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?

[allan=ia]

Apparently Fireworks used a proprietary PNG format for layering which was never released, so no-one other than Adobe can read them. As of 2018, those with a CS subscription could still download the older Fireworks App, see https://community.adobe.com/t5/get-started/re-how-do-i-download-and-install-fireworks-cs6/td-p/98579...

I have no idea whether this still works - with Adobe retiring stuff with no notice anything is possible. You could ask on another thread if this is still possible.

If it still works, you could take out a current CS subscription and download the old CS6 Fireworks version. Use it to convert all of your layered Fireworks PNG files to PSD format and then cancel your subscription. Other program can read PSD files (including those of non-Adobe developers). Don't know if that helps, but could be worth investigating if you really need those files.

And of course, once you've converted the files, you could then drop the CS subscription.

[mccoy0995]

Hello everyone!

I, too, am a CS5.5 user that cannot deactivate a previous installation on an unsupported Windows 7 computer

nor activate on a new Windows 10 computer.

I have installed from a link sent to me by adobe support. installation went fine, activation is looking for live subscription info, which I do not have.

Can I please get some help with deactivation/activation and get back to work? only 22 days to go!

[Kumde]

I couldn't deactivate on my computer which had Win 7 Pro. So I have tried the OS upgrade to Win 10 Pro, and after one day of use, it still works (CS 5.5 pro)... I am not sure if it will get "unlicensed" at some point.

What is the live subscription info you are referring to? If CS Live, this service has been discontinued many years back, so you should not worry about it if the software works.

[allan=ia]

Yes, as Kumde says you should be able to ignore the Subsciption page and move on.

[Richardnz]

You can tell if it has activated or not, if the 'deactivate' button in help menu is greyed out. If it is't you will likely to get nag popups after about 10 days afetr installation to say it isn't actviated.

[mccoy0995]

Kumde,

Adobe support sent me a link to download CS5.5 instead of using the disk i have; which I did. After installation , I clicking the register link in help returns "Could not start your Adobe CS5.5 lie subscription. Try again later."

Since then I have heard from Tech support "you will need to use the installation files provided with your purchase. If you attempted to use a retail or volume license installation files then you will receive the message that the serial number is invalid. I also reviewed the activation history and we have never received an activation request so you should face no problems activating, once you have installed using the correct installation files."

My dilema: Adobe has not received an activation request because my software will not connect and send them one. However! I am getting a message from Adobe about disabling the software if I don't activate. HAHA! perfect!

Is the activate or be disabled message obsolete too?  

[simplex19]

I'm in the same situation as you, for me I have 20 days to go till I find out if my apps will be disabled or not (I do think that Adobe will ensure that happens even if the activation process is borked).

I honestly think that support is just leaving people like us wither on the vine hoping that those who absolutely need access to CS will pony up a CC subscription or just move on to other alternative programmes and let this thread die a natural death.

[mccoy0995]

simplex19... sure seems that way 

:'-(

[allan=ia]

WARNING Everyone.

I received a private message via this thread giving me an outlook.com email address that I could contact for support. This claimed to be from Adobe support. Adobe does not use Microsoft email addresses, so this is an obvious scam. If you get a private message via the forum from anyone, ensure that they are legitimate.

[ukgkgjghvj]

I received one of these same types of scam messages  a few weeks ago. The last place customers should be getting scammers contact them is on Adobes own community forums which they operate. They really should do somethng to authenticate people who use the forums, because initially I thought it looked quite legitimate, especially as Adobe don't actually have a direct email address on their website you can email them on for support.So I am guessing the scammers are playing on that.

[Richardnz]

Yes, they have already tried to upsell me on getting a subscription to their CC software, rather than answer my questions to get this resolved. But I don't want to be paying a monthly fee, for softare that I already have a perpertual license for, and it wasn't cheap software either. It has been a very frustrating experience, and I think most people would just give up. The problem is that it seems impossible to get past their first level of support, and not get canned responses, and I think a different staff member replies to the ticket each time. Whereas it shoul be a single staff member who takes full ownership of the support ticket until it is resolved.

