Well, probably not what you wanted to hear, but if you come across an older Mac, you should be able to use your old copy.
These are the old system requirements. You want CS6 or better for today's Intel/OSX Macs.
• PowerPC® processor
• Mac OS software version 8.5, 8.6,or 9.0
• 64 MB of RAM* (with Virtual Memory on)
• 125 MB of available hard-disk space (after install)
• Color monitor with 256-color (8-bit) or greater video card
• 800x600 or greater monitor resolution
• CD-ROM drive
And thanks for reporting back, at least I know what happened even if it didn't fix things.
Gene