Need help with FOF2k4 licensing

[Alan T]

Actually need help with the unlicensing... I did a search on the board but didnt see anyone else who ran into this problem...


Anyhows.. I am installing a new hard drive into my laptop, and need to do a reinstall of all my software. Obviously to keep my self from being hassled with having to call viatech 900 times for everything I own, I am unlicensing my games to be able to relicense on my new drive..

I get to fof2k4 and run into a small problem.. I have no option to unlicense it.

My choices are Product Details, Product Receipt and License Details...

So what is the trick? How do you unlicense this one since it appears different from all my other elicense games..

Thanks..

[Celeval]

Try Start -> Control Panel -> ELicense Control -> Solecismic Software

Should come up with (I have two) 'Front Office Football 2004' Version 5.0

Right-click, I have 'Unlicense' there.

(This is XP)

[Alan T]

Yeah.. that is what I was trying.. I dont have that option... Screenshot posted below. Anyone with ideas?


http://redirect.alant.net:8000/foflicense.jpg

[FBPro]

Are you setup as admin?

[Alan T]

Originally posted by FBPro
Are you setup as admin?

Yes, full admin rights.. (no problem unlicensing any of my other e-license things. seems to only be fof2k4 with this problem.)

[RPI-Fan]

I think FOF2k4 doesn't have mobile licensing - doesn't that mean you can't ever unlicense it?

[FBPro]

Mine has the option to unlicense.

[Tasan]

Are you running XP home or Pro? I ask, because so far, I've checked my Home machine, and it doesn't give me an option to unlicense. I'll check my Pro machine shortly and see if there is a difference.

[Alan T]

yeah, thats the killer. a few people I have talked to can, and others can't... and it would be really nice to be able to figure out how to :)

I would like to reinstall this later on and not have to deal with viatech :)

[Alan T]

Originally posted by Tasan
Are you running XP home or Pro? I ask, because so far, I've checked my Home machine, and it doesn't give me an option to unlicense. I'll check my Pro machine shortly and see if there is a difference.

XP pro.

[Tasan]

Can someone with the option to unlicense take a screenshot of what it should look like and post it up here?



EDIT: Removed my poorly timed dola...

[gstelmack]

I will add myself to the list of people who don't have an unlicense option. XP Pro here.

EDIT: I have the Puresim Baseball demo, and apparently my FOF2k1 installation also listed, and neither of those have the unlicense option either. I've also uninstalled both, so I'm not sure why they are here. Is this a common thread? Old elicense entries hanging around from uninstalled programs?

[Alan T]

Well on the games i have unlicensed, They all now have an option to License (which once again FOF2k4 does not have....) .. I just tried reinstalling the 5.0b .. I tried installing 5.0a and 5.0 over top of it.. none of that did anything to help.

I am going to try to uninstall and see if I get an option.. otherwise I guess this must be some form of bug (feature)

[Tasan]

Oh yes, your license will stay there as long as you don't unlicense. That way, if you reinstall, you don't have to run the license again.

[Tasan]

Dola

Interesting development. On my home machine, I just checked my two .400 games I have installed, and when I right click them, I get the option to uninstall the license. It doesn't do that on FOF.

[Ben E Lou]

I just checked this myself (XP Home.) I have the option to unlicense TCY, but there is no unlicense option for FOF2004.

[Alan T]

ok thanks guys. Sounds like some are lucky and have it, the rest of us are unlucky... :)

I have to rebuild this system though, so guess i will be paying viatech a call..

Hopefully someone can report this bug to Jim, or someone can explain this wrinkle in time.

[detroit_fan]

I am having the same problem. :( Driving me crazy. I'm getting ready to have twins (actually my wife is) and I want to unlicense my work copy to put on my laptop for those days in the hospital.

[Tasan]

Detroit_fan, you should still have one license left, if you haven't already installed it again on some home PC or something.

[Ksyrup]

Same problem for me. Just tonight, I went to do a bit of hard drive maintenance and tried to unlicense FOF2004, but I can't. I also can't unlicense TCY. But, I have the option to unlicense OOTP5.

Another strange thing is that I've got 2 FOF2004s in my elicense control - one is version 1.1 and has (no value set) for license type, days left, and executions left, and "unlimited" for time left.

