New Laptop and Upgrading Lr

[DianeK]

Current hardware: old Macbook Pro (10.8.5) and iMac (10.8.5) with Lr4 on the same licence; Lr4 was a boxed upgrade version perpetual licence + a new Macbook Pro (Yosemite) to which my husband migrated (using Migration Assistant) everything except Applications (to migrate the applications he would have had to upgrade the old laptop to Yosemite which he didn't want to do).

We want to get Lr on the new Macbook Pro. If we install from the Lr4 disc, how will the licensing be handled:
(1) Will the licence simply get rejected because there have already been two activations of it?
(2) Should we deactivate on the old laptop first or when we enter the serial number on the new laptop, will Adobe cancel and inactivate Lr4 on either the old laptop or iMac randomly?
(3) Will we still be able to get the updates to Lr4 from the Adobe website after loading from the disc onto the new laptop or are those no longer available?
(4) If we decide to skip trying to install Lr4 on the new laptop and purchase a Lr5 upgrade and download directly from Adobe, do we need to have Lr4 installed on new laptop or would we just enter the serial number of the previous product that is still residing on the old laptop?

I didn't want to bother this forum with this, but I couldn't find the appropriate information on Adobe's site (no surprise there) and I couldn't even find an Adobe phone number for support on perpetual licences (no surprise there either).

And besides, you guys are a waaay friendlier bunch to interact with . :grin:

Thanks

 

[clee01l]

Use Apples Migration assistant. It will transfer everything from one mac to the other.
As for the LR registration, that will be transferred too.
FWIW, Adobe does not track the Registrations of LR like it does PS. You are on the honor system.

 

[Tony Jay]

It is true that the EULA limits installation to two (2) machines.
However, it is a trust system.
Your scenario of having to port Lightroom to a new machine is not unusual - I have done it.
There will be no problem with serial numbers.
Once you have sorted out things with the new machine then just deactivate the software on the old machine.

Tony Jay

EDIT: I think we should rename Cletus as "The Eagle". Boy the man is quick!

 

[DianeK]

It is true that the EULA limits installation to two (2) machines.
However, it is a trust system.
Your scenario of having to port Lightroom to a new machine is not unusual - I have done it.
There will be no problem with serial numbers.
Once you have sorted out things with the new machine then just deactivate the software on the old machine.

Tony Jay

Thank you. I think we will purchase and download the perpetual Lr5 from Adobe on the new machine and the iMac using the Lr4 serial number to validate the upgrade.
But if we do decide to stick with Lr4 until Lr6 comes out, will we still be able to get the updates for 4 if we reinstall from the disk?

 

[DianeK]

Use Apples Migration assistant. It will transfer everything from one mac to the other.
As for the LR registration, that will be transferred too.
FWIW, Adobe does not track the Registrations of LR like it does PS. You are on the honor system.

My husband did use Apple Migration Assistant but he deselected Applications from the migration because he didn't want to upgrade to Yosemite on the old laptop (apparently both machines have to have the same OS in order to migrate Applications). So now we need to reinstall whatever applications he wants on the new laptop.
Thanks

 

[Tony Jay]

Thank you. I think we will purchase and download the perpetual Lr5 from Adobe on the new machine and the iMac using the Lr4 serial number to validate the upgrade.
But if we do decide to stick with Lr4 until Lr6 comes out, will we still be able to get the updates for 4 if we reinstall from the disk?

I would just download 4.4.1 from Adobe and install that.

Tony Jay

 

[DianeK]

Thank you everyone for your speedy replies and help!
Diane

 

[clee01l]

My husband did use Apple Migration Assistant but he deselected Applications from the migration because he didn't want to upgrade to Yosemite on the old laptop (apparently both machines have to have the same OS in order to migrate Applications). So now we need to reinstall whatever applications he wants on the new laptop.
Thanks

I'm pretty certain that you do not need both computers running the same version to use Migration assistant. Otherwise you could never migrate from a 32 bit OS to the latest 64 bit OS. I can't think of a valid reason to not update to Yosemite if the hardware can support it. Especially if you are buying a new computer that comes with Yosemite installed.

That said, without starting over, you really want to move forward. If you have a valid license for LR5.x, then you can install that on the new machine if you wish. You can install it on as many machines as you like. If you only have one license, then you can legitimately run LR 5.x on only two of those machines. However no harm is done if you have more than two licenses installed while transferring the LR catalog to the new computer. If you want to run LR5 on more than two machines in perpetuity, you need to purchase a second license to be 'legal'. If your LR5.x license is an upgrade license, installing an older version on a third computer would violate the terms of your upgrade license

 

[DianeK]

To update everyone…the migration process just finally finished. Despite my husband unchecking Applications from the migration options, migration assistant in fact went ahead and transferred all the apps anyway - go figure.

And you are right Cletus, obviously both machines didn't need Yosemite despite the Apple support document saying that they did - go figure some more .

Anyhoo, we now have Lr4 sitting on 3 computers so we will have to deactivate and uninstall it off the older laptop. And given Lr4 migrated and the catalog opened just fine on the new laptop (although it did ask for the serial number first), I think we will now just wait for Lr6 before upgrading - hate to pay for a Lr5 upgrade only to have it obsolete in the near future. Our photography has taken a back seat to other matters.

