How to Activate CS5.5 Offline!

[allan=ia]

I have a legitimate copy of CS5.5. Recently an MS update BSOD'd my SP4 (3rd time in two years - Grrr). I've reinstalled my CS5.5 (Acrobat and Dreamweaver only), but cannot activate online. I believe this is because my ISP now uses CG-NAT, so in effect I am double NATed and as a result CS5.5 thinks that I'm not connected to the internet - I AM, I'm posting this.

I was directed to an offline activation page, but CS5.5 does not generate activation request codes (it was designed in the days of telephone activation). CS5.5 only provides me with information that was meant to be given to adobe to validate the product. So how can I perform an offline activation for CS5.5?

[slpProjects]

I can't deactivate and get CS5 out of my system. I need to clear C: drive space. Can't believe there is no fix for this still in 2023.

[kglad]

deactivating is unrelated to drive space.

did you use the adobe cleaner?

[slpProjects]

No. Where do I get it? I want to deactivate then uninstall. The programs are still in my computer, although I don't see them in my install/uninstall list.

[kglad]

https://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cs5clean.html

[Richardnz]

Jeff_A_Wright , I am also one of the affected customers by this and have ticket ADB-10337430-R9Z3 open for it . One problem with your support system, is that it doesn't show Adobes replies, I can only see my replies. So I am not sure if I have missed emails about it, as I haven't heard anything for several days on a solution. I was told it would be 48 hours and I would have a solution.  I have asked for it to be escalated to a New Zealand Manager. As this CS activation server problem seems to be affecting a growing number of people on different threads in the community forums, and it doesn't appear anyone has yet had it resolved,  it would make sense for Adobe to post some form of update here as to what is being done about it.

[Jeff A Wright]

Richardnz, I am sorry you are facing problems utilizing Creative Suite 5.5.  In addition to case ADB-10337430-R9Z3, you also have case ADB-10337858-J1Q9 and ADB-10337430-R9Z3 open and all three are pending your response.  You can use the process listed in https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/customer-support-portal.html to update your recent support cases. If you are unable to do so, then please use a different web browser, smartphone, or tablet to update your active support cases.

In addition, the case notes indicate that you are encountering errors utilizing your serial number for Creative Suite 5.5. Regardless, you will want to continue updating your support cases so that the errors you are encountering are resolved.

[Richardnz]

Thanks, I am not sure how that works either, I am just pressing the blue reply button in the thread. So I didn't know my messages weren't appearing on the public thread properly.

Yes I have installed the updated version via the link the Adobe support sent me, and that also doesn't actviate. Same internet connection error. The file link they sent had the word 'trial' in teh filename, so I think that used to be the version they had on their website at one stage which you could download to try out, and purchase online. So it is probably the most upto date version, but there were still application updates it needed to download after that. So I am not really any closer to getting it resolved either. I should be pretty simple for Adobe to work out what is going on here with their activation server, it probably just needs escalating to the right people in their organisation.

I will also post this s a direct reply to you first post, so  hopefully it appears correctly

[PIXILAB]

Hi, i have the same "Missing Internet Connection" error but with deactivation of my Photoshop CS5 now. I had this problem in October or November already but it was solved by itself somehow. I was able to deactivate and reinstall Win10 with a fresh installation of PS then. Now the activation/deactivation seems to be broken again.

I can just see a blank page if i open https://activate.adobe.com/servlets/status.jsp and i'm unable to ping activate.adobe.com. I didn't receive any email about server problems or something else. Don't know what to do now. 😞

[Jeff A Wright]

Pixilab, and future posters who are facing activation errors with Creative Suite, please contact our support team at https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html, if the solutions listed in http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-deactivation-products.html is not working for you.  Only our chat support team will be able to provide the required assistance to resolve activation errors.  This does require that you begin a chat session, using a browser that accepts cookies.  You can also use the process listed in https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/customer-support-portal.html to update any recent support cases.

Creative Suite 5 and 5.5 were both released in 2010, so you will find that any support provided will be towards resolving activation and licensing errors only.  Our current software offerings use completely different licensing and activation technology, so please expect delays for any support requests that are not resolved by the steps listed in http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-deactivation-products.html.

For more information regarding the future of the software titles included within Creative Suite see https://www.adobe.com/products/cs6.html.

[allan=ia]

Hi Jeff, Pixilab and all. I agree with Jeff that we all need to lodge support requests and work with support to resolve this problem. However, I also recommend that we keep in touch via this thread for the following reasons:

1) There is a common problem but we are each getting conflicting answers from different support operatives ranging from "we cannot help you - period" to " you can only off-line activate in the first 7-days after purchase".

2) There appears to be no common understanding within different support personel about the nature of the problem. For example, Jeff, you note that Richardnz's support notes show that support is awaiting a response from him, whereas as I understand it, he is awaiting a response from them as they said they would contact him within 48 hours. Also despite the notes apparently suggesting that his problem is his serial number not being accepted, I believe his problem is that the serial number is accepted but the product will not activate.