[Ksyrup]

Dola.

I've got XP Home as well.

If I should ever use both licenses, what will viatech do for me? If I explain the situation, will they give me another license to use? Why would they do that? Couldn't I have just given the game to someone else, given them one of my licenses? I guess I'm confused as to why viatech would be able to help.

[Primal]

detroit_fan, how do you pull off playing FOF at work?

[FBPro]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
Dola.

I've got XP Home as well.

If I should ever use both licenses, what will viatech do for me? If I explain the situation, will they give me another license to use? Why would they do that? Couldn't I have just given the game to someone else, given them one of my licenses? I guess I'm confused as to why viatech would be able to help.

They will "reset/restore" if you have that happen. You "can" give one away but it is against the "license agreement" that you agreed to abide by when making the purchase. :)

[Celeval]

I'm on XP Pro, have two entries. The v5.0 (licensed copy) can be unlicensed. The v1.1 (unlicensed... is this the demo?) cannot be unlicensed.

http://www.lasselanta.net/CFBL/fofunlic.JPG

[Tasan]

I just checked my XP Pro machine with my other license of FOF on it, and I can't unlicense it either. My ootp and .400 stuff will all unlicense though. I'm starting to think that maybe the patching(installing over an already installed game) had something to do with this, but I have no way to investigate it.

[detroit_fan]

I'm the IT Manager. :) I am currently using both licenses.

[Tasan]

Bump for the daytime folks to see, and maybe Jim.

[Ksyrup]

Bump again, in case Jim hasn't seen. I guess this isn't a big deal if Viatech will ultimately sort it out, but if possible, I'd like the ability to do it all from my computer in a split-second, rather than go the Viatech route.

[Alan T]

Originally posted by Ksyrup
Bump again, in case Jim hasn't seen. I guess this isn't a big deal if Viatech will ultimately sort it out, but if possible, I'd like the ability to do it all from my computer in a split-second, rather than go the Viatech route.

I am sure Viatech will help, they usually are helpful. I have not re-installed FOF2k4 though yet because I don't have the patience to bug Viatech. I am sure at some point when I finally get a day off from work I will take some time to do this.. Either that or this will be my shortest played FOF yet... :)

[Primal]

Has the unlicensing issue ever been resolved?

[Alan T]

Nope. nothing.

[Tasan]

Anyone email ViaTech or Jim about it?

[Tasan]

BUMP again on this one. I've opened a ticket with elicense, but haven't heard anything from them. I need to unlicense today because I'm about to wipe my hard drive. Anyone help on this?

[Tasan]

Does anyone have an email address for anyone at Viatech/eLicense?

[Passacaglia]

[email protected]

[Tasan]

Thanks, I had already found that one, I was wondering about something more specific. I finally did get a responce from the support one, and now I have an inside contact to get info from.

[gstelmack]

Let me know what you find out (or if you need to give them more evidence that this is widespread). This is still happening on both of my machines, and one of them is going to get replaced soon...

[Passacaglia]

I wouldn't try replying to your 'inside contact' -- my experience has found that simply emailing that person is less likely to get a reply than emailing support -- plus, I think someone else on this forum has had the same experience.

[gstelmack]

Thanks, I had already found that one, I was wondering about something more specific. I finally did get a responce from the support one, and now I have an inside contact to get info from.
Any update on this? Any word from ViaTech on how to get the unlicense option back?

[Tasan]

They said I'd have to contact them to unlicense if this ever happened again. There is no "fix" per se. Not the answer I was looking for, thats for sure. I think the issue was installing the patch (which was a complete install) right over the already installed and licensed game. Now that I've reinstalled XP on my new machine, and then installed the patched version of FOF2k4 cleanly, I have my unlicensed option back. Go figure.

[gstelmack]

They said I'd have to contact them to unlicense if this ever happened again. There is no "fix" per se. Not the answer I was looking for, thats for sure. I think the issue was installing the patch (which was a complete install) right over the already installed and licensed game. Now that I've reinstalled XP on my new machine, and then installed the patched version of FOF2k4 cleanly, I have my unlicensed option back. Go figure.
Have you sent this information to Solecismic? Sounds like a problem in the current patch approach that needs to get fixed before 5.0c arrives...

Thanks for the info, though. I'll contact them when my new box arrives.