Cletus, the reason my husband didn't want to put Yosemite on the older laptop is because it has been acting unhealthy for a few weeks now and was more than ready to be replaced and he was concerned upgrading the OS prior to migration might well push it over the edge before everything got transferred.

I have to say without forums like this most of us ordinary folk would be hooped. It seems vendors' support is more often wrong than right. Apple, Adobe, Xerox (I'm in the middle of dealing with their support trying to remedy an issue with our laser printer), Microsoft….just my little rant for tonight.

Thank you again everyone.
Diane

 

[Tony Jay]

Diane, you have been assisted by one of the most knowledgeable individuals with respect to Lightroom that I know.
Cletus, and Jim Wilde for that matter, deserve as much praise as one can generate.
The amount of time they put into problem-solving on this forum is beyond mere commendation.
Whats more many of the issues that arise may not initially have an answer, however these two gentlemen spend hours recreating the OP's scenario on their own systems in order to find a solution.
In other words they create knowledge.
All of us also do a lot of reading and research on an ongoing basis - no one has a monopoly on knowledge!
As for Victoria Brampton, the owner of this forum, her name is practically synonymous with Lightroom, hence her moniker 'The Lightroom Queen".
BTW that name was not of her choosing but merely one that others came up with.

Tony Jay

 

[DianeK]

Tony, I'm a little confused by your response. Did I give the impression I was ranting against these forum members?? Because I certainly was not! In fact, it was the opposite in that I was giving praise and thanks to all those that answered on this thread and making the comparison to how often organizations like Apple and Microsoft fall sorely behind in their support. That is precisely why I came here looking for answers.
Diane

 

[Tony Jay]

Tony, I'm a little confused by your response. Did I give the impression I was ranting against these forum members?? Because I certainly was not! In fact, it was the opposite in that I was giving praise and thanks to all those that answered on this thread and making the comparison to how often organizations like Apple and Microsoft fall sorely behind in their support. That is precisely why I came here looking for answers.
Diane

Not at all, my humblest apologies if I gave any sort of hint of that!
Rather I was just drawing attention to the wonderful service that Cletus (and others) render as articulated above.

Tony Jay

 

[DianeK]

Not at all, my humblest apologies if I gave any sort of hint of that!
Rather I was just drawing attention to the wonderful service that Cletus (and others) render as articulated above.

Tony Jay

No apologies necessary. I'm just glad to know I didn't leave an incorrect impression.
This is by far the most polite and knowledgeable group of people here.
Diane

 

[DianeK]

Ok, here's another followup that I think will be of interest to all here. At one point today, as we were trying to sort out some of the messes from last night's migration of my husband's two laptops, we had all 3 computers connected to the internet. As soon as all 3 were internet connected, the Lr4 that had migrated successfully to the new laptop last night suddenly disappeared from the new laptop. Lr4 on the old laptop and the iMac are still there and functioning. So it would appear that Adobe does in fact monitor the Lr licensing more closely than thought as they quickly picked up that there were 3 installs and they wiped out the most recent one. So we will now need to go in and deactivate and uninstall off the old laptop and do a manual install on the new laptop. And the reason I couldn't get a phone number for Adobe support last night is that all perpetual licence products no longer qualify for phone support.
Diane

 

[Modesto Vega]

As soon as all 3 were internet connected, the Lr4 that had migrated successfully to the new laptop last night suddenly disappeared from the new laptop. Lr4 on the old laptop and the iMac are still there and functioning. So it would appear that Adobe does in fact monitor the Lr licensing more closely than thought as they quickly picked up that there were 3 installs and they wiped out the most recent one. So we will now need to go in and deactivate and uninstall off the old laptop and do a manual install on the new laptop. And the reason I couldn't get a phone number for Adobe support last night is that all perpetual licence products no longer qualify for phone support.
Diane

What do you mean with "dissapeared from the new laptop"? Have you checked the Applications folder in Finder to see if Lr4 is still there? Did you turn off the new laptop between the upgrade and last night?

I don't think Adobe's licensing checks include automatic de-installation of software.

 

[DianeK]

What do you mean with "dissapeared from the new laptop"? Have you checked the Applications folder in Finder to see if Lr4 is still there? Did you turn off the new laptop between the upgrade and last night?

I don't think Adobe's licensing checks include automatic de-installation of software.

Yes we checked the Apllications folder and the whole program is gone without a trace. The same thing happened with the CS5 Photoshop.
After the migration they were both there in the Applications folder and on the dock. We opened LR to see if it was functional and it was. We didn't open photoshop. Then after a reboot - poof, gone - nowhere to be found. We didn't care about photoshop because we have a second licence for the Cs6 Design suite for the new laptop. But we did want LR.

 

[Modesto Vega]

Then after a reboot - poof, gone - nowhere to be found. We didn't care about photoshop because we have a second licence for the Cs6 Design suite for the new laptop. But we did want LR.

