Adobe - What would you do?

I bought a copy of CS2 with a license for two computers. I loaded it on my Macbook Pro and my iMac. I have since spent money upgrading.

Alas, my iMac developed a problem with its logic board. It was a better deal to buy a new one than to get it repaired. So I did. However, because there is no screen image, I cannot see to deactivate CS3 on the old iMac and it will not let me activate the download on the new iMac.

So I phoned Adobe - seven times and each time I was left holding after explaining the problem and finally cut off.

So I wrote to them via their web-site,

I finally got a reply after two weeks that gave me the number to phone that I already had. So I phoned it and was left holding before being finally cut off.

Is this why people buy bootlegged versions?

What do I do next?

Is this why people buy bootlegged versions?

 

What do I do next?

You may want to send a certified letter to Adobe's customer service explaining exactly what happened (like you did in your post) and also mention some of your background. Not sure if you have copies of the receipts, or perhaps can also send photocopy of the instruction manual and the install discs, not that that part would mean much. Did you register the software on their website?

Also I would assume that the old iMac is gone and you cannot get the hard drive out (I assume it will not boot in any fashion?) and see if you can put it in an external enclosure that can be boot by one of the machines and deactivate (may or may not work based on which computer, last OS etc.)

This is the type of things that drives me nuts, because it is the people who play by the rules who get burned by these different protection schemes. I understand why they are in affect, but at least set up system where all activations can automatically be reset for instances like this (Apple has something like that where you can bulk deactivate once a year I believe)

I bought a copy of CS2 with a license for two computers. I loaded it on my Macbook Pro and my iMac. I have since spent money upgrading.

Alas, my iMac developed a problem with its logic board. It was a better deal to buy a new one than to get it repaired. So I did. However, because there is no screen image, I cannot see to deactivate CS3 on the old iMac and it will not let me activate the download on the new iMac.

 

So I phoned Adobe - seven times and each time I was left holding after explaining the problem and finally cut off.

 

So I wrote to them via their web-site,

 

I finally got a reply after two weeks that gave me the number to phone that I already had. So I phoned it and was left holding before being finally cut off.

 

Is this why people buy bootlegged versions?

 

What do I do next?

Could you deactivate the old one by taking the HD from the old machine and boot from an enclosure on the new machine?

You may want to send a certified letter to Adobe's customer service explaining exactly what happened (like you did in your post) and also mention some of your background. Not sure if you have copies of the receipts, or perhaps can also send photocopy of the instruction manual and the install discs, not that that part would mean much. Did you register the software on their website?

 

 

 

Also I would assume that the old iMac is gone and you cannot get the hard drive out (I assume it will not boot in any fashion?) and see if you can put it in an external enclosure that can be boot by one of the machines and deactivate (may or may not work based on which computer, last OS etc.)

 

This is the type of things that drives me nuts, because it is the people who play by the rules who get burned by these different protection schemes. I understand why they are in affect, but at least set up system where all activations can automatically be reset for instances like this (Apple has something like that where you can bulk deactivate once a year I believe)

Yes, I sent them proof of purchase. The problem seems to be their impenetrable telephone Customer Support system. As for taking the hard drive out - you are talking to someone who uses Macs because he just knows how to plug-in-and-play.

Is this why people buy bootlegged versions?

where are these, i cant find them anywhere !

Stew

Could you deactivate the old one by taking the HD from the old machine and boot from an enclosure on the new machine?

Actually this would definitely be the best option. The other option is to go down to Adobe branch in your area in person and get it sorted, as normally all they might do is request a new code for you and erase the old code from their system and make it unusable.

Other than that, try putting your HDD into a similar machine and boot up off that. Why I say similar is because everymachine have different hardware drivers that might go haywire if you have drivers from your old machine trying to talk to the hardware on your 'testing' machine.

I had a similar problem with an iMac where the display was dead. I used a third party monitor until I purchased my new mac. You may or may not be able to do the same???

Back to the CS2 issue, I'm going through the same issue right now. I gave up on their customer service.

I had exactly the same issue, when my laptop died a month, or so, ago. Couldn't run CS4 on my laptop because it was already installed on my old, now dead, Macbook Pro. Cue much swearing.

