Photoshop CS3 installation problems

[Annika2]

OS: XP Home edition
Photoshop CS3, volume license, legitimate purchase

I cannot install. It keeps telling me I have to activate and the grace period has expired. Adobe tells me a volume license doesn't require activation.

I have tried the CS3clean script, coupled with the windows clean script and the silent install, all recommended by Adobe, but to no avail. After exhaustive research on the internet, it appears that if I remove ALL instances of Adobe/Macromedia products on my system, then run the scripts my install might be successful.

I have two separate hard disks on my system. If I remove all instances of Adobe/Macromedia products on my E:/ drive, will the installer ignore the C:/ drive? That would save me a lot of time. I also think I'm going to install as administrator instead of my other account.

Any other suggestions? This has taken nearly 16 cumulative hours already and I'm trying to run a business! Adobe really blew it on this one!

 

[MikeMoss]

Hi

It will probably not install on "E" as long as there are Windows Registry entrees that refer to the earlier installation. Thought I have found that not installing in the original address does help sometimes.

I good registry cleaner like Registry Cure, may help.
You could try CCleaner a free application that will remove left over stuff.
I use it regularly to get rid of junk and left over registry entrees on my computer.
Either of these removes entrees left over after a program is uninstalled.

As a last resort you may have to go through the registry manually removing anything that refers to Adobe. This is risky if you don’t know which things need to stay like color management, or other installed Adobe programs, like Acrobat Reader etc.

Unfortunately as the companies try harder to protect their products, problems like this get worse. I could tell horror stories about McAfee security suite.

Mike