How to get rid of the CS4 registration number?

Question

Hi, I'm running into a problem as usual with the Adobe upgrades. Not just their fault! After installing on my desktop Mac, I copied my disk to my Powerbook's new drive and added a fresh OS install. Now, the CS4 apps won't launch and I get the usual message: registration informations are obsolete. How do I get from here? If I delete (un-install) and re-install CS4, the problem persists (Installer doesn't ask for the rego). Which file(s) should I manually trash?
CS4 has a feature to clear registration numbers, but to access the command, one of the CS4 apps must be launched, which is not possible. Is there something in one of the numerous small programs that have been added to the suite? Thanks for your time!
Paul

Answer 1

error 150:30
I could get there, finally, but had to tweak things manually....
The Adobe installers become increasingly fussy. I already had a recurrent failure when I installed CS3. After much time lost in investigations (I first thought that having installed a demo previously was the cause), almost by chance, I found on the Adobe website a diagnostic tool for CS3. It reported that the failure to install was due to a broken link alias present in the ColorSync folder. This diagnostic tool is now included in the CS4 installation in a more user friendly form, though still not fully efficient for the end user (no clear explanation for some error codes). Running Adobe Support Advisor returned a link to a support page mentioning that a problem came during installation from the inability to over-write some fonts that were locked, and advised to unlock all fonts. I did it by click info on the font folders and by unlocking the folders and all contents (not forgetting the Adobe Fonts folder). Re-installed for the fifth time after running another CS4 clean script, CS4 elements search and delete, and additional Acrobat and Dreamweaver removal. No change, still the same error message at launch! :- (
Error message was: Product License is no longer valid. Below, it was mentioned that the computer needed to be restarted to use the product, etc. Error 150:30. It was in fact two different problems summed up in one message, hence the difficulty to figure a way out. The Font folder problem reported by ASA was not the only problem, and overwriting another file was probably the culprit, as I found here next:
A search for error 150:30 on Google returned a helpful link:
Amitoj Singh, "AMT Subsystem Failure Error is Ridiculous!" #2, 10 Nov 2007 9:14 am Had I found that link earlier, it would have saved my day and a next morning headache!
User Irridiaskye's post is about FLEXnet. I'm not sure, but this seems to be a folder that keeps registration process records. I actually didn't do exactly what Cindy did, but the result is probably the same.
Here's what worked for me:
Found the folder in Library/ Application Support/ FLEXnet Publisher/ Service. Displaced the folders named 11.5.0 from the Service folder to the desktop (mind if you have CS3 still running, the older folder named 11.03.005 could be for it, though it's just speculations from my part).
Found the folder Library/ Preferences/ FLEXnet Publisher/ FLEXnet. Removed the tsf and log files.
Restarted the computer. Photoshop launched, fit and active without asking anything more. I could upgrade the suite from the web.
It should be nice if the un-installers could deal with such problems linked with old registration files, wrong aliases and the like! Copying drive contents to a new hard drive or to a book, instead of spending days re-installing dozens of programs that needs to be updated is just normal life, even if it's certainly not optimal. Anyway, two days spent installing CS4 is perhaps not that bad. I know, some out there are still pulling their hair at it!
Thanks for your help!