We have 2 Macs, one main workstation and another that is basically a 2nd machine/backup

Yesterday, I was informed that on the 2nd Mac, Acrobat became dreadfully slow, spinning ball... etc.

I decided to uninstall all the CC programs and do a new install. Had a lot of trouble getting the creative cloud desktop app to hook up to our account. On the main Mac it hooks up in seconds, on the 2nd Mac it takes minutes. So I opened up the reinstalled Acrobat and it's the same thing. Takes about 5 minutes to open, the ball keeps spinning painfully slow in everything you do. I've done all the checks on the computer, it's running fine unless you try and use CC in any way.

Don't know where to start.... contact Adobe? Is there a way to delete the Acrobat or CC desktop app preferences files?

Any help appreciated.

 

Have you upgraded to CC 2018 yet or still using the 2017 apps?

Quote from: pspdfppdfxhd on October 25, 2017, 12:19:16 PMDon't know where to start.... contact Adobe?

I would not contact Adobe if you are running both Macs with one account.

I use an app called "AppCleaner".  It pulls all the associated files and preferences files and tosses them in the trash. Now an installer should do it and that would be my go to first, not sure why that would not work with Adobes stuff.

Have you tried making a guest account on the 2nd Mac that is having the issues and seeing if Adobe CC still acts wonky? I have had no slow downs with CC 2018.

Quote from: Joe on October 25, 2017, 12:29:09 PM

Quote from: pspdfppdfxhd on October 25, 2017, 12:19:16 PMDon't know where to start.... contact Adobe?

I would not contact Adobe if you are running both Macs with one account.

They never had a problem with this, previously when activating the 2nd Mac about 3 years ago or today, when troubleshooting. Only problem with today..... remote assistance cut out when they were checking out the situation...2x.

Have to try again tommorrow.

My thinking is that if you have upgraded to CC 2018 they might have installed a self exploding bomb on the second machine to keep users from using two installs from one account at the same time. They would probably refer to it as a "feature".

I actually think in the Adobe licensing agreement you are legally entitled to have their software installed and running on two separate machines with a single license.

Quote from: DigiCorn on October 25, 2017, 04:37:15 PMI actually think in the Adobe licensing agreement you are legally entitled to have their software installed and running on two separate machines with a single license.

Just because it is possible to do doesn't mean it is legal to do it. I can walk into a bank and go into the vault and walk out with $50,000 as long as I don't get caught. Is it legal? Nope...

Quote2.1.3 Portable or Home Computer Use. Subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 2.1.4, the primary user of the Computer on which the Software is installed under Section 2.1 ("Primary User") may install a second copy of the Software for his or her exclusive use on either a portable Computer or a Computer located at his or her home, provided that the Software on the portable or home Computer is not used at the same time as the Software on the primary Computer.

Adobe has never allowed one license to operate two different installs at the same time. The provision above is so you can use the same license at a different location. You cannot be in two places at the same time. Only one person can be the Primary user and the software is for "his or her exclusive use on either a portable Computer or a Computer located at his or her home".

Adobe never has and never will allow a company to license, for example, 100 employees using 50 licenses AT THE SAME TIME. (Can you get away with doing it? Yes as long as the software police don't show up at your door. Is it is violation of the End User License Agreement? Yes.)

End User License Agreement

2.1.3 Portable or Home Computer Use. Subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 2.1.4, the primary user of the Computer on which the Software is installed under Section 2.1 ("Primary User") may install a second copy of the Software for his or her exclusive use on either a portable Computer or a Computer located at his or her home, provided that the Software on the portable or home Computer is not used at the same time as the Software on the primary Computer.

I see that......

We've being doing this for years here programs running at the same time. Now it seems technically it just doesn't work after updating to 2018.

Don't you think this should be more clear? I mean even QuarkXpress would not let you run 2 copies at the same time over the network but it would tell you clearly.... you'd have to shut one down to run the other. This is so vague and confusing. I am NOT going to shut down the programs on my computer to see if the other computer will now run Acrobat etc. because then we may have 2 non-functioning Macs.

