Adobe CS6 now thinks registration is invalid

January 16, 2014 5:30 AM

How can I convince the CS6 Application Manager that it was registered almost a year ago?

I have the CS6 Master Collection (NOT Creative Cloud) I registered it back in April 2013. Up until now, it's worked great. But, yesterday, when I went to launch Photoshop, the Adobe Application Manager interrupted the launch, telling me I first need to register my trial version of CS6...Whaaaa???

So, I enter my serial number, and get an Invalid SN error. WTF?

Here's the odd thing...If I simply close Application Manager, Photoshop (and the other CS6 apps) open anyway and I can go on working. So, it seems Application Manager has somehow become buggered and forgotten that the apps are registered. I've double-checked my Adobe account and it shows my copy of CS6 Master Collection is, indeed, registered.

Browsing through the Adobe user forums, it appears that many others have had similar issues, but I've not been able to glean any actual fix for this.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a fix for this? I'm concerned that, if Application Manager thinks I need to register CS6, it will also stop alerting me to updates for the apps. This is the Mac version, if it makes any difference.

Thanks!

posted by Thorzdad to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

This is a known issue with Adobe and since they're so super fast and responsive to their paid customers problems with their software and DRM issues (NOT!), I highly recommend removing Adobe's Application Manager completely. Here are a couple of links that may help you:

Mac removal.

Windows removal.

More.

FYI, Adobe's Application Manager is terrible about informing the user of updates, so you're not missing anything there. Set up an RSS alert on Macupdate or some other site that's more reliable than Adobe.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 6:24 AM on January 16, 2014

Response by poster: Not intending to threadsit, but, according to the comments in your first link, removing Application Manager doesn't seem to work, and, according to comments in your Adobe forums link (which I've already read), removing AAM might actually make things worse.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:14 AM on January 16, 2014

Sorry, Thorzdad; I did not read through those links. I've had nothing but problems with Adobe since they switched to DRM and even though I 100% buy my software, it's been easier (and more productive to my bottom line) to use cracked versions when I'm trying to get work done. The cracked versions often find ways to avoid situations like this. I'll MeFi mail you.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 11:04 AM on January 16, 2014

Yeah, Adobe's gone off the deep end. Just when you think they can't get worse..

FWIW, I used the XML file mentioned in the Windows fix above and it seems to work. Also, in case you ever run into it, Acrobat Pro has its own separate updater - you need to deal with that in Acrobat's preferences. (Mine kept on insisting on updating - and then the updated version would refuse to load, requiring me to uninstall it and reinstall the version on my discs. MAJOR PITA.)

I run CS6 locally like you, and the CC stuff is really getting on my nerves. In digging around for a possible answer to your question, I (idiotically) updated Application Manager ,and now it's called Creative Cloud. Also, all my suggested updates now refer to "Creative Cloud" updates. I am confused as to whether I can actually update my (legit ) CS6 programs without inadvertently signing up for CC.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 12:43 PM on January 16, 2014