We reported earlier this week an issue in which Photoshop CS3 and other Adobe CS3 apps fail to launch under Mac OS X 10.6.3. In some cases, the application launches then immediately quits; in others the dock bounces in the icon and proceeds no further.
Adobe has now addressed this issue in a TechNote, and says that launch will fail on systems “where the system serial number is a value with more than 12 characters. This appears to only be the case when the system serial number doesn’t have a valid number, but instead has a value such as ‘System Serial#’, or ‘SystemSerialNumb.'”
The TechNote echoes two solutions we published in our earlier report: turning off the Rosetta option and reverting to Mac OS X 10.6.2. It also offers a third option: “OBTAIN A NEW SYSTEM SERIAL NUMBER; For assistance with this, please contact Apple or your Apple reseller.”
Some users have already reported success with the replacement serial number solution. Apple Discussions poster Nick Savis writes;
“I took the Mac to the Apple store I bought it from and the tech knew where to find it. The he boots up from a CD containing a special application just for this purpose. It took about 2 minutes. It was free for me because they replaced the mother board and forgot to insert Serial No.”
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.
Thanks for pointing me there. I had mylogic board replaced a while ago and faced the same issue. I went to my Apple reseller today and they entered the serial number again. Works like a charm now!
I had my logic board replaced a couple months ago, and yes, after updating to Mac OS X 10.6.3 my Adobe CS3 no longer works. Checked under “About This Mac” and my serial number reads “Serial Number System Serial#”. I will be contacting the authorized Apple dealer who did the logic board replacement to get them to fix my Mac. Thanks for the heads-up on a solution.
Thanks for pointing me there. I had mylogic board replaced a while ago and faced the same issue. I went to my Apple reseller today and they entered the serial number again. Works like a charm now!
I had my logic board replaced a couple months ago, and yes, after updating to Mac OS X 10.6.3 my Adobe CS3 no longer works. Checked under “About This Mac” and my serial number reads “Serial Number System Serial#”. I will be contacting the authorized Apple dealer who did the logic board replacement to get them to fix my Mac. Thanks for the heads-up on a solution.
What’s strange is that I have a serial that fits the description of one that PS CS3 should not work, and it does. Riddle me that one.