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?

[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.

[Richardnz]

Did they issue you with a new serial prior to doing the remote install? I have a suspicion that my new serial number Adobe issued, allowed it to  bypass the actviation , and it just activated it automatically. This is becuase I am in New Zealand, and I have always had to change my clock to pacific standard time in order for it to actviate. Otherwise I got the following error 129.17 code, which is discussed at  https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/error-129-17-launch-creative.html . But this time I didn't have to dchange my computers system time, so I do wonder if mine even connected to the activiation server, and it just activated automatically. If so, that is good, if it can be resolved like that. I am pretty sure mine is now actviated.. 

[philip101]

That's great news re your activation. No new serial number for me. I am in Australia. Frankly, the support guy didn't really have a clue and wasn't particularly interested in helping at the outset at all as CS5.5 is out of support. Until i found this thread i thought it was just me with the issue.

It looks like the 'no activation required' serial number could be the way to go, like they did for CS2 & 3 back in the day.

[allan=ia]

Phillip, you need to open a support case and make sure it stays open (see one of my earlier posts for how to ensure a case stays open). Do not let support fob you off and if need be refer them to this thread as evidence of not only multiple people experiencing the problem, but reassurances by Jeff that the activation servers are running and that CS5.5 should be able to be activated. Activation and licencing are the only, but still legitimate, support issues for this product. Also be assured that it's nothing to do with antivirus. Both myself (and Adobe when they remoted in ) tried disabling that. I even tried it after totally disabling the Windows firewall.

I'm now convinced that the problem is to do with the original installation module we have on CD-ROM's etc. This seems to be where Adobe themselves are looking (when I can get anything out of them at all, this seems to be the area that they are looking at). That's the reason they gave me as to why they downloaded the same copy (I presume) to my machine as they did for Richard (they just haven't given me a serial number so that it can work 😞  ).

BTW, I note that you now have 20 days left. I'm now totally stuffed. I'm past 30 days for my original version and the version Adobe downloaded cannot be activated because it has no serial number. I'm at day 32 and still unresolved despite all the hoops I've jumped through and the countless hours I've spent. I really wish that Adobe would give up the obfuscation, admit the nature of the problem which by now they must fully understand, and go the same route as they did for CS2 and CS3 and just give us a mechanism to get serial numbers that do not need activation. It would solve the headache for everyone involved including Adobe.

[philip101]

I shall open another support ticket, or try to re-open my original. I had pretty much given up until i found this thread. The support guy installed the version from the Adobe servers after he had totally purged my system of the previous installation. This was done with AV disabled and all firewalls turned off. Likewise - and unfortunately - he did not provide a new serial at the same time, as was done for our friend in NZ.

I'm done with Adobe if this can't be rectified in the near future. There are many alternatives out there these days. Anyways, i'll jump back in the support loop and keep updating this thread as required. Thanks for all the effort you've expended so far.

[philip101]

Another ticket opened (ADB-10520378-M2V3). I asked for a serial number that didn't require activation but support tech was unable (unwilling?) to supply. He wanted to remote in and perform all the steps the previous tech had tried which were unsuccessful. He could not explain why doing it again would make any difference so i refused his offer. Issue has now been escalated and i'm expecting a phone call tomorrow. Stay tuned...

[allan=ia]

Support are not going to have the authority to issue new serial numbers. That would have to come from further up. Unfortunately, you're probably going to have to work with them for a while. They must have spent more than 6 hours in my PC over 3 days trying all sorts of things: renaming activation files, figuring out how to force the activation screen to come up and quite a few other tricks. All of this was then reported to engineering two weeks ago. I keep asking for an update and last Friday they decided to get me to provide a copy of the log files. Then once again, just silence. It strikes me that as this is not an isolated incidence and many people are having it, that Adobe must, by now, know what is going on and what the cause is. I think they just want us to go away.

[Richardnz]

Hope you get it sorted. I requested that it was escalated to a NZ manager, and only after that did I get a new serial number. The only issue I am having since the activation is a regisration screen popping up every now again for their CS live service which doesn't work, as I believe they switched that service off. But as long as it does deactivate itself, that is a small annoyance I can live with.

[philip101]

Good news today. I had a phone call with a very helpful, more senior tech support person. He remoted in, launched Photoshop, saw the activation popup screen, checked my hosts file, conferred offline for a few minutes and then advised that a new serial number was required. He said this would be issued to me in the next 24-48 hours. Fingers crossed all goes well with the new serial.

[allan=ia]

Good news for you Phillip and hopefully, that will happen. Just leaves me wondering why I've been abandoned.

[philip101]

That is difficult to say, especially given the amount of time that has elapsed for your support ticket/s; not to mention the amount of effort you have expended. If my new serial works, then at least you have precedents in both Aust and NZ to reference. Will let you know how it goes.

[Richardnz]

Hopefully Allan they will issue you a new serial  in time for Christmas !

[Richardnz]

Unfortunately I spoke too soon, and there are still activation issues with my CS 5.5 mastersuite. When trying to use premiere and also Adobe media encoder, it comes up with activation error popups preventing the software being used. So far it is only affecting these two pieces of software in the suite, and from what I read, different parts of this software had to be activated separately. This is so frustrating that legitimate customers who purchased this expensive software have to go through all this.

[allan=ia]

😞

So sorry Richard. This is a farce. It is way past time that Adobe implemented the CS3 solution. It's all just a waste of our and their time stuffing around with this.

[lkhhenry]

Hello everyone.

Having similar issues to you guys.

Reverted to an Older version of MacOS.
Now can't get Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 to activate.

Currently still not solved for me. Read through some of this thread, well it bring me a little comfort that there are others facing similar issues, hopefully something of an answer will come. I couldn't find this thread earlier.

Will read through this thread more thoroughly soon.

I have access to previous files(time machine). Is there a file I could copy over so that this activation isn't a problem? I wonder.

Thanks

[Richardnz]

Have you got an image of the Computer and OS/software that you can retore the computer back to, that has the software insatlled and activated? I use a PC and not a Mac, so don't know how a MAc handles this sort of thing.  I am wondering if you do this, whether it will then try to reactivate or not. I would suggest contacting Adobe for a new serial number, and getting them to send you a download link  of the newer version of the CS 5.5 software, as they told me the DVD version won't work after changes they had made, so they sent me a link to my version of the software. That should activate at least some of the software titles.