Windows 10 ~ CS5.5 Question

[Jo5EFB]

Sorry if this is a repetitive question, I have a very specific reason for asking, so please bear with me!

I have the following sequence of Photoshop versions:

started with Photoshop 4

upgraded to Photoshop 7

upgraded to CS3

and have been happily uing CS3 for many years. Now I purchased a windows 10 laptop, and it will allow me to install my Photoshop and all subsequent updates, but when it gets to CS3, it says it's installed and it does open, but it's unresponsive. From what I have read, this is a very common problem.

HERE'S THE ACTUAL QUESTION~  can I install a CS5.5 upgrade on top of the unresponsive CS3 and have a functional program in windows 10? I can purchase the full disk version of the upgrade ( not just a serial number download) but I don't want to do that if it isn't going to work.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[Ged_Traynor]

Hi

Activation servers for CS3 have been shut down, you may want to read this before you consider purchasing CS5 as Adobe have not sold it for sometime

https://prodesigntools.com/dont-buy-adobe-software-on-ebay-craigslist-or-amazon-marketplace.html

You should either consider the Adobe Photography subscription plan or a once of payment for Photoshop Elements

https://www.adobe.com/ie/creativecloud/photography/compare-plans.html?promoid=9DJJ4N49&mv=other

https://www.adobe.com/ie/products/photoshop-elements.html

[Jo5EFB]

Thanks Ged! I will look at the Elements program, I've never used it. One of my primary reasons for not wanting to go the subscription route is not wanting the learning curve with new bells and whistles that are totally unneccsary for my needs. Naturally I would prefer to save money, but the biggest reason is not wanting the learning curve. Do you feel it is risky to purchase actual upgrade disks (not just the upgrade/serial numbers)?   Thanks! 

[Ged_Traynor]

You could also look at Affinity Photo, you can download a free trial version

https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/photo/#buy

[Jo5EFB]

Ged ~ I'm glad you mentioned Affinity Photo. I have not looked at it in a serious way, but it seemed pretty different from Photoshop so I didn't pursue it. Do you use it? Do you find it similar enough to be a fairly easy transiton? I do a fair amount of simple image editing but I just really don't want a whole new system to learn!

Thanks

Jo

[davescm]

It is risky to purchase CS5 in any form now. It has not been sold for 10 years, so any copy offered for sale is almost guaranteed to be a hacked copy, with all the dangers of malware that such a copy brings.

My advice would be to take out a subscription for Photoshop, or buy Elements.

Dave

[Jo5EFB]

Thanks Dave! I am beginning to understand the complexities of all this with help from forum members. I've been puttering along blissfully ignorant of all the changes over the last few years. I guess I need to get Elements as a trial verison and see if it has the functions I need. I am mostly using layers and adding graphic elements and type onto photo images that are only minimally altered. Maybe Elements will do the trick! Thanks for your insights.

Jo

[JJMack]

Are you sure the CS5 upgrade you can get is a legal Adobe Upgrade not a scam.  Upgrades were able to be installed when a Photoshop  installed was not on the machine you needed to be able to enter your Adobe qualifying products serial as well as your CS5 upgrade serial.  Two Serials were required.  And when it came to the CS6 upgrade there was only one product that qualified for the upgrade CS5.    IMO the only perpetual version of Photoshop worth using is CS6.

[Jo5EFB]

Thank for replying, JJ ~ yes, it's a legal upgrade with Adobe disks, not a download/serial number thing. All my previous iterations of Photoshop are also legal with appropriate disks. I have all of them in hand so can supply needed serial numbers. I am very accustomed to CS3 and would be happy to continue with it but it isn't responding though it seemed to install correctly. I do understand why, just trying to find the way to upgrade to an acceptable version that is still working.

So, I wouldn'ty be able to upgrade directly to CS6 without first installing 5.5, is that correct? Or, is there a CS5 ( different from 5.5?) that I need to get if I am going to eventually go to CS6? Can you tell me why CS6 is better? Is it enhanced features, or is it inherently more stable as a progam? Thanks for your time in answering!

[JJMack]

I can not answer for sure about  CS6  for CC desk broke  my Perpetual cs6 I hate to install CS6 over itself. Then CC desktop was able to update CS6 version 13.0 to to Creative Cloud CS6 version 13.1.2.  

CS6 13.0 is very unstable. CS6 needs its Updates  Perpetual CS6 needs to be updated to 13.0.1.3 Windows or 13.0.6 Mac.   I do not know if CS6 network update will  work these days.  I had always downloaded  Photoshop  updates and installed them locally.   CS6 on the DVD is version 13.0 it need the be updated to be useful.   Adobe Photoshop updates may still be available from Adobe FTP site. Adobe web Photoshop update  download links are no longer available.

[Jo5EFB]

Thanks again JJ ~ it sounds like maybe I should just continue to use CS3 on the 8.1 machine and not try to install on the windows 10 laptop unless I go with the license version. If I go to the license version, I can just download work onto my hard drive as I complete it, correct? I'm not obligated to keep my work in the cloud, am I? I do a fair number of smallish projects that I don't need to retain in editable form after they are completed. Thanks for your help and expertise!   Jo

[Ged_Traynor]

The name Creative Cloud has caused some confusion since it was first released, you don't actually work from the cloud although you can save your files to the Adobe cloud, basically you install Photoshop locally onto your PC no cloud stuff involved, it's entirely up to you where you want to save you files.

You can work from your local hard drive, save to the same drive as you do with any other application.

[Jo5EFB]

Thank You Ged! Sounds like the basic Photoshop application (about $10 a month with minimal cloud storage?) would give me everything I need, then. I had no trouble transitioning from Photohop 7 to CS3 (years ago), so hopefully this will not be a much larger leap. Although I use Photoshop several times a week, it's by no means the focus of my creative work ~ I just need to keep doing the stuff I am doing with minimal disturbance to my process.

Again, really appreciate your help!

Jo

[Ged_Traynor]

Before you decide to go for the Photography plan which also includes Lightroom, make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements.

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html

Photoshop has evolved to require higher specs than the minimum system requirements, you should really look at the recommended.

You really need 16GB of RAM, a recent CPU i5 or AMD equivalent, and a GPU with at least 4GB of VRAM

[JJMack]

I just checked Adobe FTP access to Photoshop vers 13 CS6 update seems to be available  for windows CS6 .  You would need the 13 0 1 3 update zip and you would also want to find the ACR 9.1.1 Adobe download for  CS6 https://prodesigntools.com/adobe-cs6-direct-download-links.html 

[johnrg]

Install by right clicking on the .exe file for the install and selecting Run in Compatibility Mode for Windows 7. Do not run the update manager but it can be updated itself. All will work well. For my licenced version of CS5 Master Suite (upgrade from Production Premium), I was also able to download each application's updates. That was 5 years ago as I was on Win10 day one. Do that instead of the update manager. I finally decided to subscribe but you can run 5.5. That said, if using a modern non native resolution screen such as on the Surface and others, your interface will be tiny. Only illustrator wasn't impacted. You would have to lower your resolution. 

Hope this helps.