Mac - CS3 Licensing error, can't activate

[Chicagolily312]

Hi thanks in advance for whatever help you can provide. I've got Photoshop CS3 10.0.1 loaded on Mac Mini with Mavericks 10.9.5. Went to start it up and I get a license expired error all of the sudden. I have the discs and the serial number. This is a program I have successfully used for years so something has changed on the back end at Adobe. I tried reinstalling it (can't find the uninstall file anywhere in utilities or applications) so I just tried to overwrite the previous installation then got the Activation - No Connection error. I can't uninstall the program. I have had support push me off to the forums as they no longer support CS3 and have read many threads on this issue including the following:

Cannot Reactivate CS3, Adobe doesn't help

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1324890

and

I get "No Connection" - activate Adobe CS3

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1884410

I seem to have the host issues that JJMack mentioned on the second thread but the Beginner Geek article linked in an answer didn't really cover how to get rid of these problems, only how to block Facebook. When I go into my Terminal I have the following hosts showing up.  I have no idea what to do from here to get my program up and running once again. Should I be trying to delta these hosts. If so, how do I do that? Terminal won't let me just delete them.

And why did this happen all of the sudden?

127.0.0.1 3dns.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 3dns-1.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 3dns-2.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 3dns-3.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 3dns-4.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 activate.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 activate-sea.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 activate-sea.adobe.com.*^M

127.0.0.1 activate-sjc0.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 activate.wip.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 activate.wip1.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 activate.wip2.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 activate.wip3.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 activate.wip4.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 adobe-dns.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-1.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-2.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-3.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 adobe-dns-4.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 crl.verisign.net^M

127.0.0.1 CRL.VERISIGN.NET.*^M

127.0.0.1 ood.opsource.net^M

127.0.0.1 209-34-83-73.ood.opsource.net^M

127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe^M

127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.*^M

127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.newoa^M

127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.ntp^M

127.0.0.1 practivate.adobe.ipp^M

127.0.0.1 ereg.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 ereg.wip.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 ereg.wip1.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 ereg.wip2.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 ereg.wip3.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 ereg.wip4.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 wip.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 wip1.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 wip2.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 wip3.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 wip4.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 http://www.wip.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 http://www.wip1.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 http://www.wip2.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 http://www.wip3.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 http://www.wip4.adobe.com^M

127.0.0.1 wwis-dubc1-vip60.adobe.com^M

[TanujSandal]

Moving to Downloading, Installing, Setting Up​

[Bani Verma]

Hi Chicagolily312,

In order to remove these entries from hosts, kinldy use "Reset your hosts file" from the below link:

Advanced solutions to connection errors with Adobe Creative Cloud and Creative Suite applications

Once these entries are removed try activating your software again.

Let us know if this helps.

[Chicagolily312]

Hi Bani, thanks for replying! I tried this once again and again got the message that 0 host file entries were fixed. Upon trying to restart my photoshop CS3 I was unable to activate the program.

So sorry, this did not help my problem.

[Chicagolily312]

Hi Bani, just checking in as my problem has not been resolved. Can you please help me activate my photoshop? Thank you.

[Bani Verma · Accepted solution]

As you see " 0 host file entries were fixed" and you still see entries in hosts file of your machine, then please follow the below steps to manually clean these entries from your machine:

1- Right click on "finder" and select "go-to folder" option, you will get a text box, type-in below command and click "go".

      " /etc "

2- Look for Hosts and Hosts~orig  in this folder.

• If you see both these files present there then Delete Hosts and Rename Hosts~Orig as Hosts.
• However, if you only see Hosts then open it and look for adobe entries in it eg: activate.adobe.com , practivate.adobe.com etc

3- If you see these entries there then follow the below steps:

• Select all the Adobe related entries and Delete them, it will ask you to create a copy of hosts please do that and save the "hosts.copy" file on your desktop.
• Now delete the Hosts file which is in your /etc folder.
• After this drag the hosts.copy from desktop to /etc folder, once you see this file successfully moved in to the /etc folder then rename it as "Hosts".

4- Now try the activation again.

Let us know if this helps.

[Chicagolily312]

Hooray, it worked! Thanks Bani for this help.

[Bani Verma]

You're welcome Chicagolily312.