CS4 Install

nhxpnhxp Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
edited March 1, 2009 in Finishing School
Question,

Can I load CS4 onto an external hard drive and move it between computers?
Is it legal? Will it work? I had a PC die a year ago and when I tried to reload CS3 on my replacment PC it would not let me. I went to Adobe and worked my way through a bunch of menus to talk to a person I could not unserstand without asking them to repeat everything a couple of times. They finally gave me a new reg# to allow me to install it on my new computer.
I am hopeful that if I can load it onto an external HD and the same thing happens again, I can save a bunch of time and frustration.
Many thanks,

Comments

  • Jeremy WinterbergJeremy Winterberg Registered Users Posts: 1,233 Major grins
    edited February 25, 2009
    You should be able to just install it on a couple computers... but you can only use it on one of them at a time.

    The problem with installing on an external, when you install a program like photoshop, it writes information into your registry. And so it probably wont work on a different computer unless its already installed on said computer.

    If anyone else knows more about this, correct me if I'm wrong. But I believe thats how it works.
    Jer
  • webelevywebelevy Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
    edited February 25, 2009
    Actually, each license allows you to install and run the software on 2 computers at the same time (e.g. desktop and laptop). You can install as many times as you like but only 2 instances can be activated at the same time. The installation does write values to the registry so it is not possible to install it on an external drive and 'move' it from one computer to the next without installing on the other computer.

    Hope this helps.
    Merv
  • canon400dcanon400d Banned Posts: 2,826 Major grins
    edited February 26, 2009
    webelevy wrote:
    Actually, each license allows you to install and run the software on 2 computers at the same time (e.g. desktop and laptop). You can install as many times as you like but only 2 instances can be activated at the same time. The installation does write values to the registry so it is not possible to install it on an external drive and 'move' it from one computer to the next without installing on the other computer.

    Hope this helps.
    Merv

    Hi Merv,
    Are you saying it is not possible at all to install it on an external hard drive?
    Regards
    Bob
  • webelevywebelevy Registered Users Posts: 5 Beginner grinner
    edited February 26, 2009
    canon400d wrote:
    Hi Merv,
    Are you saying it is not possible at all to install it on an external hard drive?
    Regards
    Bob

    Bob,
    You can install to an external drive but the OP's question went further in that he wanted the ability to take that drive and run the application from another computer. This cannot be done because the installation writes data to the registry. The registry data allows the program to run. The nstallation on an external drive will not contain the registry information therefore the program will not execute from that drive when connected to another computer.

    Hope this wasn't too confusing:)

    Merv
  • canon400dcanon400d Banned Posts: 2,826 Major grins
    edited February 26, 2009
    webelevy wrote:
    Bob,
    You can install to an external drive but the OP's question went further in that he wanted the ability to take that drive and run the application from another computer. This cannot be done because the installation writes data to the registry. The registry data allows the program to run. The nstallation on an external drive will not contain the registry information therefore the program will not execute from that drive when connected to another computer.

    Hope this wasn't too confusing:)

    Merv

    Not at all Merv I was wanting to install my CS4 on my external just in case this computer went down. I take it I will just send the whole Adobe file from Program files to my external drive.
    Regards
    Bob
  • CAFieldsCAFields Registered Users Posts: 25 Big grins
    edited February 27, 2009
    canon400d wrote:
    Not at all Merv I was wanting to install my CS4 on my external just in case this computer went down. I take it I will just send the whole Adobe file from Program files to my external drive.
    Regards
    Bob
    If you're using the install as a backup for "just in case" and intend to run CS4 from your C: drive, then you'll be disappointed if you have to use it after copying only the Adobe folder from Program Files to your external drive.

    If your OS is Windows XP, then many of your settings including presets, color settings, favorites, actions palette and general CS4 preferences are located in C:\Documents and Settings\ your-username-here \Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4.

    You'll need to copy the files from that location onto your external drive so that you can re-copy them to the original location if needed. Failure to do so would give you a clean "generic" CS4 installation.

    I've found it *very* beneficial to copy those files described above to a backup drive because I have many settings that I don't want to have to take the time to try to replicate. I've lost the "Adobe Photoshop CS4 Prefs.psp" file in the past due to corruption or some other occurrance and having a backup saved the day for me.

    I don't (won't) run Vista, so I'm not sure if the above file locations are exactly the same. I'm using XP.

    If you intend to run the program itself from the external drive and not your C: drive (installing to the external) then I would be extremely concerned about speed issues.
    C.A. Fields

    http://cafields.com
  • canon400dcanon400d Banned Posts: 2,826 Major grins
    edited March 1, 2009
    CAFields wrote:
    If you're using the install as a backup for "just in case" and intend to run CS4 from your C: drive, then you'll be disappointed if you have to use it after copying only the Adobe folder from Program Files to your external drive.