[allan=ia]

mccoy,

Jeff told me that there was no record of my CS5.5 ever having been activated despite it having been used on at least three different computers over the years as I upgraded PC's (deactivate and then activate on new computer). So I'd take with a grain of salt any statement that they cannot see any activation of your software - clearly something's wrong with their database.

As for registration, you do not need to register your software and indeed the old CS registration servers are no longer there. You only need to activate your software. You can happily skip registration.

[mccoy0995]

allen_ia,

I'm not sure I know the difference between registering and activating; as I can do neither! The product I have installed now has one option "Product Registration"  and a greyed out deactivate...so.... it appears I am unactivated and unregistered 😞

Are you still unactivated?

[allan=ia]

The greyed out "deactivate" suggests that you are not activated 😞

Activation is authorising the software at a software level. There also used to be a system where you needed a CS Live Account Subscription. Adobe promised all sorts of goodies and extra's through it. It shut down after a few years because of a lack of support for the system. The older software still tries to get you to create or connect to an account on that system. See one of my earliest posts here for a screen shot of that and Jeff's response - it will help clarify things.

As for me, no, I am not activated. Adobe have been ignoring my active support case since early December (okay after my nagging emails, they did respond and ask for me to produce log files in the middle of December, which I promptly provided and then nothing, but theres been no real attempt to support me since early December). Now my Surface Pro 4 battery is swelling :(, so I'm working on a different computer altogether. I've given up on Adobe and do not expect any support or response now.

Edit: FWIW, I started this thread in mid November, after spending a couple of weeks before that getting nowhere with support etc. I figure two months on that Adobe aren't going to do anything.

[ukgkgjghvj]

Have you contacted Microsoft about the battery swelling, because I wouldn't be happy about that, and there should be some form of consumer protection to make sure computers don't fail with that sort of problem. A battery is a consumable that eventually needs replacment, so should be able to be easily replaced, and shouldn't cause the failure of the entire device.

[allan=ia]

I've done some online reading about the problem and can see several cases where MS have the same attiude towards that problem as Adobe does to us here - it's called "get {expletive deleted}". MS want AU$800 to fix an SP4 that is out of warranty and I could purchase a new SP6 for AU$1700 (same config). Plus I'd need to freight it to them and a swollen battery makes it difficult to freight a device to anywhere for service as it's a "dangerous good"  - definitely no air freight allowed! I've read one case where someone freighted it to them with an RMA and then they refused to repair it or return it - go figure.

I've located a small local operator who may be able to replace the battery - he definitely replaces screens. Unfortunately he's on leave until the end of the month, but if he can do it for around AU$300 then I'll get him to replace it, otherwise, I'm learning the joys of running a 4K screen at 1920 x 1080 😞 using a 10 year old Dell Optiplex.

[mccoy0995]

sad, sad, sad... I wish Adobe would either fish or cut bait (as is said when someone is on the proverbial fence) why continue on with all this time wasting nonsense... if you don't want to help/support your legacy users just say so!! 

[Richardnz]

What I think they need to do eventually, is to provide all CS5.5 users with the non activated version of the software, so we can just go away, and not have to contact Adobe ever again about having problems trying to activate our licenses through their online activation system. It will also save them thousands in future activation support, as well as save customers all this wasted time and frustration. I have wasted a good 20 hours in total dealing with support, remote installs etc, then again dealing with support trying to get them to escalate it.   They will however need to notify us when they have such a version available, because they didn't do this for CS3 users, some who now have no way to install their software since they turned off their activation server. That is what I am concerned about in the future, because it is very likely at some stage the CS5 server will be switched off. This has been a lesson to me about not trusting cloud based systems will always be there. Especially when things such as help and instructions for CS 5.5 no longer exists for things like premier because the they were webbased, and Adobe has since removed the webpage for the help file. It was a lot easier when all the help files were installed locally

[allan=ia]

I think they are actively avoiding providing the non-activation system that they used for CS2 and CS3. My guess is that those activation codes would work on any computer and hence provides a way for people to obtain free copies of the older software. Definitely my CS3 Dreamweaver non-activation code worked when I had to revert to this older computer. So that will likely be why Adobe do not want to make the same system available for CS5/5.5 as the software is still highly functional.

