Photoshop CS6 Activation Server shut down

[FlyingSquirrel]

I have found out that Adobe has shut down the CS6 activation server to force people into Creative Cloud.

I have a problem with this because I paid for CS6 as a perpetual license, which means I own it, and essentially they are blocking me from rightfully using it. Possibly that is built into their terms and conditions for the software but I still think it's b.s.

I am totally aware that there are people on here who will ridicule me for my point of view and tell me to suck it up and move to creative cloud. I am also understanding that you have the right not only to hold that opinion, but also that you have the right to post it here. That's fine, and I expect it, but you'll be wasting your time.

I'd like to know if there is anyone else on there that agrees that the shutting down of the CS6 activation servers is b.s. and would potentially be interested in a group lawsuit against Adobe? I have contacted a lawyer about this to determine my options.

Thanks

[dje]

Well you won't get any ridicule from me Matthew. I'm still using CS6 and if the activation server is off, I guess that means if I get a new computer I won't be able to re-activate CS6 on the new computer? If that's the case, I may be able to get around it by cloning the c: drive before going across. It's dis-appointing, that's for sure.

I can't say that I'd be interested in participating in any lawsuit though.

Dave

[Shadowman]

I think the argument might be that in the past their servers were made inoperable by you installing new operating systems, or being made inoperable by incompatibilities; so the question will be if you didn't argue (legally not just internally) about it then how can you argue about it now?

[DanK]

I'm guessing that there is fine print that takes them off the hook. After all, they have lawyers on retainer. However, assume that there isn't. Is it worth the time to try to recover the cost of CS6--or to put it differently, to avoid the cost of switching to CC?

I dislike the subscription model on principle, and I was an unhappy camper when Adobe switched. However, I decided it wasn't worth the fuss to fight it and subscribed, and I'm very glad I did. For $10 US/month, I don't have to think about it anymore--except sometimes delaying an update while the kinks get worked out.

To each his or her own.

[JohnRostron]

Is Adobe actually preventing you from using CS6? After I moved to Affinity, I terminated my CC subscription, but retained CS5.5 purely for scanning and 1-bit work (which Affinity will not do).

I also installed Dreamweaver CS3 which I had been using on a previous computer which had ceased to function. When I tried to register it, the server told me I could not, but gave me the option of not registering!

Both of these have been working with no problems.

John

[Black Pearl]

Where have you found this out? I ask as I have spent some time on Google and can't find anything on the subject.

[proseak]

I found this - might be useful;

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/window...ion-issue.html

There's another url inside that, described as "Adobe - Adobe Licensing Repair Tool" -

http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/licensing.html

[rpcrowe]

I personally consider Photoshop to be the very best editing program out there however, unfortunately; the business practices of Adobe suck!

[Cantab]

I'm still using Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4.4. The time will come when I need to switch to the subscription model (I've just bought a point and shoot not supported by LR4.4) but I'd hoped perhaps not for awhile.

I went digging on the Adobe website and yes the EULA for Photoshop appears to grant a perpetual licence.

Matthew, what was the source of your information that the activiation website is now defunct, personal experience?

[FlyingSquirrel]

I am basing my claim of the activation servers being shut down on a number of things (although to be very transparent, "no" I don't have personal experience with this..yet)

1. I was researching on the adobe forums and in one post, an Adobe ACP (which I believe means Adobe Community Professional) stated that as of January 2017 the CS activation servers were shut down

2. The adobe CS6 pages state that CS6 is no longer available (I realize this is not necessarily the same thing as 'can no longer be activated' but why leave the activation servers on when they stopped selling it and want people to move to CC)

3. A coworker at my job said she attempted to reinstall and activate her CS6 and it was denied

4. A number of posts on the forums are from people experiencing an inability to activate CS6 when moving to a new computer - some say 'could not connect to server' or similar

Here's the deal: I have CS6 working on my current computer, but the computer has many problems (partially corrupt operating system, and cannot do 1/2 the things I should be able to do such as install operating system updates and security patches). I have had to take the computer offline completely because there is too high a security risk of getting a virus or malware.

Thus I am having to move everything to a new computer which can be fully updated and more secure, including all of my files, programs, etc. The idea is to get the new pc up and running completely with all my programs, files, etc and then when I'm sure I am good with that, I will pull the HD from the old computer and swap in a new one and install Windows fresh, basically rebuilding it. Then that will become my 'internet' and 'general' use computer, and I will take the new fancy computer completely offline and have it be my media workstation, completely removing any risk of infection from online threats.

Generally you can only activate CS6 on a limited number of computers and I think I'm at that limit (not 100% sure). This would mean I would probably need to "deactivate" my CS6 on the current machine in order to install on the new one. My fear is that Adobe might let me "deactivate" but block me from "activating", then I'm SOL.

That said, I will install CS6 on my new PC and give it a go with activation in a small case that all of my gathered intel is somehow wrong, including the Adobe ACP's statement about the servers and everyone else's issues, etc.

May update this thread at some point with my firsthand findings.

p.s. in quick response to the question of why I'm so concerned about $10 a month:

Firstly, I have the entire CS6 suite and I use more than just Photoshop, which means I would need the $50 / month plan

Secondly, there is nothing from stopping Adobe, or any company that may buy out Adobe, from raising the subscription rates, or even changing the way in which subscriptions or billing work. I can think of a number of things they could do which would be very bad. I don't like that lack of control.

Thirdly, not even considering the money aspect, I don't like the idea that I'm renting my own files. If for some reason I ever don't have access anymore to their software, my PSD files and other CS files are useless.

