BLUF (Bottom Line up front): you can forget about using CS2. It's dead software, it hasn't been support in 13 years, it's waaaay past it's end of life, and there is zero reason to say anything about having a "perpetual liscense."
I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's time for you stop trying to get CS2 to do anything.
Even if you do get it to install: It will never go past the original 30 day trial, and you will never have full functionality.
Yes, to answer your questions about the motherboard, et al. New motherboard? That's a new computer in anyone's book, and Adobe's. New cpu? Yup, Adobe consdier a new cpu a new computer.
Your software is long dead. To expect any software sold by anyone to even still fucntion after 20 years is very unreasonable. This is a case where you simply need to stop trying to use it-- If you have discs: Hang them from your Christmas tree.
If you can afford a motherboard (ram and cooling fan too), a new cpu, new grahics card you can probaly afford to subscribe to Photoshop- it's only $14.95 month and it's always up to date.
If you try to contact Adobe support about your issue: They won't, and can't help you- your software has been totally unsupported for over 13 years.
Key Points
- Hardware Identification: Adobe's software checks the machine's identity when it runs. A significant hardware change, such as replacing the CPU (or the motherboard), often causes the software to no longer recognize the machine as the "original" activated device.
- Activation Limit: Your Adobe license (especially Creative Cloud) allows you to sign in on up to two computers, but only use the apps on one computer at a time.
- Managing Activations: If you upgrade your CPU, the "old" computer registration might remain active in Adobe's system, and you may receive an "Activation limit reached" error when trying to use the software on the newly configured machine.
"But I bought a Lifetime License"-- Lifetime is for that computer, not literary forever forever.
- Single Device/Limited Activations: You bought a specific version (like CS6) and could install it on 1-2 computers, using up activations as you moved them.
- No Cloud, No Updates: You never got new features or cloud services, and eventually, Adobe stopped supporting old activation servers, rendering them useless.
- Device-Locked (Sort Of): The license was for your use on a few devices, not a universal pass for any machine.
Adobe CS2 is long past its "end of life" (EOL), meaning its activation servers were shut down years ago (around 2012), making it impossible to officially install or activate on modern systems; it's essentially obsolete, unsupported, and unsupported for new operating systems, requiring users to upgrade to the Creative Cloud (CC) for current, functional software.
What "End of Life" Means for CS2:
- No Activation: Adobe discontinued online activation servers, preventing new installations from verifying licenses.
- No Support: No updates, bug fixes, or compatibility with new operating systems (like Windows 10/11 or recent macOS) are provided.
- Obsolete: Even if you find old installers and codes (which Adobe once offered for existing owners), they won't work with modern hardware or OS.
The History:
- Server Shutdown (2012): Adobe closed CS2 activation servers.
- Temporary Solution: Adobe released non-activating versions and generic serial numbers for legitimate owners, leading to confusion about it being free.
- Permanent EOL: Those temporary download links and codes were removed years ago, leaving CS2 effectively dead.
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