Windows 10: ABBYY FineReader Pro 5.0 (over 20 years old but works on Windows 10)

I was rebuilding my computer and came across some software I bought over 20 years ago.
It was ABBYY FineReader Pro 5.0. I remember I bought it directly from ABBYY and paid $99.
I was determined to get it working again. Here are the problems I found and how I overcame them.

ABBYY FineReader Pro 5.0 downloads:

• Setup: FineReaderPro.exe
• Service Pack 4: FR5SP4.exe

Also, you still need the Product Key you got when you bought it.

Problem 1: Downloads are self-extracting zip files. They are incompatible with Windows 10.
Solution 1: Rename ".exe" files to ".exe.zip" ones

Problem 2: Installation fails. Maybe because of long file names.
Solution 2: Move setups to root directories, e.g. D:\.

Rename files:

• Rename “FineReaderPro.exe” to “FineReaderPro.exe.zip”
• Rename “FR5SP4.exe” to “FR5SP4.exe.zip”

Create directories:

• D:\ABBYY
• D:\ABBYY\Setup
• D:\ABBYY\SP4

Extract files:

• Extract “FineReaderPro.exe.zip” to D:\ABBYY\Setup
• Extract “FR5SP4.exe.zip” to D:\ABBYY\SP4

Install ABBYY FineReader Pro & SP4

• D:\ABBYY\Setup\Install.exe
• D:\ABBYY\SP4\Install.exe

One last thing if the installation fails and you try again you might see an error about being unable to delete some files. Just note the directory and manually delete it before you try again. I had this happen while I was experimenting with it.
I don't remember the name of the directory I deleted but I think it was in the directory "C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Temp".

:)

 

Abbyy FineReader 5.0 Pro Installation in Windows 10 (64-bit)


Abbyy FineReader 5.0 Pro worked fine for me in Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit).
It works just as well for me now that I have upgraded to Windows 10 Pro (64-bit).

1. Install FineReader 5.0 Pro
Rename FineReaderPro.exe to FineReaderPro.exe.zip
Unzip to folder
Run Install.exe

2. Install Service Pack 4 for FineReader 5.0 Pro
Rename FR5SP4.exe to FR5SP4.exe.zip
Unzip to folder
Run Install.exe

BTW, I know it is old because I bought it over 15 years ago. It still works for what I need it for.

 

ABBYY finereader 9.0 sprint

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

The issue could be because of the service not running properly. You can follow the troubleshooting steps mentioned below:

1. Press and hold Windows + R key on the keyboard to open Run
   
2. Type services.msc and press enter.
   
3. Look for ABBYY FineReader Licensing Service.
   
4. Right click on the service and click on Properties.
   
5. Change the Startup type to
   Automatic.
   
6. Click on Apply and restart the service.
   

If you still face the same issue, please reply with the following details:

1. Since when are you facing this issue?
   
2. Did you make any changes to the computer recently?
   

Hope it helps.

Let us know if you got the help you needed by clicking ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

windows 10 abbyy finereader 4.0

Doesn't work, maybe the free complete FineReader 4 Pro from PC-active 2002 is too old. Not a real problem, first liked to make the transition to Win 10 complete. Have to look for an alternative ocr. Thanks for the very quick response, however!