Photoshop 7.0 – Serial Number has Expired

KB
Posted By
Karen_Brook
Jun 7, 2004
Views
643
Replies
11
Status
Closed
I’ve had my software for many months now and everything was perfect. Today I went to open up my software and it gave me the following message "Could not complete your request because the serial number has expired". It won’t let me even open it up. I called support and they can’t seem to help me and suggested that I use the forum. Please HELP!

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L
LenHewitt
Jun 7, 2004
Karen,

That is normally indicative of running an illegal Beta copy.

If you open up Windows Explorer, navigate through to the Photoshop.exe file, right-click and select ‘Properties’, what doe the file version read under the Version Tab?
CD
Catherine_deBlanc
Jun 19, 2004
I had the exact same problem. I bought my copy of Photoshop 7 in March, and it has worked fine until yesterday. Now it suddenly won’t let me open it because it tells me that the serial number is expired. I tried to reinstall it but I got the same message.

I did as you suggested and looked up under the Properties of the Photoshop.exe file: it said version 7.0. What can I do? Is there any way to get the program working again?
B
BobLevine
Jun 19, 2004
Where did you get it? Did you read Len’s post? The is generally happens with illegal copies. Photoshop 7 hasn’t been sold through legitimate channels in quite some time.

Bob
MM
Mac_McDougald
Jun 19, 2004
Where did you buy it?
Get box, manual, etc?

M
CD
Catherine_deBlanc
Jun 19, 2004
I bought it on ebay. No, there was no box or manual, just the CD with a serial number. It is not on a CDR, it looks genuine— stamped with the Adobe logo and picture, etc.

Yes, I read Len’s post: he said that probably means it is an illegal Beta copy (which means what, exactly?). I did as he suggested and checked under the Properties– it doesn’t mention anything about Beta, it just says 7.0 under "version." What next? How can you tell if it is a Beta copy?
MM
Mac_McDougald
Jun 19, 2004
Probably an Asian bootleg or somesuch.

Can you scan/shoot a pic of the CD and post it on web?
Or is auction still there with a picture? What’s the auction number?

We’ve seen some that look "professional", but have totally wrong design from the real one.

Mac
DM
dave_milbut
Jun 19, 2004
No, there was no box or manual,

pirated beta version. call your cc company and pay pal if you used them for a possible refund. contact the seller. then cancell and have your bank reissue a new card with a new #. explain to them that a software pirate now has your cc #.
DM
Don_McCahill
Jun 19, 2004
Re: an illegal Beta copy (which means what, exactly?).

A beta copy is one provided by Adobe to (usually) reliable people who will test the software before it is released to the general public in hopes of finding bugs missed by the programmers. Unfortunately, a few unscruplious people get ahold of a copy, and sell/give it to the pirates. They are all unscruplious, and sell it to you.

The beta copies have a timeout feature to combat piracy, but it actually works quite well for the pirates, who can sell a lot of copies before they start to time out, and then close shop under that business and reopen under a new name to suck in the next round of naive buyers.

I suspect you can count your money as gone.
CD
Catherine_deBlanc
Jun 20, 2004
The beta copies have a timeout feature to combat piracy, but it actually
works quite well for the pirates, who can sell a lot of copies before they start to time out, and then close shop under that business and reopen under a new name to suck in the next round of naive buyers.<<

This is exactly what happened. I did some digging around and checked the seller’s history a little more in depth and wrote to some others who bought the same product from him around the same time I did. He sold a large number of copies within a short period of time and has since disappeared. Emails are returned as undeliverable and I strongly suspect he has since changed his ebay ID and is probably selling again under a different ID. Several others have written back to me saying they were similarly swindled. By the time we discover the programs are no good, it is too late, since they work fine at first.

I suspect you can count your money as gone.<<

Yes, I think so too. Live and learn, I suppose.

Thanks to all who replied.
P
Phosphor
Jun 20, 2004
Report the seller to ebay and anyway with as many details as you can provide. You may just help[ put him out of business, or at the very least make it too much of a hassle to operate.

Also, if you used a credit card, report you experience to them.
DM
dave_milbut
Jun 21, 2004
Yes, I think so too. Live and learn, I suppose.

Hopefully the lesson learned is: "If it looks to good to be true it probably is." Especially when it comes to expensive software.

Also, if you used a credit card, report you experience to them.

You may want to cancel it and get a new one reissued, as all your cc info is now in the hand of people you KNOW to be less that scrupulous.

Must-have mockup pack for every graphic designer 🔥🔥🔥

Easy-to-use drag-n-drop Photoshop scene creator with more than 2800 items.

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