How To Renew Adobe Trial Mac For Free
Welcome to Adobe Forum, In addition to what Rajesh mentioned, I would like to add that: Adobe reset the trial experience for Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Muse CC only. This reset allows anyone who previously used a trial of these software titles to evaluate the software title for an additional 30 days. How to Get Photoshop for Free. This wikiHow teaches you how to download a free trial of Photoshop. While it isn't possible to obtain legally a free copy of the full version of Photoshop, you can download a 7-day trial on both Windows and Mac computers to see if Photoshop is a good fit for you.
If you have recently downloaded a trial software and want to test it for more than the trial period which is normally 30 days, this article is exactly for you. This article describes different ways to extend the trial period of trial software.
The below methods will not be able to get you complete software. If the trial version of the software runs with limitations, they will still run in limitation as the trial software will always remain in trial using these methods.
Please note that we are suggesting these ways only for people who want to evaluate the software for more than 30 days and then buy the software. It is always recommended to buy a software if you like it. This will help the developers keep the software up to date.
The best way to use the software in extended evaluation is to contact the software vendor and ask them for an extended evaluation time. They will most probably entertain your request and give you some extended evaluation time.
Reinstall the software/Reset Date and Time
The easiest way to reset a trial version of the software is that you can uninstall it and then re-install it again. This will reset the trial version. Most modern software use advanced techniques and will not allow you to reset the trial version of the software even after re-installation.
The other workaround is to play with your system date and time. You can adjust your system clock to a earlier date after installing the software. The software will continue to work as it uses the system date to see if the 30 day trial period is over or not. Most modern software have protection against this method. If these two methods fail, you may see the next method.
Use a third-party uninstaller
Usually trial software will save their licensing information in a registry key or a file on the hard drive. Most third-party uninstaller tools will include a registry monitor and a file monitor. They will save every action performed by the installer of the trial software. You can then uninstall the trial software using the third-party uninstaller which will delete all the registry entries and files created by the trial software.
You may try out some free apps like Revo Uninstaller, Glary Utilities and GeekUninstaller. You may also try out more powerful commercial apps like Total Uninstall or Your Uninstaller. If the trial software uses the Internet to get the licensing info, you may block Internet access for that particular program.
Backup and restore registry
If you haven’t installed the software yet and you’re sure that the software uses the Windows Registry to save its licensing information, you can backup the registry and then restore it when the software is about to expire.
Using Time Stopper software
Time Stopper is a popular software which has been created exactly for the task of freezing the time of trial software. Time Stopper will stop the trial time when it is used. If the trial period has already ended, it is of no use to use Time Stopper as it will not be able to reverse the time.
Using Time Stopper is quite easy. Just browse the executable of the trial software, choose the date that you want to freeze. This date should be within the trial period of the software otherwise it will not work. Then you can open the software on the specified date and time.
Please note that after patching the trial software with Time Stopper, you must always use the Time Stopper utility to open that software otherwise the trial will end instantly.
Please note that Time Stopper installer will try to install other add-on software. You can uncheck these not to be installed.
Using RunAsDate software
RunAsDate is a portable software very similar to Time Stopper. RunAsDate allows you to run a program on the date and time you have specified. The advantage of RunAsDate is that it does not change the system date and time. It will only inject the date and time into the desired application.
Using RunAsDate is quite easy. You will need to browse the application path, specify date and time and hit the Run button to execute the app on the specified date and time. You can also create a desktop shortcut for the frozen app.
There is another software called Trial Reset. It is a special registry cleaner which can remove the licensing information registry keys of many shareware/demo software so that the software can be installed again with full trial time. I haven’t included it in this list as there are many negative review about the software.
