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Question

Illustrator CS3 opens as background application with no window [CS3 is dead!]

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
April 6, 2021
5 replies
1548 views

I have a old copy of Adobe Illustrator CS3 that has stopped working. If I try to open it, the app opens as a background process on taskmanager, but there is no open active window. If I try to reopen it, it just opens anothe backgound process.

I have tried reinstalling the app and all components, tried opening the app in compatability mode (e.g. with vista or windows 😎 and running it as an administrator. My laptop is a HP 250 notebook machine running wodnows 10 and is up to date and has no other issues.

Activation billing and install

This topic has been closed for replies.

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

@Channonball,

Sorry to say this but CS3 is discontinued software from 2007. It's unsupported and can no longer be activated because the activation servers for it failed years ago. Even with a supporting computer, OS and graphics card, it's impossible to keep using CS3 now because it's kaput! Uninstall it with the Adobe Cleaner Tool below and get a Creative Cloud subscription.

Or look at alternatives like Sketch, Affinity Designer, CorelDRAW and Inkscape.

Good luck!

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

T

Tabish5FA0

Participant

I think it is the issue of your licence do not uninstall it try to renew your licence. I hope it will help you 🙂

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Channonball,

Have you tried Windows 7 or Windows XP (Service Pack 3)?

Up to date sounds ominous in this context.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/make-older-apps-or-programs-compatible-with-windows-10-783d6dd7-b439-bdb0-0490-54eea0f45938

https://www.lifewire.com/run-older-programs-with-windows-10-compatibility-mode-4587064

ChannonballAuthor

Participating Frequently

This is a good and but sadly for me is a fix I have already tried. Thanks anyway

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

For my part you are welcome, Channonball. I feel with you for your loss.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

Tip: do not uninstall. You may lose all chance of it ever working, because the license servers are switched off. May be your luck has run out.

ChannonballAuthor

Participating Frequently

Sadly my old laptop died so my luck has gone. Yes it seems to be planned obselecence by removing the support updates and licence servers which sucks, but is not out of character for Adobe moving to subscription licence systems unfortunately.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

This is not planned obsolescense. This is just operating systems going forward and applications having to follow. You can still run your CS3 on a compatible machine. I'm currently writing this post on a compatible machine. My CS3 is still working.

As for the licensing server: again, it's a general issue with underlying services of such servers. Web servers need all kinds of updates and if those are not provided anymore, licenses run out of the server could be a security risk, then it has to be shut down.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

CS3 is not compatible with Windows 10.

It might just be impossible to run it.

ChannonballAuthor

Participating Frequently

I had previously managed to get it to run using a windows 10 machine with compatability mode, but I think you may be right and I'm out of luck. Thanks anyway

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