Adobe Lightroom CD 1.1 - Need to install on Surface Pro 6

[Colby15C2]

I purchased Lightroom probably 15 years ago.  This is version 1.1.  

I had kids and sold my camera gear and recently am getting back into photography.  I am pretty sure that Lightroom 1.1 will do all that I need it to do.  I have the CD, the case with the SN on it, etc.  When I log into Adobe's website and input the SN, it says that it is already registered.  I have an Adobe account, but it does not show Lightroom as one of my options - probably because it is not a subscription.  

Any help would be appreciated.  

Colby

[gary_sc]

Hi Colby,

First off, you'll have to call Adobe becuase what happened is that because you did not log out of LR when you last used it, it doesn't know that it's OK to sign onto your new account.

You can start here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/error-activation-limit-reached-sign.html

BUT I have a question for you? Are you still using the same computer with the same operating system as you were 15 years ago? My guess is that you are probably not and I think it's safe to say that even if you can get the OK to install it on your computer, it's not going to work. 

Good luck!

[Jill_C]

It's not likely that you'll be able to get it to work; Adobe hasn't maintained or updated it in many years, and there could be conflicts with the latest operating systems. They no longer maintain even the most recent stand-alone LightRoom product, which is believe is version 6.  You'll find little support in general online, because there are likely very few remaining users. Why not try out the Creative Cloud version of LR? For $9.99 per month you get LR plus 1 TB of online storage or LR and Photoshop with 20GB of storage. If you can't see your way to paying $9.99/month you might want to find a basic free editing solution. Google: "free photo editing software".

[GoldingD]

Are you still using the same camera? If some thing new, no way will it support a new camera. 

Adobe 101, software versions required to support specific cameras:

https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/kb/camera-raw-plug-supported-cameras.html

One note, Adobe Marketing fouled up something  major in renaming products in the Lightroom line. Your old Lightroom , often referred to as Lightroom Perpetual (bit of a misnomer) moved on to several upgrades, several versions till v6, then Adobe went subscription, and that subscription program eventually got renamed  Lightroom Classic (yes, their was several name changes along tne way, often including the letters CC). Lightroom Classic stores Catalog on computer, stores photos wherever you want, but typically on computer. What us now called Lightroom is a less capable app storing an Album and Photos on the Cloud.

So, in that link, your Lightroom would be Lightroom Perpetual, The newer, subscription based would be Lightroom Classic, and that other travesty is Lightroom. Minimum Camera RAW plug-in would be to support PhotoShop.

P.S. You might inquire as how to get a newer perpetual version, like v6.14. Short answer, you cannot, no longer so.d, no longer supported.

[GoldingD]

Be aware, should you choose to subscribe to one of the plans at Adobe. Their is no plan for just Lightroom Classic. You would want one of the Photography Plans. Not, I repeat, not the Lightroom Plan.

[JP Hess]

If the serial number is registered then all you should have to do is go ahead and installed the program. Back then Adobe didn't implement any method of tracking the number of installations. Registration was just that, a method of registering your copy of the program. I would be surprised if a version that old will install and run properly, but good luck trying.

[Conrad C]

The registration status probably won’t stop you from installing Lightroom 1.1. It did not depend on any kind of online check-in. You can probably go ahead and try to install it. It might install on Windows 10. It will not install on recent versions of macOS.

@Colby15C2 wrote:

I am pretty sure that Lightroom 1.1 will do all that I need it to do.

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The real problems will probably happen if you do successfully install it. Looking at the Lightroom Version History on Wikipedia, the Lightroom 1.1 feature set is shockingly modest. It’s missing almost everything that makes Lightroom so great to use today. Local adjustments did not appear until version 2, and version 1.1 contains none of the important improvements to highlight and shadow recovery, noise reduction, GPU-accelerated and multi-core performance, and so on over the years. Digital photography has advanced so much since 2007 that Lightroom 1.1 is technically inferior, inside and out, to many photo apps today…on smartphones.

But if it’s good enough for your needs, then it’s good enough.

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@Colby15C2 wrote:

I had kids and sold my camera gear and recently am getting back into photography. 

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If you’re planning to use a 14-year-old application version and you want to shoot raw files, you should probably restart your photography with a camera that’s at least 13 years old. Because Lightroom 1.1 will probably not have direct raw file support for any camera released after about 2008, although the DNG workaround might work. If you plan to use JPEG files, then Lightroom 1.1 should probably work with the latest cameras.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t. Just that if you do, those are a few potential issues to consider that are mostly due to the sheer age of Lightroom 1.1.

[gary_sc]

Hi Colby,

A number of folks here have provided a copious amount of suggestions and ideas for you. I, for one, am curious as to what you end up doing. If you could get back to us with that information, I'd be curious. Well, that plus how it works out.

Oh amongst the various things for you to check out, also check out https://www.lightroomqueen.com, for great information. Plus, if you signup for her free newsletters, you'll get a PDF booklet that gives a great introduction of LRC and LR with information on how to get the best use out of it. This will save you a lot of time and prevent you from making time-wasting errors along your new journey. 

Good luck!