Acrobat 8 3D "invalid serial number" message

Question

I'm getting the message, "You have entered an invalid serial number. Please reinstall Adobe Acrobat 8 professional and enter in a valid serial number when asked."
However, the fixes on the Adobe forums for this problem state that it occurs due to Creative Suite 3 (CS3) installations, but I haven't had the CS3 installed on this Windows XP SP2 machine.
I only have standalone InDesign CS3 installed, not the suite. I had the beta standalone IDCS3 installed, and uninstalled it before installing the shipping version.
I had the shipping version of FrameMaker 8 standalone installed. I uninstalled it before installing the beta Technical Communications Suite (TCS). I uninstalled it, restarted Windows XP SP2, then installed the shipping version of TCS, registered it, and authorized it.
With the exception of Acrobat 8 3D, the TCS applications run fine.
I've tried repairing the Acrobat 8 3D component of TCS, and also tried updating to 8.1.1, but no change in the message.
I've only found solutions for the invalid license error that relate to CS3, not TCS.
Before I uninstall TCS, which takes over an hour, and then run the CS3 cleanup script at level 2 - the Adobe knowledgebase recommendation, I'd like to know if this procedure has been successful for anyone who has had the problem, but hadn't installed CS3. I don't want to find out that running the CS3 cleanup script level 2 causes damage because the suite isn't and wasn't installed.
Has anyone done this?
Regards,
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

Answer 1

]Sometimes it feels we're more like the coal-miners canaries...<br /><br />Tweet! Tweet! Cough! Cough! Arrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhh!!! .....<G><br /><br />Hi, Arnis:<br /><br />There is some perverse pleasure in stumbling into a near-lethal (or at least crazy-making) situation in beta testing, and solving it as well, for the benefit of others in the community of users we all belong to. If only the bug lists would honor these brave souls by naming the bug discovery after them, as well as identifying them with prosaic bug-database numbers<G>.<br /><br />Your solution was very helpful. Here are some notes that may be helpful to others. I'm also reporting this to the beta program.<br /><br />* Removing TCS with Add/Remove Programs didn't fix it. In addition, somehow, although TCS was removed from the application list in A/R, it seemed to be on my system, even after restarting the computer and Windows! I could launch some of the applications, but because it seemed so uncertain, I didn't want to stop at this point and pray nothing would go wrong later. <br /><br />* I ran Microsoft Install Repair Utility, which seemed not to do much. <br /><br />* I rebooted and reinstalled TCS, but had the same problem with Acrobat 3D, so I figured the cleaning wasn't complete. So I uninstalled it, then ran Microsoft Install Repair again, after which...<br /><br />* I copied a bunch of settings files and third-party scripts and plug-ins from Programs/Application Support/Adobe, and my User/Application Support/Adobe folders for the installed ID CS3, and also zipped the whole installation to preserve any information I might need to recover or information about where things need to go in the directory tree, before uninstalling InDesign CS3 and InCopy CS3. Then I ran the Adobe clean-up script level 2, which ran the Microsoft utility.<br /><br />Just to be "extra careful," I ran the Microsoft utility separately; This time it proposed to remove itself! Must be something to do with having nothing left to clean up? Removing it results in the Adobe cleanup script level 2 reporting that the utility isn't installed, needs to be, and quits. Circles within circles - confusing in its helpful way, or helpful in its confusing way.<br /><br />* I ran the Adobe CS3 Clean Up Script level 2, in the preview mode, to see what it planned to do. It proposed to remove InDesign and InCopy CS3 directories, so I removed them before proceeding. <br /><br />* Finally, ran the CS3 clean up script level 2 for real, rebooted, installed TCS, gave the serial number, and was back in business...almost. <br /><br /> - Applications launched OK, including Acrobat 8 3D, but, attempting to save a FM document as PDF displayed an error that Distiller couldn't run because Acrobat 8 3D wasn't activated (even though the TCS activation was working for all apps in the suite). While I was doing another slow burn because this was a reprise of one of the problems that sent me on this Odyssey hours and days earlier, Lo! and Behold!, Distiller launched, then Acrobat opened to display the PDF. I'm guessing that Acrobat 8 wasn't *running* at the time I did Save As PDF, so the error was an error in detecting Acrobat. Man!<br /><br />* I was going to leave out the part where I mistakenly entered the beta-test serial number when launching the new TCS installation, which was accepted and worked up to the point that the validator closed the application! The only solution was to uninstall, run MS utility for good luck, pray, and reinstall, which was successful. I provided the correct serial number, and am back in business. <br /><br />This is pilot error, but it reveals a bug that should be fixed - the application should not give a green check mark (valid serial) indicator to a timed-out serial number. The serial should be invalid if it is invalid.<br /><br />Another bug is that the option to activate the suite by checking an application in the final screen should not provide check boxes for the three applications - the check boxes should be radio buttons. Checking multiple applications opens each checked application and prompts for validation. Very confusing!!!<br /><br />Hoping that this helps others stay out of trouble, or that this helps them find solutions.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Peter Gold<br />KnowHow ProServices