You are currently browsing this article's comments (below). If you would like to read the full story, then you can see the complete post here:
“How Many Computers Can You Install or Run Adobe Software On?”
How Many Systems Can You Use Adobe Products (CC, CS6) On?
GET FREE ADOBE BOOKS
Sign up for our popular newsletter and we’ll send you 30 great ebooks to learn all major Adobe tools at no cost!
Thank you for subscribing! We hope you enjoy the newsletter and your free Adobe books... Click here to see the books now, and start downloading and reading!
Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again.
Share This
This is not exactly the response to the last question but I have two separate internal drives in my Macbook Pro (removed the optical drive … not sure if I recommend this yet) and the full CS5 Design Premium installed on both. (One is Snow Leopard, one is Lion.) I had thought it would see each installation as a separate one but it doesn’t. I have another installation on my second laptop that Adobe also allows. The copying was done with Apple’s Migration Assistant, not installing from the CS5 install discs each time.
I would install as you want, then activate via the Photoshop on the SSD. Then you’ll see if the rest of the suite is activated as well. If you don’t have another computer to put your second installation on, then it won’t matter anyway.
I am going to purchase the CS5 Master Collection because of the ridiculous student discount I am going to get… better to get it now while I am still a student than pay over 1500 bucks more later.
It does not appear that the Adobe Lightroom program is included in this bundle. Is there any reason to purchase this separately, or can I essentially do all of the same functions of Lightroom with the programs included in the Master Collection? Thanks.
Hi Andy, you’re right that Lightroom is never included with Creative Suite 5 or Photoshop, however many people do buy them together… In fact, so many that Adobe actually offers a special 30%-off discount for those that do.
However, that doesn’t apply for the student versions, which are already heavily-discounted as you note. And, you’re smart to get them now while you can still pay so little, since they can last you indefinitely. For Lightroom, at the Student Store it’s $89 instead of the regular price of $299 – so 70% off.
Lightroom and Photoshop are actually for different purposes, which is why they are considered complementary. Lightroom is geared towards optimizing photographic workflow – managing, adjusting, and processing many images at once – completely nondestructively. It can adjust all photos from a single shoot with just a few clicks, however it does not do pixel-level editing or things like layers as Photoshop does.
Photoshop, as you know, is the industry gold-standard image editor that can “do it all” for any single photo. However its strength is not working with and correcting large numbers of images at a time.
But the two programs are well-integrated together so that when you need to edit at the pixel level in Lightroom you just send it over to Photoshop for the changes, and then back again.
Read more about the differences between Lightroom and Photoshop… hope that helps!
I have CS5 installed on my desktop but can no longer access it to do a deactivate. I am going to have to reload Windows. I have an activation left as I wanted to install it on a future laptop. How do I reinstall it on my desktop without using up my last activation?
Hello Carol, try uninstalling and reinstalling CS5 on that same desktop… Because it’s on the same computer, with the same everything, it should work. Then, you should be able to access it to deactivate it, and then uninstall it for good.
Or, you could try contacting Adobe Customer Service to see if they can remove all activations for your serial number from the database on their end, essentially giving you a fresh start.
Either way, you should end up with your two full activations restored, and install where you want anew. Hope this helps!
Hi this will probably sound like a stupid question but I spilled water all over my lovely MacBook a couple weeks ago and I’m due to get my new one today and I was wondering what will happen when I install the programmes on to the new laptop. The old laptop is completely dead so there is no worry of the programmes being used simultaneously but I wanted to just double check.
Thanks a lot.
Amber
Yikes! Ouch Amber, sorry to hear that, and that’s not a stupid question at all. Normally you would just move your software from one computer to the other, but if you no longer have the ability to use the previous system then you may have to contact Adobe about that…
See this earlier solution for how to handle that type of situation, for the deactivation of previously-installed programs that you can no longer access.
Thanks, Ok I’ll get in touch with them then. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.
Hi there. I’m gearing up to purchase the latest Adobe Design Suite, for students. Is it okay that the main computer I plan to install it on is my work computer? As in, the one I use at the company I work for? I read something about only having the option of installing it on a computer you personally own. I currently do not own a computer, outside of the one I use at work.
ps: yes, i’m a student. :)
Welcome Erin, thank you for your good question.