3) As per 2) above, I initially had 3 tickets closed off as solved and noted as "client not responding" even though the support person was telling me that they could not help me and directing me here. By sharing information here, we can at least help each other through this support process - this is after all a community support forum and we are the community experiencing the problem.  (I have learned much about navigating this support system since being here - its not like you use Adobe support etc on a regular basis and understand what to do.)

4) I strongly encourage everyone to keep up your contact with support even if they are not responding. This ensures that your ticket remains open. In my case, I was last told that I would recieve a response last Friday, but I have had no contact since last Thursday. Each day or two now I am posting a request on my support ticket for an update. This prevents someone from thinking that you have gone to sleep or solved the problem. To do this go to https://account.adobe.com/ , login to your account and click on Support History. Then click on your currrent open ticket(s) and post any status updates. (I believe, but have not tested that you can re-open a closed ticket by posting to that ticket). FWIW, while my ticket shows as still be active, despite my repeated requests for an update, I am not getting any response in relation to my open ticket.

As Jeff says this product is now out of support and we cannot expect more than the resolution of activation problems. However we can expect to have our legititmate problems with activation resolved. We paid for a product which Adobe chooses to require activation for it to work and which will not activate for reasons yet to be determined, but for which all evidence suggests that the Adobe activation servers are not responding to the CS5/5.5 activation request.

[Richardnz]

allan_ia I think I have managed to get this resolved. In Adobes supports last email to me, they provied me with what they called an 'activation number', which I presumed had to be entered if you select the' not able to connect to the internet option. But I couldn't get the activation page to reappear so I couldn't enter it, even though the log file showed that it still wasn't activated. The 'deactivate' buttons were also still greyed out in the software such as photoshop, which showed it hadn't activated.

However support then told me that is actually a new serial number. 

So using the downloadable link to the software, and using that new serial number, it did then successfully activate. Support also told me not to download any of the updates, even if I get popup. I believe it was an Adobe Acrobat X update that initially caused the activation problem for me it in the first place, as the software had been working fine in windows 7 until out of the blue I got an activation popup error, which wasn’t long after I applied the acrobat update. So there are about 1GB of CS 5.5 updates that I could download for it, but have been told not to install, as that may affect it's activation. It does seem that the activation system is a bit temperamental,  and it may have been updated in some way so not to work with older DVD versions of the software, so it doesn't appear to be  giving the correct error messages.  So I suspect anyone who is affected by this needs to get a new serial number generated, and to use the downloadable version of the software . I am not sure how it affects those who purchased via an upgrade, as that would probably make installation more difficult. I think part of the frustration is also that we are dealing with support in India, and I think there is a bit of a language barrier with them communicating things back to the customer. Hence why even though it was an activation error I was getting, where it said it couldn't connect to the internet, it appears that the error was related to the serial number and they weren't communicating that to me, and possibly the DVD version of the software having outdated activation files. So it appears only the downloadable version now can allow activation, and a new serial number needs to be used for it. I just hope it stays activated this time.  Also it doesn’t appear the manual activation method and URL is a valid way to activate it either

[allan=ia]

Great news Richard. After a week of silence, support have finally got back to me and asked for the Log files which I've generated and uploaded.

I wonder if the new serial # they have given you is one that does not need remote activation? (This is now how CS3 activation works. After they validate your original SN, they then provide a link to the software and provide a new serial number). My last contact before today was that they were trying to get me a new serial number for the downloaded version and that they would email it to me last Friday. Perhaps I too will have a new serial number before long and can activate the version that was downloaded last Thursday. Finger's crossed.

[Richardnz]

allan_ia I am sure you will get it resolved, as it is definitely solvable. You may need them to remotely do the reinstall for you, and remove some old configuration files, as uninstalling the old software doesn't get rid of all those old files. I was on the phone with them for the best part of two hours this last time going through the reinstall, and luckily it was a good outcome. Good luck.

[Anne_Loes]

Hi Jeff,

Sorry for sending both DM and replying here - but am still trying to figure out a solution.

In a chat with your support colleagues, it was stated that activation servers for 5.5 are no longer available.

Could this be the cause of the problems with activating (and deactivating?) 5.5?

Many thanks, kind regards,

Gregor Flüggen (on behalf of Anne Loes Nillesen).

[Jeff A Wright]

Gregor, please update your open support case using the process listed in https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/customer-support-portal.html regarding any errors you are facing with the activation process.  Only our chat support team will be able to provide any further assistance for the activation errors you are encountering.

[lkhhenry]

Hello PIXILAB
In researching this same problem I'm having I came across this factoid.

When you ping a site, and get no reply, it tell you that there is something there.

It could be that the server has been instructed to not respond to pings.

If there isn't anything there, the error would be something like, unable to reach host...

[Matteo_Chessa]

Hello everybody! I have the same identical problem (no internet connection) and I checked https://activate.adobe.com/servlets/status.jsp with 503 error also for me.

I had several hours of chatting with customer care but nothing solved till now. They said me that my license is Volume and it is not compatible with my Windows 10. I have cs5.5, bought in 2011 and paid a lot of money... this situation is so crazy.

I hope on someone that can help me. Many thanks!