Related Articles
- 1 Remove Trial Status From Illustrator CS5
- 2 Activate Commercial Licenses for Kaspersky
- 3 Run Illustrator on Multiple Machines
- 4 Find a Lost Quickbooks Product & License Number
If you've installed a copy of Adobe Photoshop CS4 on one of your company's Mac computers, the program may display an error message when you try to launch it, stating that its licensing or serial number has expired or that you're using an invalid serial number. You're not alone in your predicament -- or your frustration -- especially if you see this error message the first time you try to start up the program after you install it. How you handle this problem depends on whether your serial number actually has expired, or if you're seeing interference from a pre-release trial or pre-purchase demo version of the software.
Expired Serial Number
1.Open the Apple menu and choose 'System Preferences.' Select the 'Date and Time' preference pane and change your computer's clock date to January 1, 2006. This workaround overcomes the Catch 22 that arises because you must launch the software to remove the old serial number, but the expired serial number prevents you from launching the software. You can leave the time set to the correct value.
2.Start Adobe Photoshop CS4. Open the 'Help' menu and choose 'Deactivate.' On the deactivation screen, activate the check box for 'Erase This Serial Number' and click on the 'Deactivate' button. Retail serial numbers for standalone copies of Adobe Photoshop or the Adobe Creative Suite don't expire, but demonstration copies and public beta-test or pre-release versions use licensing with short-term serial numbers.
3.Reopen System Preferences and select the 'Date and Time' preference pane. Reset your computer clock to the correct date.
4.Start Adobe Photoshop. When the program requests a valid serial number partway through the startup process, enter the serial number for a retail version of the software with no expiration date on its license. If you own a license for Photoshop CS, CS2 or CS3, you can use an upgrade serial number. Because Photoshop CS4 no longer represents the shipping version of the product, you can't obtain it from Adobe Systems. If you didn't purchase a Photoshop CS4 license during the shipping lifespan of the product, you may be able to find a sealed or transferable copy on an online auction site.
Interference from Pre-Release or Demo Software
1.Open your Application folder and navigate to the Adobe Photoshop CS4 folder. Inside it, locate the Uninstall Adobe Photoshop CS4 item and double-click on it to remove Photoshop from your system.
Free Adobe Trial Downloads
2.Open a Finder window and navigate to the Library folder at its main level. Within that folder, locate the Application Support folder and open the Adobe folder inside it. 'Shift'-click on the 'Adobe PCD,' 'Caps' and 'Backup' folders and press 'Cmd-Delete' to move them to the Trash.
3.Insert your Adobe Photoshop CS4 installation disc and double-click on its installer file, or locate and double-click on your downloaded installer file for the program. Follow the installation instructions. When you're prompted for a serial number, enter the number on your disc box or from the purchase-confirmation email message you received from Adobe Systems.
Tips
- In some cases, customers who participated in beta testing or who evaluated pre-release versions of Adobe CS4 software have trouble installing the retail product and activating it with a valid serial number. In these cases, traces of the test or evaluation software versions remain on the customers' computers, forcing them to use workarounds to get their products properly licensed and running. Most commonly, these customers must uninstall the retail version of the software and remove specific folders created by the installer, then reinstall the application. See Section 2 for this procedure.
- You can't reinstall a demonstration version of Adobe Photoshop CS4 after the 30-day evaluation period ends. To turn a demo into a working, licensed copy, enter a valid purchased serial number.
- If neither resetting your system clock and entering a valid serial number nor reinstalling Photoshop CS4 resolves the 'expired-license' problem with your copy of the program, contact Adobe Systems (see Resources).
Warning
- Don't reset your computer clock to try to extend Adobe's 30-day demonstration software periods. If you do, Adobe's licensing provisions will deactivate the demo regardless of how much time remains before it expires.
References (3)
Adobe Trial Version Download
Resources (3)
About the Author
Elizabeth Mott has been a writer since 1983. Mott has extensive experience writing advertising copy for everything from kitchen appliances and financial services to education and tourism. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English from Indiana State University.
Photo Credits
- Oli Scarff/Getty Images News/Getty Images