The requirements of Adobe’s student versions don’t specify anything about the ownership of the computer the customer is running on, only on the ownership and use of the software itself…
So as long as you (the student) are the purchaser and sole user of the CS5.5 Education Edition, then it should be okay.
I’ve just purchased the Adobe Student Edition, for Mac. I’ve been using this computer for almost four years now and im thinking of getting a new one.
So here’s the issue, if i uninstall the software on this computer and install on the new one, will that be a problem?
No problem at all Jamal, you can just move your software between the two systems…
Enjoy the new products!
Hi,
I just purchased a used iMac on eBay that the seller advertised was loaded with Adobe CS5 Master Collection. I don’t get the impression that the install disks will be included. Is this a legal method of transferring the license of this software?
Thank you
No, and in fact buying Adobe software in any form (“new” or used) on eBay is not a good idea…
However, in the case of a legitimate sale of a genuine and safe product from other parties (non-eBay), there is a legal way to transfer the software license.
The odds are though that the situation you describe is not authentic and possibly dangerous.
Hello…I just purchased a brand new, retail box version of Elements 10 (from Best Buy). Right now, I have the 30 day trial version downloaded from Adobe that will expire in 1 day.
I noticed on the retail box there’s a sticker you peel back to reveal a redemption code. On the box it also states that the serial number must be retrieved online.
I’m not sure what to do. Can I just enter the redemption code number into my already installed trial version? If not, do I need to literally uninstall the trial version and then reinstall fresh from the DVD I purchased? I’d like to avoid the hassle of the uninstall and reinstall.
If the reinstall is required how do I back up my projects that I created with this 30 day trial?
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Hey there Dennis, would like to help you but we have no experience buying software from Best Buy and that sounds pretty weird and confusing…
It doesn’t work like that at all when you buy direct from Adobe: the serial number is always right on the back of the disc case, and you never have to uninstall/reinstall with a trial.
So, really you have to contact them if you want to try to figure out how it works or return it – sorry!
I have a volume license. Can I downgrade from CS 5.5 to a CS4? What is the process and will it cost me extra?
Also we have a whole team running Adobe CS4 but one machine is running CS 5.5. Is there any solution against the compatibility issue (Photoshop), as we are unable to open Adobe CS 5.5 files on the Adobe CS4.
Please help.
Thanks
Yes David, with a volume license you definitely can use the “Backward Licensing Policy” to downgrade back to a prior version if you want to.
Generally speaking, there is no complete solution for project file format incompatibilities across product versions, except to be careful on how you save a file (e.g., use .IDML export in InDesign, save your PSD files with “Maximize Compatibility” in Photoshop, etc).
See this guide for more details:
How Backwards Compatible is Adobe Software with Older Versions?
Hope this helps!
I purchased Photoshop Elements 10 plus Premiere 10 from Adobe and registered but nothing works, nor can I contact anyone by phone… at 80 years old I can do without this, it strikes me that Adobe protects its own interests to the detriment of its customers.
They let you hang on a phone line then disconnect after 60 minutes.
It’s shabby service in the UK and would not be tolerated in the USA.
The message I get is:
” A problem has occured with the licensing of this product. Restart your computer and re-launch the product.
If this problem still occurs after restarting, contact Customer Support for further assistance, and mention the Error code 213:11 ”
But of course this is impossible, phone head office and a voice says “you have no right to use this number,” and disconnects you, and help is as stated above.
The chat technician is useless unless you are a whiz kid which I am not.
Who would buy a car with bits missing, or a TV without any means of switching it on? no one.
This is not a free item, it’s expensive, well for me it is. I have posted my dissatisfaction on Facebook and hope it gets on Twitter, if it hurts Adobe in the banking area then they might alter.
Sorry you’re having troubles John. We’ll try to help as best we can… and here (hopefully) is your solution:
Error code 213:11 – License Store Access Failure: does not allow writing
You might also try uninstalling the software, rebooting, and then reinstalling.
