" I am told this software no longer exists?

I own Photoshop CS6 stand alone for my Mac. It appears on my Adobe account page with the serial number. I just can't install or use it???

The more things I am told to do by Adobe, the worse things are getting?

I wrote another forum post last week but after 60+ views and no responses it disappeared?

I emailed Adobe and received a notice that I'd be called in a couple of days (it's now been 7 days with no calls)?

And when I attempt to ask support, I am told by the website that phone support does not exist for this product.

Does anybody have any clue what I should do?

At this point I've already paid Adobe more than $1,600 for Photoshop (with my upgrades since PS3,5.

I will NOT join Creative Cloud! Been there, done that for a year, before. That cost me another $360 for absolutely nothing! Live and learn?

[John T Smith]

To deactivate... Be sure to ONLY ask for activation support to adjust your activation count

Serial number and activation support (non-Cloud) https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2041990

That said... CS6 is about 4 years old and many people report that it is NOT compatible with the very new Mac Sierra (or Mac El Capitan)

[digeratti]

Deactivation worked just fine. I have two activations remaining but that doesn't matter because ...

Adobe CS6 installer requires "Adobe Support Advisor" app to be running and Adobe no longer provides this application!

So, there is no way to install Photoshop CS6 because Adobe has created this road block.

Adobe support is ONLY trained in CC applications. They no nothing about the CS applications.

Finally, it has nothing to do with MacOS. I routinely run older versions of MacOS inside of Parallels so that I can run older applications. But the CS6 Photoshop installer requires software (the support advisor) that no longer exists!

[John T Smith]

>Adobe has created this road block

Not so... Owners of old programs simply have problems with Mac El Capitan/Sierra... none of which is Adobe's fault... Adobe did not change your old program to make it stop working... Apple changed their operating system and THAT is why your old program won't work, not because of anything Adobe did... Also... every time Apple issues an update, there is the risk that an old program that HAS been working will STOP working... bottom line, old programs require a matching old operating system

[digeratti]

John,

I last successfully updated my CS6 Photoshop on October 6, 2015 on my 2011 MacBook Pro.

Even on my old 2009 Intel MacMini, running Lion, I get the same error when I try to re-install ...

"We've encountered the following issues

Installer failed to initialize. This could be due to a missing file. Please download

Adobe Support Advisor to detect the problem."

When I click the link to download Adobe Support Advisor, I get the following message ...

"The Adobe Support Advisor has been discontinued

The Adobe Support Advisor tool was used to analyze installer log and system information associated with installation errors. The tool has been replaced with improved installation support mechanisms. Please visit Adobe Support section for Knowledge base articles around Installation."

The ONLY reason I have to now install CS6 Photoshop is because Adobe online chat support had me uninstall it.

The ONLY reason I had to contact them was that the Adobe website faq instructed to "deactivate" prior to MacOS upgrade" which it still does. It makes no mention of any problems with Yosemite (which it worked normally, for me) or Sierra (which I am told that had I not followed Adobe's faq instructions to deactivate it, it would still be working normally.

I understand the desire to place the blame, elsewhere. However, in this case, it is a choice by Adobe to kill desktop support and coerce users to pay the contract CC fee, plain and simple.

If you would give me your mailing address, I will send you my 2009 MacMini computer with Lion installed on it and you can prove this to your own satisfaction. The ONLY reason I have kept it around was for Photoshop CS6 (v13.0.6).

I use this once or twice a year, at most. Then it is used for stacking a few hundred astro-photographs which I then process in other software. I make zero dollars for this! It is NOT worth the $120 a year cost for CC for me to be able to do this! Bad enough that I have already paid more than $2,000 for Photoshop and it's upgrades since 1986!

[digeratti · Accepted solution]

Eureka!

OK it wasn't easy but I have figured out how to run Photoshop CS6 on my MacBook Pro 15" laptop under Sierra 10.12.1

The kludge is to run an application called, Parallels and create a Virtual Machine (VM) with MacOS 10.8.5 (Mountain Lion) running in that Virtual Machine.

Slightly more complicated though because I first had to create that VM on an older Mac because the low level disc format of Sierra has changed to a more modern disc format and it doesn't include the GUID partition required to install Mountain Lion on. But, once I'd created the Mountain Lion VM, I was able to literally move it to my laptop and open it in Parallels, there. Photoshop CS6 installed in this VM with no further problems, as it should.