Upgrade CS3 TO CS4 - Serial Number Not Recognised - HELP!

Question

Hi there,
From what I have been reading, there seems to ba a few people who are having problems upgrading to CS4 from CS3. Well, I'm afraid I'm another to add to the list. Can anyone help me in my plight?
My O.S is Windows XP Pro (SP3) and my computer has more than enough nuts and bolts inside it to run NASA never mind CS4! My anti virus is AVG 8.5 and my firewall is Zone Alarm, both of which were disabled during the attempted install.
I purchased the upgrade from the Adobe store (at £165) and had the box delivered - great so-far!
However, when I came to install the upgrade, and after putting in the correct CS4 serial, a window opened to inform me that the system-profile search, failed to find the CS3 in the defaul location - and believe me it's there! I followed the on-screen instructions, typing-in the serial number of my (leagally-bought) CS3; to my horror, it told me that the serial number was 'not a valid copy' when it clearly is!!
I have successfully installed the CS4 Upgrade only on a 30 day trial basis but still cannot register as it then tells me that BOTH my serial numbers are invalid. Suffice to say that the 30 day trial version was later uninstalled and I am now back to square-one and £165 poorer!
I have opened a case with Adobe but after over a week have still had no reply. Phoning customer support in the UK was also a no-no as their office hours (9-5 Mon to Fri) are not compatible with me as I cannot be next to my machine during these times (Unless I take a day off!) My next option is to phone the States but hey - it's only money!!
My question is therefore - can anyone help or make suggestions as to how I can resolve this issue. A point to note that after buying and installing CS3 I notice in the headline (once the programme is running) it is labelled 'CS3 EXTENDED'  yet this is not written on the box - is this normal? The CS4 Upgrade was the same so it looks like I am trying to install a like-for-like product.
Thanks in anticipation.
Smudge

Answer 1

What's the point though of issuing upgrades that don't upgrade?
Well, once it was pretty easy. There was only one full-version of PS. Back then, there were variations with terms like "Lite," and "LE," and these were basically bundled with scanners, etc. They were the precursors to PSElements. For a bit, there were only two PS and PSE. The "upgrade" was either the full-version upgraded to the next version, or the full-version from PSE. Then "Extended" was introduced, and now there are two full-versions. Each will have their own upgrade path, so some care needs to be exercised. Extended basically offers more video capabilities over the "regular."
Upgrade paths have also changed, and can come into play, when one uses a stand-alone to upgrade to a "suite." Once, one could upgrade separate programs directly, but with suites, things get a tad more complicated. Though I've had straight PS versions since 2.5, once I went to the Production Stuido suite with PrPro, AE and Audition, I could no longer use my PS license to JUST upgrade PS to PS-Extended. I would have to do the full suite, and now there are several flavors of the Video suites, with one including upgrades for all of my old Macromedia Studio suite. I follow this stuff fairly closely, and have to admit that I am confused, and the Adobe site (good in many other ways) does not cover the various suites and how to get to each from where one is, as well as it could. However, a chart of all possibilities and what is in each suite might fill four screens.
Then, you have to factor in that many resellers do not furnish all the necessary info on what is needed to qualify for specific upgrades. Once, when there were fewer resellers, one had to give the S/N for their existing product, and then this was matched up to the requirements of the upgrade. Now, there are just too many resellers to do that - or Adobe has become a bit more, um-m, "relaxed."
Over the decades, I have found Adobe Customer Support (not necessarily Technical Support) to be quite good and accommodating, when I did have any problem. In the past, they did all that they could to keep me satisfied, and did a good job of it.
Good luck, and please report how it goes,
Hunt