Unlocking Cs and CS 2

RP
Posted By
Ray_Peres
May 25, 2005
Views
715
Replies
19
Status
Closed
I have been a devoted Photoshop user and customer since Version 3 was issued. After version 4 I bought upgrades almost each time they came out. Now, for the last 2 versions, I have to call support to "unlock" the upgrade during installation because my previous "full version is earlier than 5.0. I use the software on my desktop and laptop. Last year after installing CS, and having to call for the unlock twice, I had a hard drive crash and had to rebuild my desktop, install CS again and call for the unlock. Frankly, this is both time consuming (wait times for support) and annoying. Now I want to upgrade to CS2 and will have to go through the unlock process for this and all future revisions. Support advises that you have a policy that does not permit a non upgrade version to be sent, but I see this policy as being punitive to those who have maintained a business relationship with you and consistently paying for upgrades. Their reward (because they own PS 5 or earlier) is to have to go through the "unlock" process for each upgrade. Is there any way to get an upgrade that doesn’t have to be unlocked?

MacBook Pro 16” Mockups šŸ”„

– in 4 materials (clay versions included)

– 12 scenes

– 48 MacBook Pro 16″ mockups

– 6000 x 4500 px

DM
dave_milbut
May 25, 2005
I agree. Maybe they could institute something like if you’re a verified owner of one of those earlier versions, you send them an upgrade package and transfer of licence form for your old version and they send you a full version with new serial # in return.

We’ve been told over and over there’s no difference between the 2 versions except the installer. Seems like a no brainer good will gesture to long time users to me.
C
chrisjbirchall
May 25, 2005
As far as I am aware, you should be able to install an upgrade using any of your previous disks as verification. Just have the CS1 disk handy when you install CS2

Best of luck with it.

Chris.
RP
Ray_Peres
May 25, 2005
There’s no problem with the installation, it’s just that you must call Adobe and speak to someone personally to get it done. The new versions will not accept the serial number from PS5 or earlier. You have to give them your original serial number then they give you a code and then they tell you what to type in as a serial number.
It’s just not particularly fair to long term users.
I have emailed Bryan Lamkin, Senior Vice President, Digital Imaging and Digital Video Business Unit about this situation, but I suppose I’m not important enough to get the courtesy of a response.
U
usenet
May 25, 2005
On Tue, 24 May 2005 23:23:57 -0700,
wrote:

As far as I am aware, you should be able to install an upgrade using any of your previous disks as verification. Just have the CS1 disk handy when you install CS2

Best of luck with it.

Chris.

What about upgrading from an LE version. (In my case, PS 5LE, from an old scanner). Is an LE version a valid upgrade to CS/CS2?

-Martin O’B
BL
Bob Levine
May 25, 2005
As Chris has already pointed out, you can install the CS2 upgrade using the CS disk for verification.

Bob
RP
Ray_Peres
May 25, 2005
Are you sure?….even if your CS disk was an upgrade disk?
BL
Bob Levine
May 25, 2005
Yes. I’m sure.

They wouldn’t be able to handle all the phone calls from people that started with PS 2.5 and upgraded along the way. The upgrade CD is just fine for verification.

Bob
RP
Ray_Peres
May 26, 2005
Well Bob…and all others who posted…I spoke to "Ted" at their tech support. Indeed, anyone with an original version older than 6.0 who has gone through upgrades along the way MUST get their CS2 unlocked by calling in, even if they have CS upgrade installed. No exceptions.
So there you have it. As I said previously, you keep buying upgrades, you keep having to call for the unlock.
No good deed goes unpunished!
BL
Bob Levine
May 26, 2005
Well, Ted was wrong or misunderstood.

Bob
DS
Dave_Saunders
May 26, 2005
What is an "unlock" process? Are we talking about the serial number? Or the activation procedure.

I can see having to call in if you have an old-style serial number, but not for activation.

The phrase "unlock process" is unclear. On the one hand, you only have to do something once while activation you might want to do many times (along with one fewer transfer of activation). The activation process does not require calling in as long as you have an internet connection.

Dave
S
Sepen
May 26, 2005
Dave,

If you buy the upgrade, during the install it will ask you to insert the 5 (or 5.5) version disk or later to verify that you had a previous version. If you do not have the disk or have an older version, you have to call Adobe. They will tell you to hold down a key and click on a menu item which brings up a sort of hidden screen giving you a code that you read off to the support rep which they enter into their system which spits back a code for you to put in which allows you to go through the install. Because the software can’t verify a previous version itself, this ensures that you had to verify it with and Adobe rep every time you try to install it.

This is something you would pretty much know nothing about unless you had to go through it yourself because all of this is hidden during normal upgrad installations…

But on the other hand, I had no problem upgrading my CS2 suite from a CS1 suite which was itself an upgrad from Photoshop 7 *without* having to use the 7 disk (which itself was an upgrade as well)
ND
Nick_Decker
May 26, 2005
Indeed, anyone with an original version older than 6.0 who has gone through upgrades along the way MUST get their CS2 unlocked by calling in, even if they have CS upgrade installed. No exceptions.

I’m an exception. First full version I bought was 4.0. I’ve seen nothing like what you’re describing. Are you talking about the whole Creative Suite, or just PS CS?
RP
Ray_Peres
May 26, 2005
OK I’m gonna buy the upgrade. If I have to call for an unlock, I’ll send Bob, Sepen & Nick the bill.
Thanks for all your input
S
sjprg
May 26, 2005
If you have to do a clean install it becomes a real PITA. I have to start with 3.0 which is my full version, and than load 5, 7, 8, and now 9.

I don’t undstand the bonehead at Adobe that makes that decision not to send the customer a new full version after so many updates. It would not cost them anything and would sure help customer relations.

Those of us who have supported Adobe over all these years should get a little consideration.

My system hard drive gets a lot of development stuff on it and I tend to reformat at least three to four times a year.

Chris! Try reformating your system drive and start from PS 3.0 and see how you like it.

Next time I’ll try 3,6,9 and see if that will take.
M
MikeKazlow
May 26, 2005
First, you don’t have to install old versions to install new upgrades. The only time you should need to call Adobe for the upgrade is when your old serial number doesn’t match the new serial number scheme, since it cannot verify that you own a valid original version. Adobe should then be providing you a new serial number that should work for future versions.

Mike
DH
David_Hammermaster
May 26, 2005
Do I need to call Adobe to upgrade if I have ver. 5.5? How do I know if my serial number scheme is the same as the newest version? I’d prefer to not call Adobe if I don’t have to.

Thanks, David
BL
Bob Levine
May 26, 2005
No, you don’t. And you’ll recieve a new serial number with CS2.

Bob
S
Sepen
May 26, 2005
"OK I’m gonna buy the upgrade. If I have to call for an unlock, I’ll send Bob, Sepen & Nick the bill."

PS7 was the last non-bundled upgrade I purchased and IĀ’m about 99% sure that I installed that from the previous version upgrade… With the CS suite, it just needed the 7 upgrade and with CS2 it just needed the CS upgrade for me. Now, these were the suite and not the single versions of Photoshop but for the life if me, I can’t understand why they would make it easier to upgrade all of that (including photoshop) and not make it work with just Photoshop, too.
T
tmalcom
May 26, 2005
When I installed CS2, it demanded that I call Adobe even though CS1 was installed and activated. It just refused to look for it. It took about 15 minutes on the phone while the extremely bored and uncaring drone on the other end of the line "looked things up". He finally came back and gave me the unlock code. Adobe has succeeded admirably in destroying any respect I had for them.

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