This is a rant, just blowing hot air... I hate this activation idea.
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Lesson: Always save files by exported it to generic standard format instead of product-specific work files
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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!