A Rant and A Lesson

[Rick Law]

This is a rant, just blowing hot air...  I hate this activation idea.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lesson:  Always save files by exported it to generic standard format instead of product-specific work files
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So, I was digging into my old home videos to make a short clip of a recently departed relative.  I had a lot of old videos with him in it.

About 10 years ago, I purchased Adobe Premiere Pro V1.5 (>$600 US) and used that to format/file clips from my digitized home videos.  I saved that old PC just for old videos.  So, for the first time in years, I booted it up...

>> reactivation required:  so no problem, did that all the time whenever I recovered from a backup (ghost image)
>> internet activation: no problem, that's the way I used to do it
>> -----------  this time, no result
>> -----------  tried later, no result, again, no result
>> try the activation by phone: just a voice recording to go to the website www.adobe.com/go/activation
     - it was just a help page only for a couple of products and nothing on Premiere Pro
>> searched the web and didn't find answers

Well, now the memorial service is history, I couldn't make one for that purpose anymore but I still wanted to find perhaps some clips to reformat and email to relatives...  But of course without the program running, it is going to be difficult.

I wish I had just exported all files to generic MPG instead of keeping a load of videos as Premiere's work file...  I saved that as work files because I want to keep the edit markers.  Now I loose all edit marker and I have to hunt down a way to look at those work files, those small clips in the work folder...I know I did not kept the original video captured from tape.  Instead, I separated them into different clips in Adobe's project file(s).

I think I will reload that machine to pre-Install state (not uninstalled), reload, and it should run (with limited features) for 30 days.  I know that excludes the codec writer (which has a separate activation).   I am hoping somehow it would be enough for me to exports my 1.5TB of old digitized home video at least in some form!

Activating one time is an inconvenience, but re-activate... I HATE (re)ACTIVATION!

[nctnico]

IOW: buy software but download & install the cracked version to avoid this kind of nuisance.

[RoGeorge]

If you are lucky to live long enough, it will happen to you with all kinds of file formats, not only videos.
Then it's time for you to be happy for living long enough, and not otherwise.
)

A little offtopic, but your case is a good example for why someone should never shoot pics in RAW format.
As an example, JPG might still be there 50 years from now, but are you sure that your top <insert brand name camera here> RAW format will still be readable?

So, users please be wise, and don't assume your <insert brand name camera here> will still be a name 50 years from now.
This now famous brand name might be completely forgotten in the future, while you are still alive.

[darrellg]

The source video files should still be there. Premiere just saves edit points in a separate file.

[Rick Law]

The source video files should still be there. Premiere just saves edit points in a separate file.

That's what I am hoping, all those little clip should be in there.  The filing info inside the premiere project (such as  xx's birthday at age x) are gone without running Premiere.

Mean time, I am hoping I can re-open the projects with the "30-days trial" and see what I can get back out.  To redo the trial, I have to load system-image from before I loaded Premiere, and install premiere to have the 30 days trial back.  If I can't do much with the un-activated 30 days trial, I will have to muck around the raw files.

If you are lucky to live long enough, it will happen to you with all kinds of file formats, not only videos.
Then it's time for you to be happy for living long enough, and not otherwise.
)

A little offtopic, but your case is a good example for why someone should never shoot pics in RAW format.
As an example, JPG might still be there 50 years from now, but are you sure that your top <insert brand name camera here> RAW format will still be readable?

So, users please be wise, and don't assume your <insert brand name camera here> will still be a name 50 years from now.
This now famous brand name might be completely forgotten in the future, while you are still alive.

Yeah.  I knew it too.  I was expecting keeping the PC would keep the existing software running.  There could be a timer there forcing reactivation, or may be I swap a network-card or something.   I knew I should, but I didn't.  Being lazy (in not exporting to generic mpg) hits me this time.  Dumb me.

Let this be the lesson - knowing is not enough, doing is more important.

[razberik]

IOW: buy software but download & install the cracked version to avoid this kind of nuisance.

Very true, experienced with Altium and OrCAD. In moral point of view it is absolutely alright.