God bless the Adobe chat support however, I think many of them barely know english. Maybe they tell people straight off: 2 macs, 2 licenses. But they have never done that.

Will try one more time to appease the powers that be who are saying: "Well we've done this for years so why doesn't it work now?"

And to think that with all of the problems I have had with Acrobat over the years, maybe it's all related.

 

When I try for the chat support today maybe I should ask them: IS THE ISSUE THAT WE ARE RUNNING 1 LICENSE ON 2 COMPUTERS ON THE NETWORK THE PROBLEM?

Or not.

Might end up in jail.

I mean we'll pay the extra cost if we have to, it's not going to break the company as far as I know.

Again, just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done, like amazon key.

Adobe will not be pleased if you some straight out and tell them you're pirating their software. It's likely what you are seeing is a anti piracy feature that's been baked into 2018. Honestly, I don'y know why companies can't buy enough seats for their computers. It's that puts food on your table, why cheap out to save a few hundred? Then again the first printshop I worked at we would toss around the preps dongle and would have to do the quark dance...

Quote from: Farabomb on October 26, 2017, 06:19:22 AMAgain, just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done, like amazon key.

Adobe will not be pleased if you some straight out and tell them you're pirating their software. It's likely what you are seeing is a anti piracy feature that's been baked into 2018. Honestly, I don'y know why companies can't buy enough seats for their computers. It's that puts food on your table, why cheap out to save a few hundred? Then again the first printshop I worked at we would toss around the preps dongle and would have to do the quark dance...

Ha ha I agree.

We've done the Quark dance, the dongle dance and the Pitstop dance in the past. Talk about confusing.

At a time when we had 2 full time operators, can't really afford 2 now, only me, highly paid professional plus part timers when neccessary.

Quote from: Farabomb on October 26, 2017, 06:19:22 AMAgain, just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done, like amazon key.

Adobe will not be pleased if you some straight out and tell them you're pirating their software. It's likely what you are seeing is a anti piracy feature that's been baked into 2018. Honestly, I don'y know why companies can't buy enough seats for their computers. It's that puts food on your table, why cheap out to save a few hundred? Then again the first printshop I worked at we would toss around the preps dongle and would have to do the quark dance...

The thing about it is that a lot of Adobe employees that monitor the Adobe forums do not even know the licensing terms and they actually tell people you can use the license on two computers at the same time. I blame Adobe for that.

That is a few thousand dollars for some shops. We had 14 licenses during our introductory 2 years and we were getting it for around $37 per license ($6216) per year. After that the price rose to $50 per month per license ($8,400) so we cut back to 11 licenses ($6,600) and took CC away from our writers that now use LibreOffice to write their articles. Now we are up to paying about $66 per month per license for those 11 licenses ($8,712).

I'm not sure the exacts terms of using Quark but you can install it on as many computers as you want but only activate it on 2. And you can deactivate from one and activate on another but in most instances with software there usually is a set number of times the software can be deactivated/activated and they won't tell you the number. Once you reach it though you can't get it to activate anymore without talking with someone from Quark. Probably in India.

As far as Preps....I don't think Kodak ever minded the dongle dance. Even with their server licensing now we have it installed on every Mac but only two can be using it at a time. It is designed to be used that way and Kodak is fine with it.

Pitstop on the other hand is one license activated at time. And I would not want to have to share my copy of Pitstop. If my company couldn't afford a Pitstop license for everyone that needs it they should get out of the print business.

Okay so finished with Adobe remote support. (note: at the beginning I asked if we needed a 2nd licence, no reply. I think the remote supports main goal is to get it to work, not make a new sale?)

Anyway the guy deleted all traces of CC apps, preferences and went places in the library I did not know existed and deleted things. He then used the CC cleaner app to get more junk out. Then he downloaded the Acrobat application off the web (not through the Creative Cloud app) and installed it. Then downloaded the desktop app. So Acrobat is now working. Since we don't really need any other CC apps running on the 2nd Mac (only Acrobat) I am leaving it alone for now.

Tried to give our money away to Adobe but they wouldn't take it. Had to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming.