I’m on a G5 Mac, OS 10.4.11. I’m having trouble launching InDesign CS2 and Illustrator CS2.
When I try to open an InDesign file I get a “Personalize Your Software” message, asking for my serial number. Then it rejects my number. I have tried re-installing the application, but it still won’t accept my serial number.
When I try to launch Illustrator, it freezes at various times in the initialization. I have reinstalled Illustrator, but it wouldn’t accept the serial number. It did, however, accept my old 9.0 number . . . but still won’t launch.
So far, Photoshop is working ok.
I have tried to get help from Adobe, and they tell me there’s no longer support for CS2. At the risk of sounding paranoid . . . Could these problems be Adobe’s nefarious attempt at getting me to upgrade?
Adobe is trying to imitate Quark.
Which is not a good thing.
Your best bet might be to wipe every directory at Adobe installs, and try to do a clean install. This might be some help: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/331/331295.html
Do you have CS2 install disks, or are they upgrades?
I don’t think Adobe is trying to force you to buy CS4 (or 5), but they aren’t going to be much help in solving this problem.
After spending an entire day screwing around with this, with no results, I finally gave up and ordered the CS4s. I considered getting the Creative Suite 4 Design Premium, but it includes lots of stuff I’ll never use, that add a lot to the price. So I’m just upgrading the individual applications. I do, however, find it strange that I’ve had this problem with two Adobe apps at the same time.
Did you have a look at this yet?
CS4 is probably worth the upgrade from CS2 (I usually do an every-other-version upgrade – I’m on 3 now, I’ll get 5 when it comes out).
The suite packaging is kind of annoying to me. Back when CS1 came out, I upgraded from Photoshop to the Creative Suite with Illustrator and InDesign (called Design Standard now – I forget what it was called then) because it was WAY cheaper than buying all of the apps alone. And I’m pretty happy to keep paying the upgrades for them, because it’s still cheaper than a la carte, and I like all of the apps. But they don’t have a package that contains the combination I really want, without having to get a bunch of stuff I don’t need. I’m already paying for Acrobat, which I use maybe twice a year. I’d like to have Flash and Fireworks, which I could get with Design Premium, but it’s way more expensive and includes Dreamweaver which I really don’t care about. So I just end up doing without instead of paying for the Premium package.
Another annoying thing about the packages is that, as I understand it, you’re then forever stuck upgrading the whole package. So if I wanted to get InDesign CS4, but was happy to leave Photoshop and Illustrator at CS3, I can’t. I think I still come out ahead as far as total cost in the end, but it’s frustrating. InDesign CS4 does have some stuff I’d like to have, but I don’t feel like shelling out for the whole upgrade right now, so I’ll just wait for CS5.
Yes, I found this after I’d already ordered the upgrades. But I’m still glad I’m upgrading.
And it’s nice to know I’m not the only one with this problem.