[Jeff A Wright]

Matteo, thank you for posting, but the volume license for Creative Suite 5.5 does not include activation technology. Please make sure to download the volume license installation files from https://licensing.adobe.com/

For future viewers of this discussion, please only post if you are unable to complete the activation process.  This is the second individual who has been facing problems using their serial number as opposed to activating the software.

For more information please see the following:

1. Activation Help - http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-deactivation-products.html
2. Error: "The serial number is not valid for this product" - https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/error-serial-number-valid-product.html

[Richardnz]

If you were referring to mine, I was also having the same activation probelm / error appearing, where it produced the error that it couldn't connect to the internet to activate it. It was only after adobe provided me with a new serial number and doing a full reinstall with the downloaded version of the software via the link adobe provided, rather than the DVD I have previously used, would it activate. There was no explaination as to why a new serial numebr was needed, but as someone mentioned above , I am not sure if that new serial means that it bypasses the activation server.  By being told not to download any of the 1GB of updates beucase it may deactivate again could support that. But whatever the case, it is not a good experience due to all the time it wastes from the customers end.The activation system should be reliable and robust and not inconvience the cusomter like this.  I wasted a good 8 hours in total over it. It is also something that should be covered in your FAQs in full, because I went through all of those, and it made no difference, because my FAQ wasn't listed, and even though I got an internet connection warning, it was producing the incorrect error message, as there was nothing wrong with my internet connection that would prevent it activating.

[allan=ia]

I agree with Richardnz's post. Jeff, just because support told Matteo that his licence number is a volume licence that is not necessarily so. They also told him that CS5.5 is not compatible with Win 10, but it is. Besides we know that Richard also tried on Win 7 and got the same error. Jeff, we know that some Adobe support staff are somewhat keen to close off these requests without necessarily solving them or giving the right responses. In my case they shut down three open support tickets as "customer not responding" when really they'd said that they could not do anything. In fact they have only done anything at all since your request to them! And even with that request, my original problem remains unresolved over a month later.

Matteo's problem does not say that it's an invalid licence, it reports no internet connection, surely a volume licence product that does not require activation would not be trying to activate, it would reporting an invalid licence number! Also if it is a volume licence, then I'd expect that he'd know that it was and not be trying to load it from CD's (which is what I assume is what he is doing). Matteo, how did you purchase your product? Was it a retail product?

[Matteo_Chessa]

Hello guys!

I bought my Suite in the far 2011 trough the Adobe website. I paid it a lot I remember... I still have the invoice that prove it. Adobe sent me a link where to download the whole suite (the same that Jeff gave me) and I downloaded the copy of Adobe Master Collection CS5.5 with my Serial Number.

Now, I just downloaded the suite again, reinstalled it and the problem is still here.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nz5i1ahuiv3g3qk/adobe02.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/29cxh5b7hjykluy/adobe04.jpg?dl=0

I'm pretty sure that the problem is due to http://activate.adobe.com/ that is not working anymore... I would like to know how to solve this problem because I need the suite for work and I can't pay to buy the newest at moment.

[allan=ia]

Ciao Matteo, I think the servers are probably working, at least Jeff says that they are, but that they are not responding to 25 character request codes from the older installers. I'm also pretty sure that those who have got a solution have been given serial numbers that do not require server activation - but I cannot prove that.

Some who work with Adobe support seem to get a solution, others such as myself (who has an active case outstanding since November 18, 2019) seem to get nowhere. The only thing you can do is go back to support and ask for it to be elevated. (Although in my case, I cannot even get them to respond to a request for elevation and I'm not even sure who and at what level my case is being looked at now.) I've now pretty much given up ever getting a solution and have now established solutions that do not depend on Adobe for most of the things that I need. For my part I will never again purchase any Adobe product.

BTW, if, as Adobe said, your copy was a volume licence version, then as I understand it, it should not be asking for internet activation at all. If you have the original purchase documents, post the original product purchase details (no private info please) here and we can tell whether it was truly a volume licence - I'm pretty sure it will not be.

[Matteo_Chessa]

Do you mean the Invoice? I have it.
On the order details I only have:

Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection
Licenza completa - Italiano - Più piattaforme - Download

"Licenza completa" means Complete license. "Più piattaforme" means Multiple platforms so... I think it is "Volume" for that reason.

It is strange about the Volume License... because, as you can see from my image, the software try to activate it online and it can't.

[allan=ia]

Yeah it does sound like it's a volume licence. I could see from your images it was trying to activate. I don't have direct experience with volume licencing, but from what was stated by Jeff earlier it sounds like it should not be trying to activate. Who knows really, as we are all being left on our own to battle it out with Adobe support as best as we can. For myself, I'm out of ideas. I had hoped that by collecting evidence of a common problem that Adobe would admit to a common issue and do the ethical thing and take some definitive action. Look for a private message from me shortly.

[philip101]

Exact same issues as outlined in this thread. Cannot activate CS5.5 after installing on a new PC. Have spent much time with Adobe support who remoted in and did a full uninstall, cleanup and reinstall. They thought Kaspersky AV was blocking the activation but this was not the case.

Adobe need to fix this instead of having users jump through all the same hoops to no avail. I've got 20 days until my software becomes unusable and have wasted a lot of time on this issue, as have many others.