Fourthly, with CC, you are forced into whatever they do to it. Any updates they add that you don't want are forced on you. Any changes in the software you hate are forced on you (including one absolutely stupid change they made which takes the default way that dropping layers into a folder has worked since the beginning and switches it to the opposite way, and now you have to hold an operator key down to make it work the old way)

Fifthly, if you are ever in situation where you don't have internet access and that happens to be at a point which is 4 weeks after the last "license check" you will not be able to use the products until you reconnect to the internet. In fact, that means if I want to have my new PC as a completely offline workstation that is isolated from online threats, I am out of luck and would need to connect to the internet every few weeks.

I could probably go on but I've wasted enough time

[Shadowman]

Matthew,

As you said, you plan to contact a lawyer and if they believe you have a case they'll contact potential members who might be interested in joining your case. My experience with class action lawsuits (been involved in three) is you (the offending party) get three options: opt out of the lawsuit, hold out for an uncertain outcome, or settle for a judgment that usually only makes you whole. The "makes you whole" outcome can be as simple as getting your money back or an offer of a similar program in Adobe's case there aren't any. Find out what your lawyer thinks, based on the responses to this thread it seems most would just opt out.

[Mike Buckley]

Matthew,

What do you hope to achieve by suing Adobe? I ask because having read your most recent post, I doubt that you would achieve anything that would be a solution to your concerns expressed in that post.

[DanK]

The activation/deactivation process is still posted by Adobe. That doesn't mean it is still working, of course.

Years ago, I had a car that clearly qualified as a "lemon" under the law in the state where I lived. I contacted a lawyer, who pointed out the arithmetic: in the US, tort lawyers work on a contingency basis, and 30% of the value of my (not very expensive) car wouldn't motivate a lot of good lawyers. Class action suits involving consumer goods work when the lawyers can make up in volume what they will lack in per-client returns. Small-claims court, of course, is another matter, but you would end up doing the work yourself.

I am no lawyer, but my guess is that what you would get, if you won, would be a fraction of what you paid for CS6--less than the full amount because they would argue that you got years of use out of the product.

I store all of my photoshop files as layered TIFFs, on the assumption (perhaps not warranted) that it will be easier to find alternative software that reads this format should I ever need to in the future.

[Cantab]

The activation/deactivation process is still posted by Adobe. That doesn't mean it is still working, of course.

I store all of my photoshop files as layered TIFFs, on the assumption (perhaps not warranted) that it will be easier to find alternative software that reads this format should I ever need to in the future.

Matthew, the most important legal/practical question at the present time is a definitive answer whether or not activation/deactivation is still available from the Adobe website.

Dan, I've wondered for sometime if I should save TIFF copies of all images, or at least all important images. The reality is that software comes and goes and it would be nice to maximize the possibility of having access to today's images, in the years to come. Perhaps I should follow your example.

[Acorn]

You are so right, I could not agree more.

[John 2]

Interesting thread but I think that it's worth recognising that:

1. A perpetual licence is a right to Use the software in perpetuity not a guarantee of perpetual support.
2. When it comes to going to law, I think that you would have to take into account the fact that from the first iteration of Ps, ADOBE have at some time or other stopped supporting each and every one of the subsequent editions and so you might find it difficult to argue that you were not aware of the probability when you acquired CS6.

3. See this ADOBE help page:

https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/x-product...tion-help.html

The help page is dated 28th April 2017 and towards the bottom states that:

".............. For CS6, CS5.5, and CS5 products, if the computer on which your software is installed cannot connect to the Internet or to Adobe’s activation servers, you can activate your software offline. For instructions, see http://www.adobe.com/go/getactivated .................."

The above ADOBE links are live BTW.

It might be therefore, that they haven't given up quite yet. However, given ADOBE's poor response attitude, you might be in for a long haul. I recently found that I could not change my P/W for my ADOBE account and it took three weeks before I found someone that acknowledged that it was a known problem that needed me to generate a new e-mail address with a different provider in order to resolve the problem. Good Luck. Hope this helps.

[pnodrog]

There is a lot of code cracking software available on the internet for CS6 and if the need arose I would not hesitate to use it and let Adobe try and take me to court.....

[loosecanon]

CS is rather old. Adobe shut down the CS2 server some time ago, and made a version for registered users to download that didn't need activation. In practice anyone could download this version.

There are methods to copy CS6 by installing a dll file and adding a few lines of code in a windows file to bring about registration, and if the servers are shut down then Adobe cannot check your version is authorised and so delete critical files to stop the software working.

[lunaticitizen]

Have you contacted Adobe? What did they say about this?

I wonder if a company can be forced to maintain its activation servers long after the product's EOL. It's not like activating online is the only option here.

[IzzieK]

Sorry for being late, Matthew, for responding. Yes I still use CS6 on this laptop. I have a new laptop, a MacBook Pro but I decided not to use it for internet for now. When I get used to it, I may. I am still populating it. But I agree with you, My CS6 is becoming to be a PITA everytime I operate my Photoshop. I just keep turning off the Remind me later message, then I can operate my program without distraction anymore. Sometimes it comes on twice. Now that someone has offered a solution, I may want to take that one up there and see how I go. I am not into putting my files on cloud either. Like you, I want to have control of my files and how I operate my computer. This sort of sh** did not happen to me in CS5 or my other past Adobo versions and I still have the box with it and I can operate NIK even without Photoshop. There are instruction in the internet on how to do this. Also I have Topaz and On-one. I will just reactivate them if I need to. I bought them but have not been using them so I deleted both on my computer as I they are just using space.