Can I move a Photoshop license back and forth between two different computers by activating and deactivating repeatedly? I have a 3rd computer where another copy always stays.
So, I would only have 2 computers activated at one time. …the key word is “repeatedly”
Yes Steve, you should be able to do this… Adobe used to have a limitation on the number of deactivations you can do, but they say that is now removed.
I am going to have to reinstall Windows 7 on my laptop. If I lose my CS5 program, can I reinstall it without any trouble? I’ve Installed it once on my laptop and once on my desktop.
Yes Casey, you can do this – but to be safe you should follow the procedure for moving your Adobe software between system reinstallations. That way, you can be sure it will work after you wipe your laptop.
Before buying Lightroom, check it out to see if it works for you. Years of Photoshop since the early days and Lightroom is so damn complicated and confusing in comparison I got rid of it. Just did not make sense even after numerous calls to tech support and two workshops supposedly teaching how to use it.
It’s not for everyone Dan, although most users love it… Before buying, we recommend downloading the free 30-day trial of LR to see how you like it, as well as carefully comparing all the differences between the versions of Photoshop – i.e., Lightroom vs. Photoshop CS, Elements vs. CS5, and Extended vs. Standard.
I have a physical disc CS2 and upgraded online to CS5 on my PC, and wish to run CS5 on my laptop.
I am not sure of the proper steps to add the software to the laptop without having a disc.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
It should be no problem at all Stephen. If you still have access to the CS5 installation files you originally downloaded, then just transfer those to your laptop and install it there. During the installation process, if no earlier version is found to be on the system, then the installer will ask you to enter your prior serial number (e.g., CS2) to complete the upgrade.
If you no longer still have the CS5 installation files for some reason (check your online Adobe ID account), then you can just download them here and proceed as described above.
Hope that does it for you!
Hi,
I have just bought cs5.5 design for students. I have used cs4 for three years on my PC, but got a macbook for Xmas. So I bought cs5.5 for MAC. Interested in the comment above that some Adobe products are cross-platform now. Is Design Premium one of those so that I can use it on my macbook and my PC ?
Thanks for this helpful site too.
Greetings Clive, you’re very welcome and glad you like our site! Creative Suite 5 is not generally sold cross-platform – usually it’s one operating system or the other, either Windows or Mac OS…
However, that’s not the end of the story. There is still a way that you can indeed buy CS5 cross-platform if you use the Adobe Volume Store.
And this can be done even for a single copy, and doesn’t cost any more than regular… It also can now be done for education customers as well, like yourself.
So if you wanted to, you could consider returning what you have and then get a different flavor there that will be able to run on both Windows and Mac.
Hope that helps and please post back if you have further questions!
Hi,
My school has Adobe Bridge CS5, and we are having problems with it – we have multiple CS5 programs for each computer, but when we tag pictures and we type in the names nothing comes up… can anybody help? And if on each computer we are tagging pictures…if you searched it on another computer, will it come up?
Info: We’re on a server…does that make a difference?
Help!
Thanks.
Hey there Julie, here is a long discussion on using Bridge over a network that may be helpful in your situation.
I’m confused. If I have a laptop and a desktop computer and have them networked together and I have CS5.5 on both computers, you’re saying that I can’t have both programs open and running at the same time on both systems?
That’s correct Beth, exactly right.
hi all,
i have a question.
i would like to purchase two student extended editions of cs5 and two copies of lightroom 3 .
one for each of my daughters to use.
one set would be for a mac desktop and the other set to run on windows on a laptop.
the question is …. could a file (photo) be saved or uploaded to an external hardrive and used on the other set of software? ie. saved from lightroom 3 using the windows set and downloaded to lightroom 3 or cs5 on the mac desktop set?
Good question, and the answer is yes – for the most part Adobe’s project and data files (including photos and images) are sensibly cross-platform and interchangeable, with a few caveats depending on the application… But generally speaking you should be okay to move them back and forth between operating systems.
In 2010 I purchased a Student copy of CS4 Design Premium. It was installed on my iMac, now I need to transfer it to my MacBook Pro. Is that possible?
