Adobe Community: Message List - CS4 license marooned on my dead / inaccessible computer. Online Support goes in circles. Can't elevate to human by phone, or by chat. Chat link grayed-out for me. Now what?

Re: CS4 license marooned on my dead / inaccessible computer. Online Support goes in circles. Can't elevate to human by phone, or by chat. Chat link grayed-out for me. Now what?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 15:21:53 GMT

I have same issue: CS 5 on a dead computer. I was able to chat just now with Adobe. I still need to try this to see if I can do as she says.

Chat

Your case number: #######

Here's what we know about your issue so far. It relates to:

Other product or service change

Downloading, installing, setting up change

Licensing and activation change

Thank you for contacting Adobe.
A representative will be with you shortly.

Thank you for your patience.

While you wait, you can try our community forums where experts are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You are now chatting with Rachana.

Rachana: Hello! Welcome to Adobe Customer Service.

Rachana: Hi Linda.

Linda : Hello Rachana

Rachana: How may I assist you today?

Linda In 2012 I purchased Adobe Creative Suite 5 to use in my retirement. I installed it only on my home computer as I had different software at work. Now my home computer has died. I cannot get it to start up. I have a new computer and want to install it on that computer. Can you please deactivate the dead software on my old computer so that I can install AND ACTIVATE it on the new one?

Rachana: I will check and help you with this.

Rachana: May I have the serial number for the product?

Linda : mastercollection # provided acrobat # provided

Rachana: Thank you.

Linda : there are also individual serial numbers for 4 other unidentified products on the back of the package discs came in. do you need those also?

Rachana: I have made the necessity changes to the software, you can go ahead and activate without any issues.

Linda: thank you Rachana

Re: CS4 license marooned on my dead / inaccessible computer. Online Support goes in circles. Can't elevate to human by phone, or by chat. Chat link grayed-out for me. Now what?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 21:18:02 GMT

Pc.cs4.thx4helping I apologize for the difficulties which you have faced reaching our activation support. I would encourage you to contact our support team at http://adobe.ly/1aYjbSC.

If you continue to face difficulties please let me know by updating this discussion. If you can also verify that the e-mail address you used on this forum is the one you would like to be contacted at?

CS4 license marooned on my dead / inaccessible computer. Online Support goes in circles. Can't elevate to human by phone, or by chat. Chat link grayed-out for me. Now what?

forums_noreply@adobe.com — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 19:56:59 GMT

Hello:

I attempted to follow instructions given by a previous answer that addresses the same problem I have, but without success: Deactivation, cant reach computer it was activated on and Adobe "support" goes in circles and ends up in forum where Adobe cannot deactivate for me

Following Contact Customer Care did not lead me to chat option that I could spot. I'm sorry if I missed a link that is obvious to everyone but me. Maybe I just need that link pointed out to me more vigorously.

By the way, this link, What are my contact options? has a chat option, but it is grayed out (at least for me) so that's a dead end.

So, please explain to me (like I'm a bewildered child) how to get to chat support. I am unable to fill in logical gaps by myself. :-/

Thank you SO much. :-)

That's it for my question. The rest is just a boring account of how I struggled to get here. Which I include just in case an Adobe Staff Member would find my customer-experience worth noting.

I reached Shivangi Moitra (Adobe) support@adobefeedback.zendesk.com by sending feedback about the dead-end support loop that I encountered by following the steps here, at www.adobe.com/getsupport. Incidentally, I gave her a detailed description of my deactivation problem too. Shivangi responded by directing me to use the same link that goes in circles! To wit: "The first step for contacting us will be to start online [at www.adobe.com/getsupport]." Of course you notice that this is yet another dead-end circle in the customer support system.

If my email to Shivangi is a useful reference then here you go!

I am unable to get online or phone support from Adobe. I need to deactivate CS4 from a dead computer. Adobe online help is defective because it puts the user into an endless loop making it impossible for me to find a solution, and impossible to get support. Please remedy the defect and please call or email me to manually update Adobe's activation database. (Phone and email address redacted.)

I own a copy of CS4 that is marooned on dead computer. Consequently, I can not deactivate that copy. I know that a single license for Adobe CS4 only lets me install the application on two computers, of which I can only use the application on one computer at a time.

I need Adobe to manually deactivate my earliest CS4 installation from its servers so that I can activate CS4 again when my new computer dies so that my work flow is not interrupted by the unavoidable (meaning eventual) breakdown of my next computer.

1.) http://www.adobe.com/

2.) login to Adobe

3.) Don't search keyword "support" - worthless, instead go to . . .

4) adobe.com/getsupport which resolves to

5.) http://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html

6.) Pick 'Adobe Creative Suite'

7.) http://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html?step=STEA

8.) Pick 'Downloading-installing-setting-up'

9.) http://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html?step=STEA_downloading-installing-setting-up

10.) Pick 'Licensing-activation'

11.) http://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html?step=STEA_downloading-installing-setting-up_licensing- activation

12.) Pick 'Error: Sign in failed, activation limit, or maximum activation exceeded'

13.) http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/error-activation-limit-reached-starting. html

14.) Scroll to Error: 'Problems signing out or deactivating?'

15.) Click on link: Can't access your previous computer?

16.) OPENS THIS MESSAGE: Don't have access to the previous computer on which you installed the application? ***CONTACT US***. Be sure to have any purchase-related information ready.

17.) Click on the 'Contact us' link . . . infuriatingly returns you to the start of the loop

18.) http://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html SAME AS STEP 5

I have explored all the other branching available at helpsx.adobe.com . No other branching resolves the problem or gets me support. I explored branching specific to CS4, and branching not specific to CS4, and branching of any kind in search of a solution or support. There is no solution or support available online from Adobe for this problem.

I also called 1.800.642.3623 per https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1030438 which was of no use.

This page was of no use. http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/activation-deactivation-products.html

This 'Let us know how we're doing' form is my last hope.