The real answer is for Adobe to modify their new activation process to accept the old CS5 requests for activation - this should not be that hard. Look at the activation request and if it's length is 25 chars, then use one process otherwise use the 45 char activation request process. In either case, the request code has to be valid. How hard could that be?

Instead they really just want us all to give up and go away. By ignoring us this will work eventually and they know it. And by being seen to have attempted to support us, they avoid running foul of consumer protection authorities getting involved  - these authorities rarely take on individual cases against the larger powerful corporations unless you can show active refusal to assist. By keeping us divided and allowing ongoing active investigations they can defend their approach on a case by case basis.

[Abambo]

Keep your copies of CS2 and CS3, as they will not be available anymore. Other activation servers have not been switched off, so if activation does not work, it's not because of the servers.

As it is sad that older software sometimes does not work anymore, there is no obligation for Adobe to provide support for installation and activation of products that old. There are simply to much changes that occured to all systems involved to keep track of all possible causes of failure.

[Richardnz]

As I have prevously posted above, Adobe support have already told me that they are aware that there are problems with the CS5.5 activation server. I was was also told by adobe support, that DVD version will no longer activiate after changes adobe had made to their activation server. So only after beig provided with that download versoin,  along with a new  serial number, only then would some of the software then activate, but not all of it. Adobe support who remote installed it for me siad it would actviate over time, but they weren't sure why it wasn't all activating, and they were confused as to why the 'deactvaite' link on some software titles were still greyed out.

[Oinapea]

Hi all, I´m facing the same issues with "not being connected to the internet" stuff and I will follow this thread. I tried to chat with the support, but I was asked to hold, to be forwarded to some other department or something, and then I waited for about 1 hour. I left the computer and came back later - no reply. I am also finding it incredible hard to navigate on the site, I always end up at the page I started on. I guess Adobe doesn´t want us to use this software and buy the new ones and pay them for a subsription for all eternity.

I bought a new computer a month ago, and I wanted to deactivate the software on my old one, but I can´t. Luckely for me, my old computer is still pretty powerful and I can easily keep it running for a couple of more years. And by then, I really hope some alternative products has hit the market. 

But should I create a support ticket too? I´m guessing the more people complaining about this issue, the bigger the chance they actually do something about it? 

Best regards,

Henrik

[mccoy0995]

Henrik,

I have an open ticket since last week. No workable solutions have been offered. Adobe is actively shutting down all Legacy requests for support and sending instructions that do not work. I've spent the better part of a week trying to communicate. My time is nothing if you read back. Adobe has been gaslighting everyone in this thread from the beginning. Bottom line; they want you to upgrade to cloud software and pay the monthly subscription fee.

[allan=ia]

Depending on what you need, there are some pretty powerful alternative products available already. Replacements for Indesign, Illustrator and Photoshop are all available and very economical. The rules state: "However, services or products (free or paid) that meet a need can be promoted in replies to questions, if and only if they are legitimate solutions to the customer's question. When directing customers to these services or products, you must be explicit if they are free or paid. Promotions will be considered as spam if they are not directly related to the original question."

I'll be happy to post the alternatives I have found if someone specifically asks me about what non-subscription alternatives I have found. I believe such a question fits within the rule given above. Otherwise I fear running foul of the rules, hence why I have not specifcally mentioned what alternatives to the CS subscription model I have found.

[Abambo]

I suppose everyone can do a google search... 🙂