And, I am looking to upgrade the Photoshop portion to CS5, how many license keys will I get with the upgrade price?
Hi, you definitely are able to transfer Creative Suite between your computers – check out:
How to Move Adobe Software Between Two Systems
On the second question though, you cannot upgrade from any part of a suite to a single application… you’ll have to buy a full version of the newer standalone product. See the first question under Purchasing policies in Adobe’s FAQ.
Hi Guys, I am about to head over to China for a 6 month contract … might be longer. I currently have CS5 Master installed on my home 27″ iMac. I tried to install and run it on my older 21″ iMac ( this one 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, with 2 GB 800 MHz DDRs SDRAM )… just for backup as both computers were in a different place.
Well the older iMac completely crashed out on me and I had to do surgery on it to get it back in operation. The Computer didn’t like the software…I guess. Actually I believe that it’s recommended for a 4GB computer..!! :-o…whoops…!!!…
I managed to uninstall CS5 from it and get it back to working order ( scary stuff ). Anyway, I didn’t deactivate CS5 even though it is gone but I will run the Creative Suite Cleaner just to be sure.
NOW the question for you my friends is this : If I buy myself a 4GB iMAC in China… can I bring my CS5 with me and install it again. Then go online and activate it from there ?? I won’t be using the Irish 27″ iMac with CS5 over here ( Ireland )…it will be resting while I am away. Those i7’s really do heat up..!!
I just completed my Adobe Associate Cert. (Y7Cb-kTV4) in Photoshop and would be sad if I couldn’t keep up the studies…!
Looking to eventually complete the Adobe Webdesign online. Currently studying Dreamweaver.
Cheers,
Dave
Welcome Dave, you definitely should be able to transfer your activation to another computer – see the instructions linked in the comment just above yours on how that works…
However for that to be possible, the software must first be manually deactivated on the old computer before uninstalling it – see this previous exchange with Carol about that! The CS Cleaner Tool is not enough.
Bon voyage, good luck with your studies, and have an amazing trip!
Hello.
I just wanted to say how enormously gratifying (and stupendously unusual) it is to find such an article like this where the author or representatives of the author’s website bother to reply, both politely and in detail, to any and all questions from all of us out there on the World Wide Web.
Thank you so very, very, very, very much for taking the time to answer everybody’s questions, prodesigntools.com
All the answers to other’s questions have been EXTREMELY helpful to me in answering my own highly specific questions on this topic.
My goodness – reading this article has been so heartening.
I shall return to prodesigntools.com many times in the future!
Wow Lex – we’ve had thousands of comments on this site, but that’s about the nicest one anybody’s ever left! Thank you so much for your kind words, it really helps make it all worthwhile…
Take care and please stop back again – we have many articles to help Adobe users, and adding more all the time!
Thanks for that Lex. Looks like I’ve found the right site to stay in touch with throughout my Adobe experience. I re-installed CS5 on the smaller iMac and clicked on ” Help > Deactivate ” in the InDesign programme ( Which happened to be the first on the list to open ). I tried to open the others but they asked for the serial number. I guess that means I just have to wait now until I arrive in China and purchase my new Mac for the 6 months. I hope the transition will be smooth. If so… I will be highly recommending Adobe in my sleep… or to the cleaning lady…!! Just to add that I didn’t close InDesign after deactivation, so it carried on working until I quit and tried to re-open.
All the best
Dave
Looks like you got it done perfectly Dave – good work! If you deactivate any application within the suite, that deactivates them all… and then they all revert back to the time-limited trial versions.
Happy trails, have a safe trip! It sounds very exciting.
When one has photoshop cs5 on the computer can one install photoshop cs5 extended next to it? Without losing photoshop cs5?
No, sorry Wouter, that’s not possible as far as we’re aware – because in fact they are the same exact program, it’s just that Extended has more features enabled…
For example, when you download the trial of Photoshop CS5, you always get the Extended version. If you decide to buy the standard Photoshop CS5 instead, some features of the program simply become deactivated.
Curious, why would you want to do what though, what is the goal you’re trying to achieve?