Correction:

The version of AuthenticationService that is included in FreeHand MX was
written when Mac OS X was first released.

Judy, I've tried to repair permission several times, while there was something
regarding Macromedia stuff (FH is the only MM app on my mac), it didn't work.

Again, the trial of FHMX 11.0 will run, but there's no option to enter a
serial number (and I only have a serial to 11.0.2, are they even compatible?)
and no installation of 11.0.2 will create the needed files.

So I ask again if you know of a way to completely remove FH from my machine
till the last bit, it must be possible...

Judy, I've tried to repair permission several times, while there was something
regarding Macromedia stuff (FH is the only MM app on my mac), it didn't work.

Again, the trial of FHMX 11.0 will run, but there's no option to enter a
serial number (and I only have a serial to 11.0.2, are they even compatible?)
and no installation of 11.0.2 will create the needed files.

So I ask again if you know of a way to completely remove FH from my machine
till the last bit, it must be possible...

adobebody wrote:

> So I ask again if you know of a way to completely remove FH from my machine
> till the last bit, it must be possible...

I may be the wrong person to ask. Perhaps someone else knows how to erase or
fix your scrambled authentication settings. It's what the HotFix is supposed
to do.

As I hinted in my first post in this thread, the last resort is to
completely wipe your hard drive, zeroing out all data.

Backing up data, wiping and reinstalling everything is usually such a
time-consuming, headache-inducing task that I would first try every kind of
Mac troubleshooting, plus the HotFix, several times over, in various
sequences, to try to solve the problem.

Judy Arndt

adobebody wrote:

> So I ask again if you know of a way to completely remove FH from my machine
> till the last bit, it must be possible...

I may be the wrong person to ask. Perhaps someone else knows how to erase or
fix your scrambled authentication settings. It's what the HotFix is supposed
to do.

As I hinted in my first post in this thread, the last resort is to
completely wipe your hard drive, zeroing out all data.

Backing up data, wiping and reinstalling everything is usually such a
time-consuming, headache-inducing task that I would first try every kind of
Mac troubleshooting, plus the HotFix, several times over, in various
sequences, to try to solve the problem.

Judy Arndt

How about an archive and install? you get to keep your settings and all your files but you get a clean system which always demands reauthorising your software serial numbers.

How about an archive and install? you get to keep your settings and all your files but you get a clean system which always demands reauthorising your software serial numbers.

> Darrel, I can't see how Adobe's crappiness has anything to do with my
> problem.

It has everything to do with it.

> Do you know how I can completely delete FH to install it again?

Sorry, I don't.

-Darrel

> Darrel, I can't see how Adobe's crappiness has anything to do with my
> problem.

It has everything to do with it.

> Do you know how I can completely delete FH to install it again?

Sorry, I don't.

-Darrel

Hello adobebody,

A year ago I experienced the same problem. Thought I?d lost my Freehand
forever until I stumbled across a solution.

Here?s a post I later made to someone that was having a similar problem. I
will reprint the whole thing instead of trying to edit it to fit your
situation. And pardon me if this fix has already been suggested.

Good luck getting your Freehand back!
-----------------------------------------

I may be able to help. On Monday morning my Freehand 11.0.2 went into a coma,
exhibiting the same symptoms you describe, with the added feature of Photoshop
(9.0.2) going bad after everytime I attempted to launch FH. Only a restart
would get PS going again. Freehand -- nothing would get it going.

I spent a good part of 2.5 days trying every trick I know to get the damn
thing to launch with no success. I reinstalled Freehand, Photoshop and Mac OS
X 10.4.10 combo updater, more than once; ran Disk Utility, DiskWarrior and Onyx
multiple times; deleted and/or replaced with older versions from my backup
drive, many different .plist (preferences) files; and a whole bunch of other
stuff suggested on Mac help sites. Including from Adobe:

http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/view...8933&sliceId=1

Which didn?t work for me, but you should try it. Who knows?

Anyways, still no FH but looking at the Activity Monitor ( FINDER > Go >
Utilities > Activity Monitor ) I discovered that whenever I tried to launch FH
it stalled (and became an ?inactive process?) and another process called
?AuthenticationSe? led the list for CPU usage but did nothing and the computer
had to be restarted to regain stability -- stable except for the FH problem of
course.

So an ?Authentication? issue, and the activation glitch mentioned in the Adobe
link above, eventually led me to the solution (won?t get into the how and the
why because I really don?t know).

Unfortunately this requires that you have a backup of your system from back
when Freehand still worked. If you don?t, sorry about that -- hopefully the
HotFix above worked, or someone else has a suggestion based on the following
idea:

Restart your computer, repair permissions, verify your disk, repair disk if
necessary, standup and shout FREEHAND ROCKS, restart again, then....

Uncover a folder called ?Product Licenses? on your startup drive.

Macintosh HD > Library > Preferences > Macrovision > Safecast > Product
Licenses

The folder looks empty, but there?s got to be something important inside that
you can?t see. Replace the Product Licenses folder on your startup drive with
the Product Licenses folder from the same location on your backup drive or disk
(from when FH worked). Maybe don?t let the folder on the startup drive get
overwritten by the older version, but remove it to the desktop -- just in case
you need to put it back.

Now try to launch Freehand. If this works you?ll get the startup screen (yay)
and the message that you need to activate your software and you?ll be taken to
an Adobe registration page and there you go.

Good luck.