Adobe CS4 requests licence unless admin has used first

[dgsmith]

A bit bizarre, but with our Adobe CS4 Design Premium (any part), it asks for the licence key if used by a limited account first, whereas if an admin logs on to the machine and launches it, then any users logging on thereafter can use it fine; it's as if an admin account running the program "unlocks" it, but this is terribly inconvenient going around each machine we install it on and just running it!

 

Am I missing something obvious? Is there a way this should be automated (well I guess there is, but no idea why it's doing what it is doing). Even failing that, is there some reg key we can change to make it run through the actions it does when an admin logs on?

[dgsmith]

Quite a unique issue then?

[DMcCoy]

How did you deploy it? With the enterprise deployment guide and a custom install, just run from the dvd or standard msi?

[EduTech]

Hmm, we have had something like this.

 

I know everytime we made a build for the software and then sent out the image we got an issue with the software always asking for you to regsiter it.

 

we had to get a uniqe key from adobe everytime we made an image.

 

I know its a little different to licence key... but might be along the same path

 

James.

[dgsmith]

How did you deploy it? With the enterprise deployment guide and a custom install, just run from the dvd or standard msi?

 

Using CC4, however we are able to copy the contents of the disks to to our packages area and use command line syntax to execute installation of specific parts of it, so essentially using the deployment quite method.

 

Hmm, we have had something like this.

 

I know everytime we made a build for the software and then sent out the image we got an issue with the software always asking for you to regsiter it.

 

we had to get a uniqe key from adobe everytime we made an image.

 

I know its a little different to licence key... but might be along the same path

 

James.

 

Are you referring to registration and activation the same or differently? We have been able to supress settings such as registration, however as I say logging on and running as admin then activates the software (we don't need to enter anything further). When we go to the "About" area in the software and check deactivate, it gives us the option to do so, suggesting it has actually activated it properly for use.

[dgsmith]

Noone seen it with CS3 either? Are we really the only ones to suffer with this?!

[dhicks]

Noone seen it with CS3 either? Are we really the only ones to suffer with this?!

 

I simply followed the instructions given with CS3 to create a distributable silent install, complete with serial number in the config file. Admittedly we cheat somewhat and have an admin-privileges "install" user that, when logged in, simply runs a startup script that checks to see what software is installed, and what version, then installs or upgrades anything that it missing. This method seems to avoid most pitfalls I've come across in the past (CS3 certainly seems to install with no problems, and we don't have to mess around trying to repackage stuff into MSIs - we can always script GUI install routines with AutoIt if every other option fails), although obviously we do have to log in as "install" every time we want to install or update something. We could add the install script as an automated job, though, I suppose.

 

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David Hicks

[dgsmith]

dhicks, are you saying that you need to logon as an admin user and run these install jobs on CS3/4, or just generally speaking that you do this anyway, even though it may work without the need?

 

I'm sure logging in and running as an admin must alter a registry key or maybe a few, which we may be able to do via GP, but knowing if that is the cae and which ones would go beyond what I know.

[ZeroHour]

In CS3 we had a problem where the software was deployed using an admin account (wininstall uses a windows account you make to deploy, not a actual user doing it) and if you tried to run acrobat as the first program from the suite it would tell you it could not run because any of the other cs3 packages (e.g. photoshop) had to be run first to sort the licensing out. Our licensing requires no net activation btw. What I did was script the installer to run photoshop when its done, wait 30 seconds then reboot (as we only deploy cs3 on initial build and it was the stage app to go on)

[dhicks]

dhicks, are you saying that you need to logon as an admin user and run these install jobs on CS3/4, or just generally speaking that you do this anyway, even though it may work without the need?

 

I just log on as an admin anyway, even though it may work without the need.

 

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David Hicks