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 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.
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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.