Adobe has made many of their CS3 applications available for download, including Photoshop CS3 Extended, Illustrator, Flash, and others. They are actually the full versions, provided you have a valid serial number. Otherwise, you can choose to run them for 30 days for free (supposedly).

Installation Woes

My system is a Windows XP Professional install with SP2. In fact, I just reinstalled XP last night. At first didn’t reformat, but did a complete XP reinstall.

After a few attempts to install Photoshop CS3 failed because some beta files were on the system, tucked in various crannies, it finally installed after running Adobe’s cleanup script. Mind you, though this was on a system where the beta was once installed, it had an hours-old Windows XP installation. The cleanup script did the trick; it installed and everything was groovy. Or so I thought.

CS3 Trials

We all understand (or should understand) the needs of a software company to ensure that they aren’t being robbed; but it’s my feeling that Adobe has finally gone a bit overboard.

After finally getting Photoshop CS3 installed, I was eager to start it up. It asks whether you wish to enter your serial number or to run for 30 days for free. Great. Except that selecting the free option ends up with an error saying it’s unable to load the free trial, presumably because there are problems validating my eligibility.

After a several calls to Adobe technical support, Photoshop still refused to run. We ran the Adobe CS3 Clean script at the first two levels (though it claims to have two levels of cleaning, there are at least four levels). We uninstalled, reinstalled, ran as me, ran as “administrator.” Nothing worked.

Harsher Measures

Sigh. At this point I rebooted to the Windows XP install disc, deleted and recreated the C: partition, formatted C:, then re-reinstalled XP. Now, I ran the clean script at level four several times. Then reinstalled Photoshop. Still can’t get it to accept the 30 day trial option.

Adobe Technical Support

At this point I’d spoken with a few Adobe technical support folks and, while one lady early on was very helpful and patient, I’d gotten nowhere. Yet another call got me to someone else and we struggled for a while to understand each other’s English, but after some time determined that indeed Photoshop CS3 was not accepting the 30 trial option and that I had at one point installed a beta version. Sigh.

Scratching My Head

At some point it dawned on me to try Illustrator CS3 in trial mode to determine if it was specific to Photoshop or a more general problem with my system as a whole, or perhaps to the network. “Problem with Trial” again. So it wasn’t Photoshop or the fact that I had once installed a beta.

Back to Adobe Technical Support. Reached a guy who seemed on the ball, and walked him through what I’d done. After a short hold time he came back and told me I had done all the troubleshooting possible, taken the most severe of remedies in repaving my system and running the Adobe Clean script several times at top secret defcon level four, so it simply would not work. But of course I was welcome to purchase the product and enter a serial number. And I was even welcome to return it if it didn’t work. Thanks.

Okay, so maybe it’s my router? Running the ether direct from the cable modem into the PC might help. Or not. “Problem with Trial.”

A Wasted Day

So I wasted nearly ten hours determining that I can’t play with CS3 unless I dole out the big bucks. Some free 30 day trial. Wow. Bang up job Adobe. You’re stopping pirates (maybe), but you’re also stopping some of your loyal paying customers.

Now I have to get back to reinstalling my system. Sigh.