licence.lxk key not installing

benmcl

New Member
My licence.lxk key is not installing from the Labcenter Licence Manager 1.5. I can locate the file from the "Browse For Key File" button, but when I click on licence.lxk the file does not show under "Available Keys", and the "Install" button does not subsequently become available. With drag and drop, the cursor changes to the "+" when over the "Available Keys" window as if drag and drop is supported, but again the file is not listed. "Find All Key Files" finds the file on my hard drive, but again, the file never gets listed under "Available Keys." I rebooted my computer, but no effect. I double-clicked on the licence.lxk file and I get a "Please wait while Windows configures PICAXE VSM message", the Licence Manager pops up but, you guessed it, the licence.lxk key is not listed. I searched this forum for others with this problem, but found none. I challenge any of you to find something I have not tried!!

The accompanying email said this forum is where I should turn for support. I am using WinXP SP3, ISIS for PICAXE VSM v7.2 SP4, 1.24 Gb of RAM, Intel T2300 1.66Ghz CPU.

Please help! I am anxious to start using VSM to create my own circuits!
 

Technical

Technical Support
Staff member
It sounds like the file may be corrupt, try saving it again from the email into a different folder. When you browse to it and open it shoudl get an 'available' key' showing.

We have had no other reports of this problem, which implies a problem with this particular file.
 

benmcl

New Member
licence.lxk problem solved!

Just in case it ever happens to one of you, Technical solved my problem:
Open the licence.lxk in a text editor, save it as a text file with .lxk extension, then import it into Licence Key Manager. It may have been some transparent text encoding issue (like LF vs. CR) when I transferred the file from the computer I do email on to the computer I do Picaxe stuff on.
 

Dexothermic

New Member
I have a similar problem to benmcl.

I tried a new install of VSM on my triple core CPU desktop running WinXP SP3.
I can locate the file from the "Browse For Key File" button and when I click on licence.lxk the file does show under "Available Keys:" field, but when I click on the "Install" button nothing appears in the "Installed Keys:" field. Therefore cannot licence VSM on desktop.

I then tried the licence key on my laptop where I initially ran the VSM demo.
The Licence Key Manager accepts the key in the "Installed Keys:" field, but now informs me that my USC has expired and I can renew online. The key is new, purchased 7/1/09.

I would like VSM installed on my desktop but do no understand how to get it to accept the new licence key or why my USC has expired!

I opened the Licence Key file in a text editor and I read the following;
";LABCENTER LICENCE KEY FILE 1.1
;Created on Wed Jan 07 11:48:27 2009

lines purposefully omitted

FAMILY=Educational
EXPIRY=07/01/2009"

The expiry date is the same as the creation date and I paid over $100 AUD for it.
 
Last edited:

Technical

Technical Support
Staff member
Sorry, your key should expire in 2010, this was an administration mistake. We will ask the registration dept. to send you a new key today.
 

Dexothermic

New Member
Hi,
Thanks for the quick reply.

I suspected a data entry error and was a little anxious about the cost and to whom I should complain, as there appears to be several departments involved with the licensing.

Thank you for your assistance.
 

demeruk

New Member
Hi
My problem's symptoms are exactly similar to Dexothermic's.

My desktop is running WinXP SP2.

I can locate the file from the "Browse For Key File" button and when I click on licence.lxk the file does show under "Available Keys:" field, but when I click on the "Install" button nothing appears in the "Installed Keys:" field. Therefore cannot licence VSM on desktop.

Just got emailed the license key this morning. When I open the key in a text editor, the expiry date is correct.

Please help right away.
 

Technical

Technical Support
Staff member
The problem ben had was that he saved the licence file from a Apple Mac and so the cr/lf sequence was incorrect (as Mac handle line endings differently to PCs). Re-saving the text file on the PC resolved the issue.

In your case you do actually have to click on the licence file name in the left hand list before hitting the install button.
 

demeruk

New Member
Ok well in the left hand window I get my name (the 'customer key') then below that the Proteus VSM for Picaxe (presumably the 'license key' file).

When I click on the latter, the grey highlighting box shows but then immediately moves up to my name. This happens each time I try to do that.

Then I click the install button and get a message window saying:

"Install customer key '(my name)' and product key for 'Proteus VSM for picaxe' in to Registry? Do you wish to continue?"

So I click yes but nothing happens and no file shows up in the right hand window. What next?
 

Technical

Technical Support
Staff member
The key and software are working fine, but it looks like you do not have access to the registry on your machine. Try logging in as an 'administrator' and try again.
 

demeruk

New Member
well thanks for the continued help but it's not working yet. logged in as administrator but same thing happened. did a regscrup to no avail. ideas?
 

Technical

Technical Support
Staff member
It's hard to be specific because this is an operating system specific issue on your local machine, where the write to the registry is not being allowed for some reason.

Have you tried on a different computer?
 

pbutton

New Member
I had this problem last year with XP home and cured it in the following manner:

Run "REGEDIT"

enlarge HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

enlarge SOFTWARE

Right click on Labcentre Electronics and select "Permissions"

ensure Administrators has "Full Control" & "Read" by clicking on either.

(In my last instal in Aug 08 the only permission ticked was Special)

Click on Apply and then exit regedit and install the license keys.

Good Luck

Phil
 

demeruk

New Member
Oh my god!
It worked!
Thanks Phil!

maybe I won't have to re-load Windows XP .....
maybe I won't get a new motherboard .... a new CPU .... yet

er, is it too much to ask how you knew to do that?

cheers

Paul
 

pbutton

New Member
Hi demeruk

I had installed VSM on my laptop which runs Vista Basic and let licence manager work OK so I compared the Vista Reistry permissions with the XP registry and discovered the difference and made the change in the XP registry which worked so then created a text file listing what I had done. I just copied that file into the message I sent to the forum.

Glad to know that it fixed your problem.

Cheers

Phil
 

demeruk

New Member
Ok - thanks. Very logical!

I wonder if technical - hippy ;) - punish themselves in any way when one of the customers they live to serve sorts out the problem before they manage to. Maybe not being able to use the scroll wheel for a day or something like that...
 

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
We're very grateful whenever a customer can help another and does so. While all the staff here would love to have solutions to hand for every problem which arises, be experts in all things, there are others who have insights and knowledge which we just don't have, and we're pleased they do speak up. If that saves time in investigating an issue and getting people up and running again it helps everyone.

No beating ourselves up that I know of - though each to their own ! With problems solved and customers happy, we can be happy, and get on with making customers even happier in the future.
 
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