What methods exist to maintain access to old Adobe applications during an operating system upgrade?

C

Click4300
Member

61

08-30-2025, 09:43 AM

#1

Hi, I understand this is quite an unusual question, but I'm going to submit it regardless. I own several thousand dollars worth of old Adobe applications that I want to keep safe in case I ever choose to revisit them (I purchased my late-2014 iMac from a scientist who genuinely used all the programs until he sold the computer to me), even though I'm struggling to let them go.

The issue is, I'm using an outdated version of Mac OS X (El Capitan - 10.11.6) and once I upgrade to a newer operating system, these Adobe apps won't function anymore (because of the new subscription model). I risk losing everything. I'm attempting to move them onto a USB drive and preserve them in some way. Simply moving the apps to the USB won't suffice, will it? I believe I need to either clone my internal storage to an external one or split my internal drive into two partitions so that I can run two operating systems—one with El Capitan and the other with a newer OS.

The challenge is, because my iMac is from late 2014, I would likely have to completely wipe and reformat the internal drive to a different format (from HFS+ to APFS) before partitioning it, which isn't something I'd want to do.

Could you let me know what options are available?

Thanks!

B

benice45
Member

230

08-30-2025, 04:42 PM

#2

old app not functioning on new OS
PS2 works fine

X

xYokiiZz
Junior Member

17

09-16-2025, 07:35 AM

#3

Master Gimp, Inkscape, Davinci Resolve. All free alternatives available. You might be able to duplicate the setup and execute it within a Virtual Machine, though this could likely invalidate the software's activation.

I

ItzHF_
Member

74

09-21-2025, 10:17 PM

#4

Are actual Adobe programs necessary? There are several affordable or free options available.
"I haven't really used any of these applications over the years."
Let it go.

O

Oqa
Member

61

09-25-2025, 09:52 PM

#5

I was thinking about setting up two different operating systems on my iMac, with one dedicated solely to Adobe apps like El Capitan and another upgraded to OS BigSur. Your thoughts on PS2 were appreciated. Yeah, that's what I was looking at... I'll just have to acknowledge that Adobe is no longer available and think about using similar alternatives. I've thought about virtual machines but read that they might not work well since the apps weren't built for that setup. Thanks again.

M

Matke04
Posting Freak

825

09-26-2025, 03:23 AM

#6

Backups are essential, especially for data, but the failures occur on them, not with you.

D

djepinio
Member

67

10-02-2025, 05:27 PM

#7

Absolutely. Thank you for the confirmation.

B

bowbow007
Member

122

10-03-2025, 06:24 PM

#8

Well actually, one question...If I were to clone my internal drive onto an external SSD, couldn't I just plug that SSD into my (now upgraded) iMac and boot off of that whenever I wanted to use the Adobe apps? Isn't that how a cloned drive works?

T

TheKroksBG
Member

209

10-05-2025, 06:49 PM

#9

Not familiar with the iMac scene, but in the Windows realm it is different.
It doesn't function quite like that.

A

AquaPanda28
Junior Member

7

10-06-2025, 01:56 AM

#10

No, the device is unique, which means many paid programs could stop functioning. It might involve MAC addresses or hard drive identifiers, all methods used to revoke licenses. The likelihood of the previous operating system launching on new hardware is essentially nonexistent. Even if OSX is running, it's unlikely to work immediately and may need fixing—something I haven't encountered with Mac OS. Still, you'd face a similar issue: an outdated system that's fragile and could lead to further problems and loss of support.