Activation code???

GeorgeW · Post by **GeorgeW** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 2:28 pm

Hi Greg,

What Firewall software are you running? If it's like ZoneAlarm (the one I use), look into the programs list -- you might have to give the activation-program (or the installation program) access rights to get through your firewall.

hth,

oreon · Post by **oreon** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 4:47 pm

The sound you hear is the door slamming as users leave. I stopped buying Adobe Premiere once they implemented activation. I will stop buying yours as well. There have been lively discussions on other forums where loyal users stopped purchasing new versions once product activation is implemented.

You will have a hard time to find a "professional" editor these days that does not has an activation over the net.
Adobe Premiere has it, Pinnacle Liquid Edition has it, and now Ulead Media Studio Pro has it.
It's for the developers an easy and moneysaving methode to prevent pirate copies.
Personaly I prefer an internet-activation proces over a hardware-dongle (like Avid has) anytime.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 6:12 pm

When I saw this topic I thought it was time to kill 2 birds with one stone!
I have 3 removable hard drives and a few spares in my drawer.
One of the spares is a sort of emergency back up of my operating system so that I can ALWAYS get to the stuff on the other hard drives (short of a processor/motherboard/memory chip failure!)

Having only a few days ago purchased my copy of MSP8 I obviously saved the installation files onto a DVD.

This was my chance to make sure my DVD was working OK and also an opportunity to check the problems subject of this discussion.

I removed all my hard drives and inserted my back up system and disconnected my internet connection.

It passed the first test, my installation DVD worked fine.
However it failed the second test. It asked for my activation key.
I entered it but was given the following message:

"Activation was unsuccessful. Cannot connect to the server, Please check your internet settings."

Karlos · Post by **Karlos** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 7:51 pm

Well, let me chime in that I too wonder why we have not had a response on this - or the issue of upgrade pricing, asked weeks ago, from Ulead.

At least with activation, could someone who has gotten through their firewall (!) and successfully activated comment on what is involved to activate the license on a different computer? Is there a "deactivate / transfer" option?

I beta test for several companies in the architectural / 3D rendering field (my primary area of work - video editing is a lot of fun and a means to an end, but not a significant portion of my work or play).

One of those rendering products has an activation that is basically a copy protection (piracy) feature. An internet connection is mandatory, but only for the one-time, brief activation. But, the license can be moved to another computer (desk to laptop) by DEactivating (internet connection) the desktop copy and then ACtivating (internet connection) the laptop.

Obviously all machines there have to have a connection. But, as one person has complained on that chat group, his machine crashed before he could deactivate his license ... and he has been waiting many days for support to return his calls/emails, believe him, and authorize the activation for his re-installation.

Between this last horror story (no work accomplished for days by this guy) and various people's comments above about wanting a machine isolated from the internet ... this activation business seems like a huge hassle.

I've been putting off the upgrade because of the unfair pricing of the MSP8 Suite bundle for existing users compared to new purchasers ... but this activation business adds another reason to delay.

Karl

GeorgeW · Post by **GeorgeW** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 7:58 pm

phd wrote:Devil,

I'm a Beta tester for a different product and its ridiculous that you have a build 16 revs behond the release. Besides the problems they fixed, what problems have they introduced that you're not aware of? (And as you should know, they could be whoppers!)

Please don't think that all beta testers are 16 revs behind the production release. Most (if not everyone else) on the Beta Team has what is supposed to be the current production build (minus the "Activation" layer)...

Regards,

Antonio G · Post by **Antonio G** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 8:19 pm

Even if it is a trend to prevent author rights abuse, consumer expects transparency whem he buys a product.
Ulead should have stated it clearly about a validation requiremnt, its conditions (even with the risk of repeating myself: can we install and validate in a second computer - e.g. 1 workstation, 2 - notebook or home computer, providing only one active at a particular time; can we transfer the validation; can we use image software to backup our disk just in case we have to repair the system via the recorded image; can we format the disk without loosing the validation?
Or is it some kind of registration and not a real validation?
What kind of information on the system and on the user is Ulead getting when we "validate" MSP 8? Does it identify the user and other programs in the disk?
There are a lot of sensitive aspects we deserve to be awere of when we decide to buy MSP, and I consider we deserve Ulead to make it clear.

phd · Post by **phd** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 2:32 am

Since they still have not responded to me regarding my problem with MSP7, why would I think they would be any more responsive with activation or worse yet with activation problems.

MSP is their high-end, Premier product (pun intended) They can't even provide a premium level of support for it with the premium price they charge. Forget about premium support, how about answering questions, period.

I paid for a first-class seat. I got the cargo hold.

They hid it from their Beta testers.

They hid it from the guy who writes books about Ulead.

They ignore the users who ask them a direct public question.

They don't provide support. They don't provide answers.