    If your OS is Windows XP, then many of your settings including presets, color settings, favorites, actions palette and general CS4 preferences are located in C:\Documents and Settings\ your-username-here \Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4.

    You'll need to copy the files from that location onto your external drive so that you can re-copy them to the original location if needed. Failure to do so would give you a clean "generic" CS4 installation.

    I've found it *very* beneficial to copy those files described above to a backup drive because I have many settings that I don't want to have to take the time to try to replicate. I've lost the "Adobe Photoshop CS4 Prefs.psp" file in the past due to corruption or some other occurrance and having a backup saved the day for me.

    I don't (won't) run Vista, so I'm not sure if the above file locations are exactly the same. I'm using XP.

    If you intend to run the program itself from the external drive and not your C: drive (installing to the external) then I would be extremely concerned about speed issues.

    Thanks for replying and giving me that information. I am on XP.Can you please tell me how I can get into the following location to copy the files to the external. C:\Documents and Settings\ your-username-here \Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4.
    Regards
    Bob
  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited March 1, 2009
    nhxp wrote:
    Question,

    Can I load CS4 onto an external hard drive and move it between computers?
    Is it legal? Will it work? I had a PC die a year ago and when I tried to reload CS3 on my replacment PC it would not let me. I went to Adobe and worked my way through a bunch of menus to talk to a person I could not unserstand without asking them to repeat everything a couple of times. They finally gave me a new reg# to allow me to install it on my new computer.
    I am hopeful that if I can load it onto an external HD and the same thing happens again, I can save a bunch of time and frustration.
    Many thanks,

    I find this the easiest workaround......get a trial version of Acronis Migrate or TrueImage 2009 and make a working clone of your "C" Drive and store this some place safe......I bought Acronis Migrate7 and have never regretted it for keeping a woring copy(s) of my "C" drive.......as I add software to run I re-migrate to both drives........has been a life saver for me..............
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

  • canon400dcanon400d Banned Posts: 2,826 Major grins
    edited March 1, 2009
    Art Scott wrote:
    I find this the easiest workaround......get a trial version of Acronis Migrate or TrueImage 2009 and make a working clone of your "C" Drive and store this some place safe......I bought Acronis Migrate7 and have never regretted it for keeping a woring copy(s) of my "C" drive.......as I add software to run I re-migrate to both drives........has been a life saver for me..............

    Thanks Art I will certainly look into that and do as you say cause I have a load of plugins but not as many as you by any means. In the meantime can you please tell me how I go about getting into, C:\Documents and Settings\ your-username-here \Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4.
    Regards
    Bob
  • Jeremy WinterbergJeremy Winterberg Registered Users Posts: 1,233 Major grins
    edited March 1, 2009
    canon400d wrote:
    Thanks Art I will certainly look into that and do as you say cause I have a load of plugins but not as many as you by any means. In the meantime can you please tell me how I go about getting into, C:\Documents and Settings\ your-username-here \Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4.
    Regards
    Bob

    go to My Computer...
    in the address bar type in C:\Documents and Settings\ your-username-here \Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4...

    replace your-username-here with the username you use on your computer, for example my username is Jeremy so I would type in C:\Documents and Settings\Jeremy\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4.

    Thats how you get there the fast way.

    The other way to do is... go to my computer
    go to your C drive
    click on documents and settings
    click on your username
    in the address bar add application data to the end of it
    then go do adobe
    and finally adobe photoshop cs4

    the first way is easier and faster in my opinion... I use Vista x64 bit (really excited about Windows 7, the final version of Vista pretty stable even in the beta form) and I haven't used XP is ages, but thats how you do it.
    Jer
  • canon400dcanon400d Banned Posts: 2,826 Major grins
    edited March 1, 2009
    Jeremy Winterberg wrote:
    go to My Computer...
    in the address bar type in C:\Documents and Settings\ your-username-here \Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4...

    replace your-username-here with the username you use on your computer, for example my username is Jeremy so I would type in C:\Documents and Settings\Jeremy\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4.

    Thats how you get there the fast way.

    The other way to do is... go to my computer
    go to your C drive
    click on documents and settings
    click on your username
    in the address bar add application data to the end of it
    then go do adobe
    and finally adobe photoshop cs4

    the first way is easier and faster in my opinion... I use Vista x64 bit (really excited about Windows 7, the final version of Vista pretty stable even in the beta form) and I haven't used XP is ages, but thats how you do it.

    Thanks Jeremy those instructions were spot on.
    Cheers
    Bob
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