Adobe Graphics software, upgrades & reg. numbers

Factual Questions
1

I am pretty sure I know the answer to this, but I want some other opinions. So to the Straight Dope I go!

The abbreviated question is, even if you use Adobe software that is NOT registered to you, will you be able to install an upgrade? I’m not talking about bootlegged software here, read on…

I sometimes buy software from eBay. I just got a copy of Photoshop 4 off of eBay. The seller said he’d include a registration card, so I could register the copy in my name. But he gave me a reg. card for version 5.5, not 4! I called Adobe, and they told me to go ahead and register the number. The problem was, I only had the version 4 CD, and the registration number I registered wouldn’t work on it. I also had an old Mac, and even if I had version 5.5, I couldn’t run it on such an old Mac. (Adobe did send me out a “replacement CD” of 5.5 for a small fee, though.) Anyway, the Adobe people I talked to were very nice, and told me to go ahead and use the version 4 CD. (It had an older reg. number written on the CD sleeve, so I could use that to install it.) Even though this older Photoshop reg. number was not registered to me, Adobe said, go ahead and use it, it’ll install fine. And it did install fine!

Now, skip to today. I bought a copy of Illustrator 6 off of eBay a while ago. (Illustrator is currently up to version 9.) I thought it might not be registered yet, so I called Adobe. Alas, already registered. (It still had all the registration forms intact in the box, that’s what threw me off.) Anyway, the Adobe person I talked to was very by-the-book, and tried to suggest, several times, that the software would magically not install properly unless I was able to register it in my name. But that’s bullshit - it’s installed fine. That concept also contradicts what the other Adobe people told me earlier. They told me to go ahead and install Photoshop 4, using a number I didn’t own. So what is this BS?

I didn’t even dare ask this Adobe person about buying an upgrade and installing it over this current version of Illustrator that I own…(oh, forgive me, “own” is a relative term.) But my hunch is that an upgrade would install fine.

So, I just want to know, have any of you had experiences with Adobe products, and is my hunch correct that an upgrade will install on my computer, even if I don’t “own” the registration number? I emphasize, I don’t want to be using non-registered Adobe software if I ever start doing work professionally, but for right now, I want to tinker.

2

My hunch is that any upgrades/patches you would like to install will not be a problem, as Adobe is a large reputable company that makes their software packages installation processors as simple and painless as possible.

Adressing another point, Adobe didn’t care if you used a different number before, as you had at least one number that went with that product line, regardless of the version.

Either way, you should tell the jackass that you bought the software on eBay from about your little ‘problem’.

3

All the secrets of Adobe serial numbers are well known, and there is even an “Adobe Serial Number Generator” program circulating around the net, it will crank out working serial numbers for any Adobe product, as many as you like.

Serial numbers are made and checked with a simple pseudo-encryption algorithm. To simplify the explanation somewhat, serial numbers are generated with a computer program, it uses a secret numeric pattern to create numbers that can be checked by a matching program in the registration application. If your s/n matches the pattern, its assumed to be valid.
The pattern can’t be too simple or it will be easy to guess. But as any codebreaker knows, if you just use one simple encoding method, once you get enough encoded text, you can easily break the code. And that is what crackers have done, they broke the code and recreated the pattern, and now they can crank out an almost endless supply of serial numbers that will be accepted by the registration program.

There are some sneakier programs that won’t install unless it contacts the software company’s computers via internet, these programs check the registration and see if its actually been issued by the company and whether its already registered. There are rumors that some companies have put “software bombs” in their programs that will wipe your hard drive if you attempt to use a pirated serial number. There are rumors that the next service pack for Windows 2000 will “phone home” in this manner, and deactivate your computer unless you register a valid s/n within 50 boots. Yet another reason to avoid Micro$oft products!

But lets get down to the specifics of your case. You have a serial number. Its not YOUR serial number, its registered to someone else. Yes, the program will accept it, as you know. Adobe programs don’t phone home and ask if the serial number belongs to you. Adobe updates generally come with new serial numbers that mark them as upgrades. When ordering your update, they will check your existing registration in their database before accepting your order. Some Adobe products are “NFR” (not for resale) and are not upgradable because they are “dealer copies” or “review copies” that are generally issued for free (or almost free). Adobe will refuse orders for upgrades on these NFR products.

