"Codec Trial Activation error"

rolf2000 · Post by **rolf2000** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:55 pm

Hi members of the forum,

glad to be here for the first time. Ich searched for the item above and got more than 10000 matches.After checking few, no one could give me a precise answer.I installed VideoStudio 9 for the first time (after having bought it at Amazon recently)-but I got this error message after having started for the first time and was very disappointed. Also with an other computer I got the same message. I did not install a trial version before...
Does anybody have a glue what can improve the situation?
Thanks in advance.

Rolf

Post by **Ron P.** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 1:21 pm

Welcome to the forums,

Hopefully you received a good copy, and not one that's been messed with, or a TBYB (Try Before You Buy), or SE (Simple or Special Edition). It does happen where people will hack older versions, or sell the free versions, "anything to make a buck". Of course if it's a trial version you get the 30 day warning when you start it, with the SE versions click on the

located in the Menu bar, and select About VideoStudio, and look at the Version number. If it has SE at the end then it is a watered down "freebie" that hardware manufacturers include with their product.

If it is any of the above, you will not be able to install the updates, or patches, that can be downloaded from HERE.

Have you installed any so called "Codec Packs" ? These generally contain numerous codecs thrown together by people that really have no clue. The codecs will be outdated, and conflict with each other, not to mention any that you already have installed. If so I would recommend uninstalling the codec pack and retrying VS. You may need to uninstall/reinstall VS.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 1:55 pm

I have to agree with Ron. As far as I am aware, there are no trial codecs installed with any version of Video Studio itself, whether a full version or trial version or crippled SE version. So the message itself sounds strange to me -- and like Ron, I have been on this forum for 6 years or more...

You say you bought the version over Amazon. Well, unfortunately, as Ron also said, there are many people out there making money from selling something that originally came free or has been crippled for free distribution with some hardware. At best, Amazon would only be selling a version of the software which had previously been owned by someone else, I think... So it is very possible you have been cheated...

alpine · Post by **alpine** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:39 pm

I can't see this happening with Amazon themselves, unless it was bought as an open box product at a silly price. More likely I suppose from an 'Amazon Marketplace' seller, in which case you should contact Amazon to complain about them. It does seem a very old version since Amazon are selling 11.5Plus at present.

Post by **Ron P.** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:46 pm

alpine wrote:I can't see this happening with Amazon themselves, unless it was bought as an open box product at a silly price. More likely I suppose from an 'Amazon Marketplace' seller, in which case you should contact Amazon to complain about them. It does seem a very old version since Amazon are selling 11.5Plus at present.

Not odd at all. Just like ebay, anyone could offer to sell something on Amazon, and they don't have anyway to check and confirm the authenticity. The only way that happens is with the "User Ratings". By the time a bad rating is posted, someone has had a bad experience. If you spent $20 for a piece of software are you willing to spend another $5,000 for a lawyer to sue? Probably not..

Post by **Ken Berry** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:17 pm

Rolf -- another question I should have asked is what operating system you have installed VS9 on. If it is Vista, then you need to know that VS9 is not designed to work with Vista. VS10 will, though only with a special patch. VS11 is the first fully Vista-compatible version of the program.

alpine · Post by **alpine** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:55 pm

vidoman wrote: Not odd at all. Just like ebay, anyone could offer to sell something on Amazon, and they don't have anyway to check and confirm the authenticity. The only way that happens is with the "User Ratings". By the time a bad rating is posted, someone has had a bad experience. If you spent $20 for a piece of software are you willing to spend another $5,000 for a lawyer to sue? Probably not..

The OP did not mention Amazon Marketplace, they mentioned Amazon. It may of course be that the OP meant Ebay or Amazon Marketplace rather than Amazon themselves.

Post by **Ron P.** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:05 am

As far as that goes, the OP could have meant "the Amazon" as in Brasil..