Because you unchecked applications on the Migration Assistant, I am wondering if it is "feature" (please note the quotes) of the migration assistant to migrate the applications and remove them at start up (instead of not migrating them), specially because Yosemite is involved. Have any other non-Adobe applications also been removed?

I cannot believe Adobe uninstalls applications if it encounters a licensing problem, if there is a licensing problem applications remain with restricted functionality. Any program capable of removing itself from a machine would be classed as malware.

 

[DianeK]

Only Adobe software disappeared after the migration. Microsoft Office didn't disappear.

 

[Modesto Vega]

Only Adobe software disappeared after the migration. Microsoft Office didn't disappear.

I had a cold shiver running up my back when I read your reply. Could you please confirm a couple of points?

- Lightroom and Photoshop have disappeared from the new laptop, is this correct?
- You do not have any Adobe Creative Cloud software installed, is this also correct?

If you answer "Yes" to both questions, I am hoping that some of the other contributors to the thread, who are more knowledgeable than I am, can contribute.

Is your catalog still where it should be?

 

[clee01l]

Only Adobe software disappeared after the migration. Microsoft Office didn't disappear.

I agree with Modesto. Adobe did not do it. Out of three machines, which would they know to choose to do the deletion? Also you have to specifically grant permission for a web process to access your hard drive and I think this would have been noticed. I am more inclined to chalk it up to Operator error. With OS X, all you need to do is send the app to the trash and it is gone.

 

[DianeK]

I agree with Modesto. Adobe did not do it. Out of three machines, which would they know to choose to do the deletion? Also you have to specifically grant permission for a web process to access your hard drive and I think this would have been noticed. I am more inclined to chalk it up to Operator error. With OS X, all you need to do is send the app to the trash and it is gone.

Well I can assure you they were not accidentally sent to the trash. But I can see Modesto's point that this may be quirk (or "feature" as he politely called it) in Migration with Yosemite where if you tell it not to migrate Applications it still does so then deletes them after the fact. Although this doesn't explain why Office stayed put.
My husband is adamant he sent nothing to the trash between the Adobe products being there and then not being there, and he is no novice when it comes to computers. All there was in-between was a restart of the computer.

But thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions.

 

[Modesto Vega]

Well I can assure you they were not accidentally sent to the trash. But I can see Modesto's point that this may be quirk (or "feature" as he politely called it) in Migration with Yosemite where if you tell it not to migrate Applications it still does so then deletes them after the fact. Although this doesn't explain why Office stayed put.
My husband is adamant he sent nothing to the trash between the Adobe products being there and then not being there, and he is no novice when it comes to computers. All there was in-between was a restart of the computer.

But thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions.

The reason why I used the word "feature" and it is enclosed in quotes is because as software has become more complex a number of unintended features have been introduced. They are unintended because the software was never designed specifically to perform that feature, it is just an accident. Some of these features require a fix but some become part of the software because somebody finds a use for it.

If the applications where removed at reboot and the migration assistant did not force a restart after completing the migration. I am sure that Apple did not intend to build that feature into the migration assistant, it was added by accident possibly because a development team was having trouble meeting a deadline.

Out of curiosity, did you run the migration assistant from the new laptop running Yosemite or from the old laptop?

 

[rb_stern]

I have a similar issue. I am planning on getting rid of my old Macbook Pro and getting a new one. I want to use migration assistant to migrate everything from the old machine to the new. I'm quite happy to de-authorize LR on the old machine (I already have it authorized on a 2nd older machine). However, I did an online chat with the Adobe help line, and they said I could not use migration assistant - I would have to delete the old LR then re-download it and authorize it. If that's the case, when I delete the old LR, does it also delete the catalog file, and if so, how do I keep all my sorted and cataloged images to re-upload into the new version?

Thanks,

Richard

 

[Modesto Vega]

However, I did an online chat with the Adobe help line, and they said I could not use migration assistant.

Coming from Adobe this is both interesting and worrying. What type of license do you have? Perpetual or CC subscription? Also what version of Lr are you on?

 

[clee01l]

I have a similar issue. I am planning on getting rid of my old Macbook Pro and getting a new one. I want to use migration assistant to migrate everything from the old machine to the new. I'm quite happy to de-authorize LR on the old machine (I already have it authorized on a 2nd older machine). However, I did an online chat with the Adobe help line, and they said I could not use migration assistant - I would have to delete the old LR then re-download it and authorize it. If that's the case, when I delete the old LR, does it also delete the catalog file, and if so, how do I keep all my sorted and cataloged images to re-upload into the new version?

Thanks,

Richard

I think your first problem is that you asked Adobe support. I first bought an iMac and migrated my data from Windows7 to that computer. There all I needed to do was install my OS X apps including LR. (IIRC it was LR4). Later, I bought a travel laptop, a rMBP. I used Migration assistant to migrate my iMac to the rMBP. I did not install or reinstall a single app. LR ran just like it did/does on the iMac. Now this was with a perpetual license. the CC subscription might be different but I doubt it. This also was for a second install of the same LR license so both installs would be legal. Now all of this was over two years ago and I can't expect that process to have changed on the Apple side of the coin.