How to reinstall CS3

Question

I cannot re-install CS3 after having lost it re-loading Windows.  The error message tells me to uninstall CS3 first, but since it is not now installed, I can't do that.  I have tried downloading and installing the cleanup tool from Adobe, but that doesn't want to install either, and my security keeps telling me that its publisher is unknown and that it could be harmful.  I have a new system with both XP and Win 7 OSs on a partitioned hard drive.  I want to re-install on XP, as Win 7 is giving me all sorts of problems.  (Adobe support is not available for this problem on CS3.)  Any suggestions?

Answer 1

It's not an activation issue if you can't get the installer to run, that would only come up AFTER a successful installation and an attempt to re-activate. Activation issues are easily handled by calling the activation center at the number in the dialog.
Adobe engineer Matthew Laun sent me the following information a month or so ago when I enquired about the future of the clean scripts since Microsoft is no longer posting the msicuu2.exe tool for download, and that was used during the cleanup process:
Most installation issues can be fixed with this simple algorithm:
WINDOWS:
1) Use Add/Remove programs to remove All installed Adobe applications
2) Ensure the following folders are removed from the system:
     \Program Files\Adobe*
    \Program Files\Common Files\Adobe
     \Program Files\Common Files\Macrovision Shared\FLEXnet Publisher
     \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe
     \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\FLEXnet
     \Documents and Settings\[user]\Application Data\Adobe
     \Documents and Settings\[user]\Local Settings\Application Data\Adobe
3) Back up the registry, and delete the following objects:
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macrovision\FLEXnet Publisher
     HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe
4) Re-install.
I believe the CS5 clean tool (Adobe - Adobe CS5 Clean Script) is also capable of removing CS3.
When it's time to reinstall CS3 you really need to be properly prepared. The CS3 installers were just plain awful. Here is a list of tips I wrote for my sudents when CS3 was released. The clean script stuff at the very end is probably no longer valid, nor is the possibility of gettng a replacement disk. I have not included instructions for doing a so-called desktop installation.
Tips for Installing Adobe Creative Suite 3
Without doubt, this release of the Creative suite has sparked more trouble and complaints during installation than any other product in Adobe history. Keep in mind that MOST people are able to install without incident, and you probably will as well.
Like any other software installation, there are certain general rules you should follow, like turning off your anti-virus and setting a system restore point in Windows, but there are a number of known issues at this point that lead me to offer the following advice based on my own experience and reading what others have found on the Adobe user forums. If you are not comfortable doing the things outlined below, get help from someone who knows what they are doing.
My first installation failed because of a bad DVD drive that had problems reading a file. I figured this out after about 3 hours of waiting for the installer to do nothing after it was 60% complete, so I tried copying the DVD to my desktop to install from there. That’s when Windows threw a copy error and I knew what was going on. I replaced the drive and it went fine. Some people are also reporting bad disks, which Adobe will replace. If you’ve ever experienced trouble with playing a DVD on your drive, I’d try copying and running from the desktop.
Now for the real information. First and foremost be sure your system meets the minimum requirements for installation, or the installer will not run, and may not tell you why. Remember that minimum requirements are just that, the least you need for the programs to function. To function well you will need a fast computer with lots of RAM, at least 1 GB, and 2 is better. In order to install you MUST BE LOGGED IN AS AN ADMINISTRATOR. In fact I recommend the built in Administrator account, which is often hidden from users on Windows XP. If you need directions on how to get to it, let me know, but any administrator account should work.
Uninstall Flash Player 8 (I had to download the uninstaller from Adobe.com. See the link below).
Click Start > Run and type MSconfig and hit enter. Disable all non-essential services and all non-essential items in the startup items, particularly anything to do with Anti-virus, spyware protection or third party firewalls, and then reboot. You can hide all Microsoft service in the services tab of MSconfig to make it easier, and most of what’s left will be non-essential, though if anything looks like it has to do with your DVD drive or your mouse you’ll want to leave it checked. It’s probably safe to turn off everything in the Startup tab, but again, if you recognize a mouse driver, leave it on. MSconfig will run as soon as you restart the computer and if everything seems OK, just cancel for the moment.
Be sure the Windows firewall is disabled. Third-party firewalls should have been disabled in Msconfig. Other things that should be disabled include any instant messenger, iTunes, and Google toolbars or similar from other vendors if you run them.
Click Start > Run and type “regsvr32 jscript.dll” with the space, but without the quotes, and hit enter. You should see a dialog saying it was successful. In theory this should not be necessary, but some manufactures apparently don’t enable javascript by default. Doing it again won’t hurt anything.
Set Internet Explorer as the default browser, be sure Java is enabled, and turn off pop-up blocking (may not be necessary, but Java certainly is).
Be sure you have some sort of default printer (as far as I know, even fax viewer will do) and that it is online if it is a physical printer.
Adobe recommends that you not have more than one version of Acrobat installed on your computer. The CS3 installer should remove old versions on it’s own, but feel free to use Add/Remove programs to do it first.  There is no need to remove previous versions of other Adobe products (other than the Flash player mentioned above), and if you’ve got old files you still want to work with, or you need to exchange files with people who don’t have the newest versions, I recommend keeping the old versions installed, at least for a while, if you have space on your hard drive. Among other things, they will continue to work even if the new ones don’t.
Run the installer. It took about 40 minutes on my computers, but times will vary depending on your system. More than two hours and I think you have a problem. Hopefully you will be able to complete the online registration and activation, and it will probably want to download updates, too. You can always get the updates yourself from Adobe.com. If you should happen to receive any messages about Bonjour trying to access the internet or similar, be sure you allow it.
Once the installation is complete, reboot your computer. This time in Msconfig check the “normal startup” box to return your system to its regular configuration and restore your antivirus and firewall protection. Correct any other changes you made that MSconfig didn’t fix, and enjoy.
Useful Links:
How to remove Flash Player and links to tools: http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_14157&sliceId=2
The Adobe Clean Script (which you will need to run first if you’ve had a beta version of Photoshop or maybe some trial versions, and which is useful for cleaning up after a failed installation): http://www.adobe.com/support/contact/cs3clean.html
Windows Installer Cleanup Utility (used in conjunction with the cleanup script, but useful in it’s own right if you have other installation failure issues. Read the directions and the warnings on the web page.): http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301