Photoshop activation - Adobe Support says they don't support Parallels Desktop

S

snapso

Bit poster
Just wondering if anyone else has run into this or a similar issue with installation of any Windows app.

I have Photoshop CS4 for Windows. Has been running well on my HP laptop, no issues with installation, activation or use.

Using Windows XP / Parallels on a MacBook Pro, the serial number is shown as invalid.

I contacted Adobe support and after a long chat session during which I was transferred from customer service to tech support I was told "we do not support the installation on Parallels Desktop. Please try to install the product on single operating system".

I may try with an earlier version of Photoshop (5.5) but wondered if anyone else has had similar issues.
 
It's probably not a matter of supporting Parallels. It's a matter of how many machines a licensed piece of software can run on. You may be allowed to only run it on one machine. The only way to move the license would be to uninstall PS from the HP laptop and then install it in Parallels.

I don't use PS, so I couldn't tell you how their licensing works.

Steve
 
Hi Steve,

Thanks for that, and I'd love to say that fixed it, but no. Adobe licensing is for one person, one machine - with the exception that the same person can use the same software serial number on a laptop as well as a desktop machine (but not at the same time). There is a serial number check after installation to check the serial number is valid, and on a new installation a subsequent check to make sure that no other computer is running the same licensed software.

I've just deauthorized both my laptop and desktop, so no other machines have the serial number, but the problem persists.

Adobe tech support indicated the issue was that I need a Mac OS version of Photoshop for a MacBook Pro, but can use my Windows version on a Windows laptop. That is, you can't run Photoshop for Windows on a MacBook Pro that is using Parallels and Windows. As they said, they don't support Parallels.

I'm pretty much over Adobe - expensive software, and now new versions are only on Cloud-based subscription so you are always paying. I'll try Photoshop 5.5 in the above scenario to see if that will work, but if not I'll move to Apple's Aperture and say good riddance.

Parallels I have to say is working great in Coherence view - great job, and thanks.
 
Adobe obviously doesn't know what they are talking about. Running Windows in a VM is Windows, plain and simple. If you are sure you have de-authorized your existing installation, I'd try again. Does the licensing look for a network ID for an interface like ethernet or wifi? Try matching the MAC ID of the PC in the network hardware settings of the VM.

Steve
 
Thanks Steve - I think I've finally got it all worked out. Copying the MAC address of my old laptop (which had the de-authorised version of CS4) to the VM didn't work initially and I thought it was game over. But I have just uninstalled Photoshop and re-installed, still using the revised MAC address - that seems to have worked.

The software does an initial system check before installing, which is why I think a re-install was needed.

So thanks for the support - the workaround appears to work and I'm happy to have persisted.
 
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