Attn: Nelson Duay - Technical Support
UPTR:305040:MediaStudio Pro 7 - Video Paint

I still haven't received a response from you since 9/21!

johnpr98 · Post by **johnpr98** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 11:16 am

One huge problem at the moment
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... id=1174752

However Ulead are aware of this activation post

re: activation, the beta testers aren't able to help out on this one as we don't know the ins & outs. I don't see a huge problem, if you've bought MSP8 I'm 100% sure that you will be able to use it with a S/N.

Pirate copiers may be worried?

Saying that I've not yet had a problem as described with any software installation & registration. XP had horror stories, however my installation was painless.

Regards

phd · Post by **phd** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 11:47 am

Typhoons frequently hit Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong and southern China during a typhoon season that lasts from early summer to late autumn.

So are you inferring that customers should not count on product activation or customer service replies from early summer to late autumn?

What about the rest of the year they don't reply?

johnpr98 · Post by **johnpr98** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 1:26 pm

So are you inferring that customers should not count on product activation or customer service replies from early summer to late autumn?

I never inferred anything

, however at this time a Typhoon is a factor

More relevant quote:

Sep 30, 2005 — TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan issued sea and land warnings as Typhoon Longwang approached the island, the Central Weather Bureau said on Saturday.

As of 0115 GMT on Saturday, the center of the storm was about 550 km (340 miles) east of Taiwan and traveling northwest at 22 kph, with sustained winds of up to 184 kph and maximum gusts of 227 kph, the Central Weather Bureau said.

When there's an answer to your activation query, you will be one of the first to know

Regards

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 2:15 pm

if you've bought MSP8 I'm 100% sure that you will be able to use it with a S/N.

I wrote down my serial number (you only get an activation number in the email) and as per my previous post shut down my computer, took out my 3 hard drives and placed my emergency backup hard drive mentioned above into the drive caddy. Disconnected from the internet and started my machine up.

When I opened MSP8 I again got the activation screen so this time entered the serial number. Same response as before about being unable to connect to the internet.

The alternative option is to open MSP8 as a 30 day trial so I did. I searched everywhere but there is no option to enter the serial number. Hope this answers the above point.

johnpr98 · Post by **johnpr98** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 2:34 pm

Hi sjj1805

I removed all my hard drives and inserted my back up system and disconnected my internet connection.

It passed the first test, my installation DVD worked fine.
However it failed the second test. It asked for my activation key.
I entered it but was given the following message:

"Activation was unsuccessful. Cannot connect to the server, Please check your internet settings."

OK, to help me fully understand

Have you (Since your post) :
a)connected to the internet & installed OK?
Or
b)connected to the Internet & still failed to activate?

If b), the Ulead servers have had problems in the last few days according to a recent email so this isn't working as it should.

If MSP activation is required by internet connection this may be a new policy?, I'm mostly connected to the net & it hasn't been an issue for me so far.

If the beta testers can help we will, however we aren't Ulead and can't speak on their behalf about company policy, although I think it's fair to say that we all like MSPro & none of us have had any major installation problems.

Regards

hillsc · Post by **hillsc** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 2:41 pm

GeorgeW wrote: Please don't think that all beta testers are 16 revs behind the production release.

Good point. That's just Brian who is a long, long way from Taiwan with a dial-up connection. The rest of us downloaded new builds weekly. Brian got them shipped via DHL every other build, which stopped right at the end, at the fast-and-furious launch week.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 4:51 pm

Have you (Since your post) :
a)connected to the internet & installed OK?
Or
b)connected to the Internet & still failed to activate?

Sorry but didnt try either. Looked through all the documentation hoping to find some reference to being "allowed" to install on more than one machine and couldn't find any. Even though I am obviously only installing MSP8 on the same machine - albeit on a different hard drive, some software companies class this as a "second computer" some do not etc.

Didnt want to risk infringing anything so decided to keep it off the net. I am sure the activation would go ahead OK though. The original problem posed was if the program could be installed without an internet connection, clearly the answer is no.

Antonio G · Post by **Antonio G** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 12:29 am

Contrary to johnpr98 remark, I'm concerned about it even not beeing exactly a copier (Ulead can check my registrations already), but if Adobe allows me to have Photoshop activated in 2 computers I'm the user (1 worstation + 1 home/notebook) under the condition that only one can be active at the same time, issn't it a legit question to know what is Ulead's policy on this respect?
If Adobe allows me to transfer the license from one machine to another (obviously the first one looses the activation an will not work), isn't it legit ti question Ulead about the same facility?
If the activation is done on the internet or even if offline using an alghorytm built by Ulead, isn't it legit to ask what kind of information is being passed to them?
When I bought the DVD plugin I did it by download, and sometime after I found a log file, processed by the company I downloaded from, with a list of all programs in my HDD. Considering this, isn't it legit my concern about IDs and info passed on?
But, the most important is that transparency should be used in this process: how can a program's sale started and none of this information, even the existance of a validation requirement, being known by the potential buyers?