Installing CS5.1 on a new PC

[uripadees]

My pc runs windows 10 and at the end of the year it will not be supported. My pc will not accept windows 11. That means I will have to buy an new pc. The photoshop version I have is CS5.1 extended. It is on a cd that I bought years ago. It also has the product code. I know that when it comes time to set up the new pc, I have to deactivate photoshop on the old pc before downloading it on to the new pc. I know that this version is not supported anymore with updates. My question is, will I still be able to download it from the cd onto the new pc? What preparation or information do I need to do before I do the download? I hope that I can still use this version because I can't afford the newer photoshops.

Thanks,

Terry

[Trevor.Dennis]

I am sorry to tell you this, but I think you are going to be out of luck, as Adobe shut down the activation servers for CS5 and CS6 a while back.  Somebody might know a workaround, but AFAIK there isn't one.

[D Fosse]

@Trevor.Dennis

AFAIK the CS5 and CS6 servers haven't (yet) been shut down; but Adobe will no longer reset activation counts if the two slots are used.

The plug has been pulled on the CS - CS4 servers. It's probably just a matter of time before CS 5 and 6 follow. That doesn't mean the application will stop working, only that it can't be reinstalled if anything breaks.

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

The critical thing is to deactivate on the old machine, otherwise there's no way to activate on the new.. Make sure the deactivation goes through to Adobe's servers - this is a long time ago so I don't really remember, but you should get a confirmation of some sort.

It will probably install and run OK. There is always a risk of small glitches with twelve year old software in a new operating system, but basically it should work.

[uripadees]

Well it looks like I have a 50/50 chance of downloading it again. That's better then nothing knowing it's a older version. It does raise another question. I mostly use this version for editing my raw photos. I have tons of photos that I have not edited yet. When I do open them they will open in photoshop. If I an not successful in the download, will I be still be able to open up these photos? If not, how will I convert them to another app? 

[D Fosse]

Raw files couldn't ever be opened directly into Photoshop - they have to be processed into RGB files in a raw processor first.

That's why Photoshop has a plugin called Adobe Camera Raw. That's Adobe's raw processor (also built into Lightroom and Lightroom Classic).

There are several raw processors on the market, and the camera manufacturers all have their own. I don't know how many of those are free, that probably depends on how advanced functionality they have. The simplest ones will probably just output a TIFF or jpeg without  any adjustment options.

There are also several third-party raw processors. The most widely used outside Adobe is probably Capture One, but that's not free either.

[uripadees]

Thanks everyone for your help. When I do get my new pc and load photoshop I will get back to you and let you know how it went. Until then, have a great day.

[uripadees]

Well, got my new pc and after a day or two, understanding how windows 11 works, I decided to install photoshop from my cd. Low and behold it worked. Hoooooray!!! It's up and running. Thanks again for the help.