Tried ringing Adobe in the UK - impossible to get through. Complete waste of time. But then used their live-chat facility:

http://www.adobe.com/activation/phonenumbers.html - available from 6am to 3pm Pacific Time Monday through Friday

And in 5 minutes they updated my licence so that I could run another version of CS4 on it - problem solved.

Alex

I had the same problem last week with CS4 when the hard drive in my laptop died and had to be replaced. No success ringing Adobe in Australia, I was put on hold and no-one ever got around to taking me back of hold and talking to me. I logged in to the Adobe web site and raised the issue via email and it all got sorted within a couple of hours by Adobe in India.

I had a similar communcation problem last year when moving my Adobe software from my PC laptop to a Mac.

It took ages and I just about had to send blood samples along with copies of my passports and various copies of visas for countries where I had lived over the years (honest!). But eventually I made contact with Adobe in, I think, Holland, via the Contact Us on the website. And they were really helpful!

So the rule is don't ring Adobe - use the internet instead.

If the only problem the display, meaning the machine boots, but you can see no image, then you can probably use Apple's built-in Screen Sharing option to remote control the half-dead computer from the one that's working, as long as both are connected to the same network at home. (You ARE using a router, right? Otherwise just connect the two directly together with a network cable.) Once you can remote control the half dead one, from the working one, it should be very easy to deactivate the defunct copy.

If you can't make this work (or can't find someone who CAN make it work), removing the drive and using it to boot a similar computer is your best bet. As long as you can find a Mac with the same processor brand (meaning Intel, not G5 or G4), the OS should have no problem booting the new Mac. That's one of the wonders of the limited hardware support in Macs... nearly all drivers for all Macs (to date, at least... you may have issues with a Core Solo trying to boot the latest Quad-proc-equipped Mac) are included on all installations.

If the only problem the display, meaning the machine boots, but you can see no image, then you can probably use Apple's built-in Screen Sharing option to remote control the half-dead computer from the one that's working, as long as both are connected to the same network at home. (You ARE using a router, right? Otherwise just connect the two directly together with a network cable.) Once you can remote control the half dead one, from the working one, it should be very easy to deactivate the defunct copy.

 

If you can't make this work (or can't find someone who CAN make it work), removing the drive and using it to boot a similar computer is your best bet. As long as you can find a Mac with the same processor brand (meaning Intel, not G5 or G4), the OS should have no problem booting the new Mac. That's one of the wonders of the limited hardware support in Macs... nearly all drivers for all Macs (to date, at least... you may have issues with a Core Solo trying to boot the latest Quad-proc-equipped Mac) are included on all installations.

You can also simply connect the two machines via firewire like you were starting a new machine. Have done this a couple of times with a laptop that had a funky screen.

Bill

Adobe has CS4 on sale for less than 1/2 price right now. I just bought it for 299.00. Danggit, they had to charge tax, but it was about 320.00. They are about to come out with CS5, so the old CS4........

I'd download a hookey copy and lose no sleep over it. Had a similar thing with a music application once where the usb security dongle caused all kinds of issues whereas the cracked version had none of them. So I downloaded the cracked version and put my dongle in the cupboard.

You've paid your money and you have every right to use the product - there's no theft in this scenario.

This is why people go off and get cracks.

No problems here and don't even have to get online

Imagine if you had to do the same to your car every time you put a new battery in, light bulb, oil filter or changed a fan belt.

Thanks everyone for all your good ideas (as usual). ...and thanks for the replacement version I got from an anonymous donor. It works. So I guess I'll not bother to get the other legit version working until I change computers again.

What a pity Adobe thinks it is so big that customer service is of no consequence.

Thanks everyone for all your good ideas (as usual). ...and thanks for the replacement version I got from an anonymous donor. It works. So I guess I'll not bother to get the other legit version working until I change computers again.

What a pity Adobe thinks it is so big that customer service is of no consequence.

Here's a postscript.

Loaded the legit version of Photoshop today by mistake on the replacement iMac and it magically activated on line! Maybe someone from Adobe reads this forum!