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Adobe becoming annoying

3K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  planders 
#1 ·
I've rarely had a nasty word to say about Adobe... in fact I generally love them for being the conceivors of AI and PS.

Aside from an attempt at earlier versions of PageMaker, oh and Illustrator 7 [pig] and PhotoShop 5 I think it was [pig too], oh and early versions of InDesign... [sounds like a Monty Python skit about an aqueduct]

anyways I digress...

Today I received my upgrade copy of Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium. All 6 CDs. Isn't it about time they started using DVDs???

We had purchased numerous Adobe CS1 Premium packages, all as upgrades to Adobe PhotoShop. Hey? Why not, Adobe seemed desperate to get an edge on XPress by getting everyone in bed with their full array of apps...

So I merrily began the upgrade to CS 2 - having purchased the specific package for upgrading from CS1, 'cause there's a much more expensive package if upgrading from PhotoShop right up to CS2.

Get to the installer screen, tell it to locate my previously-installed CS1 package. No deal. Hmm, OK, well the third option is to locate just PhotoShop CS - it's there, it's registered - HONESTLY IT IS!! No deal there either. So I look at the first option, to enter the ridiculously long and annoying [who creates these???] serial numbers and start plodding away at it. Doesn't accept that either. So at first I figure I've typed it in incorrectly, you know how your eyes get after you've read the same numbers over and over again, transposing numbers happens. Nope, I got it dead right.

Screen flips to include a support link to their install problem web site. They're obviously prepared - they know their installers will often throw us curves.

HERE'S THE CATCH BOYS & GIRLS...

I would appear, as the Adobe support dink explained it to me, that since we purchased the Adobe CS1 Premium packages as UPGRADES to PhotoShop, they ARE NOT the FULL VERSIONS of Adobe CS1 and as such, any Adobe CS 2 upgrade package you buy WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE your earlier version as a legitimate installed package.

Did I miss something here? Nowhere on the CS1 CD cases does it mention anything about being a limited edition of CS1. Maybe the sticker that sealed the case together did, but that's long gone.

Having been a loyal Adobe owner, myself since Adobe Illustrator 88 and PhotoShop 1, never having had any problems with upgrades in the past [though I skipped AI and PS 5 - they sucked] I am shocked at this new level of "customer service." This studio owns 7 Adobe CS 1 packages - up, I spent over $4,700 on upgrades earlier this year. It is not at all likely they will be buying the Adobe CS 2 upgrades any time in the near future if this is the requirement to fulfill the install. Seven separate calls to Adobe for each and every install? Sheesh.

So be warned boys and girls, IF you do plan to upgrade, it looks like you might need to buy your upgrades directly from Adobe, where, I would assume, they will program your upgrade to install properly. Because it's obvious their store-bought upgrades are not condusive to a smooth upgrade path - in fact, they are an incredible pain in the ass.

Comments?
 
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#2 ·
I would try talking to another Adobe support person. I've run into stuff like this in the past and they have always made it right without too much fuss. I suspect that it's just a serial number problem that their updaters might not have taken into account ... and the person you spoke with wasn't necessarily up to speed on the whole subject. We had a similar issue when doing our CS1 upgrades, and Adobe quite happily consolidated all our serial numbers (for free even) into something that would both work and make my life simpler.
 
#4 ·
I know in pervious versions of Photoshop, the upgrade required one to locate the original install CD, or full version of Photoshop on my HD -- at the moment my work is running Photoshop 6 (we'll be moving to CS 2 soon,) but I need to insert my Photoshop 4 CD to confirm installation. I wonder if this means I'll need to use PS4 to install an upgrade of CS2? ;)
 
#5 ·
This isn't anything new and not just Adobe. Many software companies do this and it's usually standard procedure for major applications.

Take it as a learning experience. You'll now be very aware of whether you have the original versions of an app and what version it is before upgrading or buying new versions.
 
#6 ·
I ran into this a few months back, with CS2 on my Windows PC. I called the activation support line and they simply looked at my account to confirm that I was eligible for the upgrade and gave me the activation code.

Extremely annoying, but I guess understandable in light of all the PS piracy over the years.

I can only hope that this will be a one-time inconvenience; surely if they're so carefully guarding upgrade eligibility to CS2, they'll be able to lighten up a bit for CS3. After all, this must be creating a hell of a lot of extra work for their call centre staff...
 
#7 ·
On top of all this... none of the CS 2 applications will launch. I've gone through their plethora of tips on how to solve crashing problems and it all comes down to the flaky Apple OS once again with all its preferences and cache files. Anyone else come across this problem? I'm sticking will Illustrator 10 and PhotoShop 7 for now, I don't have to time to be Adobe's guinea pig any more.
 
#8 ·
MacAndy said:
On top of all this... none of the CS 2 applications will launch. I've gone through their plethora of tips on how to solve crashing problems and it all comes down to the flaky Apple OS once again with all its preferences and cache files. Anyone else come across this problem? I'm sticking will Illustrator 10 and PhotoShop 7 for now, I don't have to time to be Adobe's guinea pig any more.
CS2 works perfectly on my iMac G5, though I'm using the full package rather than the upgrade version (ouch--my poor wallet). The only crash I've had so far was caused by accidentally trying to scan something at WAAYYY too high a resolution.

Do you get any error messages, or do the apps simply not run? Have you tried reinstalling on top of the existing copy?
 
#9 ·
The applications quit and I get the handy "send your report to Adobe" screen. I have cleaned everything I can think, quit Suitcase, checked fonts [turned off all but a few].

They run when I switch to the admin account but not in freelance mode which does not have admin access - for obvious reasons. But this should not be a requirement to use this software. We have several freelancers using Macs that will not have admin access - and there is no way we are upgrading on those machines if this IS the case.
 
#10 ·
Well that's probably why I haven't run into it, as I'm the only user on my machine and I use my administrator account. Definitely sounds like something Adobe will need to address. Have you joined the grumpy crowd on the Adobe support forum yet, where you can get ignored by Adobe even more?

Definitely frustrating. I grudgingly like their products but the company leaves me cold.
 
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