4

You are supposed to get a letter of transfer when you buy used software…

If necessary all you have to do is drop ‘Adobe serial numbers’ in your search box, guess what sites show up?

5

IMHO if you own the original disk, which has the serial number on it, then you own the software. It does not matter if a previous owner sent in the product registration card. A typical license agreement does not prohibit you from re-selling the software, but if you do sell it, you have to un-install it from your computer.

I don’t think Adobe has a process for changing the registered owner. I bought [at work] Photoshop direct from Adobe. When I tried to register it, their records showed that number was registered to someone else. They would not change the registration.

6

Starfish - the Adobe person I talked to yesterday said that there was a “transfer of ownership” process I would have to go through. Sounds like you got some sort of raw deal with Adobe!

Thank to everyone for their advice! This is really helpful.

I did get the impression that buying an upgrade from Adobe directly would get sticky, unless you were an owner of an existing version of the software. They’d check their database first, like you mentioned before, Chas. But I don’t see how they can expect other retailers to check this as well. I’ve seen Photoshop upgrades for sale at Best Buy. I could be wrong, but I don’t see the sales clerk at Best Buy checking to make sure you have a valid serial # before selling. I’ve also gone to several online stores, Buy.com, etc., and started to go through the motions of ordering an upgrade. Didn’t seem to be any special hitches there, as far as I could tell. And, what about someone buying a gift for someone else? I can see Grandma wanting to buy Junior the upgrade to Photoshop that he put on his Christmas list. Why deny her the ability to buy it? I could be wrong, but I suspect that only selling to licensed owners is impractical, and impossible to enforce among all the retailers out there. Am I incorrect? It isn’t like I have a lot of experience buying Adobe upgrades!

Chas. E. - thanks for your information! I remember one piece of software I bought, legally, that crapped out when I was online. It was an older version of Hot Dog (web authoring program) that I got through Xoom.com. (They sell lots of stuff, along with offering free web sites.) I PAID for it, and it installed, but it would shut itself down whenever I got online! I contacted Sausage software, the company that made it, and they gave me a new number. Which sort of worked, but never totally.

I am glad that Adobe doesn’t “phone home” to verify serial numbers. After all, there are still people out there who don’t have internet access. Or maybe they don’t have internet access on every computer they own, or they have a modem that doesn’t work, whatever. To make a program essentially not function without being able to dial home would be terribly unfair.

So…are you saying is that an upgrade should work, if I can get my hands on one?

7

With quite a bit of confidence I can say that Yes, an upgrade will work. I used to run a Hotline server and had ~300 gigs of Mac software for download to anyone that wanted it. (Those were the days by the way, I got every product before it can out on GM release. I had Photoshop 5.5 when 5.1 was still in use. And I still have all of it archived.)

Adobe products, unlike Quark or Bryce, are not individualy serialized. As said above, any serial number that fits the encryption pattern will work. Simply buy the upgrade and use the serial number you have. But just make sure you are upgrading from the correct version. If you have Photoshop 3, for example, you can not upgrade directly to 5.5. You ned to upgrade to 4, then to 5. Other than that it is easy. Also, even is for some extremely bizzare reason it does not work, I’ll give you a # that works if ya want. But I am positive that it will work. Have fun

-N

8

Strider, thanks! How fabulous!

You know, like I mentioned before, I have a copy of Photoshop 5.5, and I own the serial number. I just bought an iMac, so now I am able to run PS 5.5!

I installed it right away, using the 5.5 number. Then for a reason too long to explain, I un-installed then re-installed it. I was too lazy to pull out my 5.5 number again, so I used a version 3 number that I had used with my version 4 CD. And it worked just fine! And this was an iMac with a clean hard drive, I didn’t have PS 4 on it. And it took the PS 3 serial # fine.

So my guess is that if you have an older serial #, it’ll work on newer software. I just wasn’t sure if software upgrades were designed the same way.

9

Sometimes the serial number is on the box, sometimes in the manual & sometimes on the cdrom.

10

Serial numbers are NEVER printed on the outside of the box. If they were, anyone could go shop around a software store, write down the s/n off the boxes, and go register using those serial numbers. Part of the number may be on the outside, but the full s/n will always be concealed inside the box.