Software Deployment

Do you want to disable the de-activation functionality or remove the menu item itself? If the latter, you're out of luck.

Hi VBScab,

want to disable it.

Well then, as usual, you need to discover how it works before you can disable it. Use a process/file/registry monitor (I type this missive so often, it's a shame FireFox doesn't have an Office-style AutoText function...) to watch what happens as you click the menu item. You can then try things. For example, if the option calls a separate EXE, try renaming it so that the app cannot find it (no great hope there: knowing Adobe's development "skills" that'll probably crash it...)

Anyway, you get the idea.

Of course, you could also try asking Adobe. There! That's our belly laugh done for this week...

i haven't looked but what about reshack? wonder if it would reveal the code behind the menu item?

On another note, what's the media you installed from? If this is VLA media or ESD, i don't think that deactivate does anything. I've seen it but i can't remember if I have tried it or not. I want to say that I have and nothing happened with my VLA install..

On t he other hand, I am a borderline BOFH (Google it if you don't know :)) and have the feeling that if my user is stupid enough to click on that then they can wait a few days for me to finish up my Gears of War session before i go fix them.

OK I have managed to disable the Deactivate under the help menu so it is greyed out. Simply add a line to the application.xml.override file so it looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Configuration>
<Payload>
<Data key="Registration">Suppress</Data>
<Data key="EULA">-1</Data>
<Data key="Updates">Suppress</Data>
<Data key="Deactivate">Suppress</Data>
</Payload>
</Configuration>

Follow the instructions in the link below which applies to most Adobe CS4 products, for a full list of products that this applies to see the 4th page of the deployment document.

http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/openoptions/pdfs/manualenterprisedeployment_cs4_help.pdf

Great work, Pen! You'll get a medal from the General yet! :)

It would be worth posting this into the 'Package KB', if you were so inclined...