Trial Software Won’t Run

AW
Posted By
Adam_Wright
Jul 13, 2008
Views
670
Replies
26
Status
Closed
Karen im running XP (so it’s still the correct system to run it on right?)

And also i am the administrator to my PC

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KM
Karen_McCamy
Jul 13, 2008
Hi Adam,

Yes, the programs we downloaded are for Windows, both XP and Vista. The only problem would be to assure your hardware specs match the minimum requirements as stated in the info for each program. Because I’m getting the same error message with both programs, I am assuming the issue is with something specific to my overall computer configuration.

I am in hopes some other(s) have solved the issue and can pass along that information…Otherwise, I’m stuck!!!!

Thanks in advance to anyone out there who may have a solution.

Adam, if you find out anything, please keep me posted. Thx!!!
CC
Charlie_Choc
Jul 13, 2008
Try turning off UAC the 1st time you run it and select trial, then you can turn it back on. I think Photoshop does a few undocumented things when it starts the trial and/or you enter your serial number which UAC doesn’t allow but which also doesn’t cause a confirmation dialog to pop up.

Charlie…
http://www.chocphoto.com
KM
Karen_McCamy
Jul 13, 2008
Hi Charlie,

Thanks for the advice, but what’s the "UAC" and how do I access it? I can’t get past the screen that gives the option of entering a serial number or selecting the trial version. I NEVER get into the program itself. And, remember, this happens with both Contribute and Photoshop.

I (and myriad others, I’m sure) hopefully await your reply…
CC
Charlie_Choc
Jul 13, 2008
UAC is User Account Control. To turn it on/off Control Panel/User Accounts – it’s the last option.

Charlie…
http://www.chocphoto.com
DD
David_Daish
Jul 13, 2008
I’ve been struggling with this problem for weeks. I had a working Vista laptop with a 65 day trial of CS3. I passed it on to one of my customers. After a week, they decided they hated Vista and wanted XP instead.

After finally getting rid of Vista, I installed a copy of XP Pro after have formatted the partition Vista was on. I presumed that I would be able to re-install the trial version of CS3. Well it installed fine but I got exactly the same message as Karen reported.

I’ve worked in IT for 20 years and I have tried EVERYTHING I know to get this damn thing to work! How come there is nothing on Abobe’s support about this.

My customer was entitled to the 65 day trial (this, by the way was granted due to an error in their downloads in June) so I really cannot see how this program is being prevented from working. There has to be something installed somewhere on this laptop that "remembers" the fact that a previous installation occurred. The only place it could be, that is inaccessible, is the Boot Sector, which seems to me a bit of an extreme measure!

If anyone hears anything else about this, I would be glad of the info!

Thanks,

David.
CC
Charlie_Choc
Jul 13, 2008
I believe Adobe does write to the boot sector for its activation information. That’s also why you can’t upgrade or replace a hard drive with an image backup and have Adobe software work, you have to deactivate, upgrade, restore image and then reactivate. FWIW

Charlie…
http://www.chocphoto.com
DD
David_Daish
Jul 13, 2008
Thanks Charlie, I still cannot understand the fact that the entire partition was formatted when I removed Vista and installed XP. How could the "record" of my previous installation have survived that??

David.
CC
Charlie_Choc
Jul 13, 2008
A reformat of a partition doesn’t rebuild the boot sector, you’d have to do a low level format of the drive for that.

Charlie…
http://www.chocphoto.com
DD
David_Daish
Jul 13, 2008
Hmm, I thought that was what I had done, it took well over an hour to format (it was a 220GB partition!), I avoided the Quick Format option.

David.
CC
Charlie_Choc
Jul 13, 2008
To do a low level format you need to use the software that came with the drive. You can’t do a low level format through Vista or XP.

Charlie…
http://www.chocphoto.com
DD
David_Daish
Jul 13, 2008
Thanks for the info, I always assumed that the formatting done on installation was the same as when you format a new drive. That would explain it. Doesn’t help with Photoshop though!

Regards,

David.
CC
Charlie_Choc
Jul 13, 2008
That’s because Photoshop wrote its information in an area the format didn’t clear out, so it’s still there. A low level format and reinstall would have cleared it, though.

Charlie…
http://www.chocphoto.com
BL
Bob Levine
Jul 14, 2008
How come there is nothing on Abobe’s support about this.

Let’s see. Maybe because they don’t want to tell people how to keep reactivating a demo to avoid buying the program.

The only place it could be, that is inaccessible, is the Boot Sector, which seems to me a bit of an extreme measure!

Do you lock your car when you park it somewhere? Do you lock your front door? It’s a security measure, of course it’s extreme.

Bob
DD
David_Daish
Jul 14, 2008
I think I have seen your accusation before, Bob. I just want to be able to give my customer the benefit of the trial, not to cheat Adobe. The trial was rendered useless by reinstallation of XP, not because I was trying to run the demo indefinitely. A fairly basic function should exist, provded by Adobe, giving someone who wishes to reactivate a trial legitimately the ability to do so, not one strike and you’re out.

I will get in touch with Adobe about this.

David.
BL
Bob Levine
Jul 14, 2008
It wasn’t an accusation. There’s no way to put a back door into a trial without risking more piracy than already exists.

Bob
KM
Karen_McCamy
Jul 14, 2008
Thanks for the informative (and at times entertaining) dialogue to both David and Robert. However, it is extremely frustrating — as David has indicated — to attempt in good faith to download a trial that ultimately won’t run at all. I am not trying to "cheat" Adobe out of anything…I just want my free 30-day trial. So far, I have had a zero-day trial, and on two of their popular programs. This doesn’t speak very well of Adobe, especially since they don’t have ANY helpful information on this apparently common problem with their trials! I don’t have any Adobe software and this certainly doesn’t inspire confidence in spending hard-earned money to purchase software that is so poorly supported.

At any rate, if any one has any idea how I can get the trial to work, I certainly would love to hear from you! Thanks in advance!

Karen
CC
Charlie_Choc
Jul 14, 2008
Did you try turning UAC off?

Charlie…
http://www.chocphoto.com
DD
David_Daish
Jul 14, 2008
Charlie, how do you turn UAC off?
DM
dave_milbut
Jul 14, 2008
Charlie, how do you turn UAC off?

post #9

Charlie Choc, "Trial Software Won’t Run" #9, 13 Jul 2008 1:25 pm </webx?14/8>
CC
Charlie_Choc
Jul 14, 2008
Charlie, how do you turn UAC off?
If you are on XP UAC isn’t an issue, it’s a Vista thing. I think in your case the only way to reactivate the trial is to do a low level format or get a different drive. Sounds crazy, but I believe it’s true.

Charlie…
http://www.chocphoto.com
DD
David_Daish
Jul 14, 2008
Thanks Charlie, yes I am doing that now, decided enough is enough, besides I can set the machine up with dual-boot if I do this. Incidentally, I did speak to Abobe, who were less than helpful, saying basically they don’t support trials anyway. They seemed to think a format done when installing XP would be enough, I explained that this didn’t work and at that point they could offer no further advice!

Ah well, darned annoying but I guess they are only looking after their interests.

Regards,

David.
DD
David_Daish
Jul 14, 2008
I’ve completed the low-level formatting on this laptop, re-installed XP and then CS3. It actually works!!

I have also created a separate partition for Vista and, just out of interest, installed CS3 there just to see what happens! It won’t work on Vista – same message as before – but it does still work on XP.

Very curious. It seems to be the case that, because on Vista you can see both the Visa partition and the XP partition, CS3 can "see" the other installation and won’t work, whereas XP is not aware of Vista, so the CS3 works away quite happily.

So, as Charlie correctly surmised, only a low-level format of the entire hard drive, plus a re-installation of Windows and then CS3 will work.

Adobe clearly don’t seem to want it any other way. One day might figure out just what they do to the Boot Sector.

David.
RH
Ron_Heydon
Jul 18, 2008
I have downloaded photsohop cs3 extended trial several times and when it is part way through the installation process It asks me to insert photshop elements 6 which I dont have
Then the install stops
VERY FRUSTRATING
RH
Ron_Heydon
Jul 18, 2008
After several hours of downloading after effects trial from adobe website I get message download is corrupt do not use ???

What is that about as I have tried several time and the same message I have intel mac
RH
Ron_Heydon
Jul 18, 2008
I have intel Mac
JJ
John Joslin
Jul 18, 2008
You could ask in the other forum!

<http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx?13@@.ee6b362>

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