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Home - General / All posts - Installed Manifold 9.0.177 activation errors
StanNWT
196 post(s)
#19-Jul-22 18:31

I've just installed Manifold 9.0.177 and 8.0.33.

I'm presented with the dialog to enter my serial numbers for each.

I get an "activation error" with the dialog for 9.x.

I've gone to the Serial number status page and my serial number is still valid with 3 activations left. Last September a major update to Windows 10 Enterprise was rolled out and I noticed after this that my previous 9.0.176 installation asked for a serial number and I didn't enter it. I've not been using Manifold for a while as I had other projects to work on but I'm going back into Manifold to continue some work and I'm puzzled why my valid serial number is not successfully being acknowledged via the activation dialog. Could I firewall or some other security software application prevent the activation process from communicating with the Manifold server and therefore the activation states "activation error"?

oeaulong

521 post(s)
#19-Jul-22 18:35

Did you remember to unblock the downloads before running them as an install?

StanNWT
196 post(s)
#19-Jul-22 20:05

There is always a MS "Do you want to install this software that doesn't have a signed certificate" thing but I say yes under the options on the left. I've gone through this before with no kickups.

Dimitri


7,413 post(s)
#19-Jul-22 18:40

Could I firewall or some other security software application prevent the activation process from communicating with the Manifold server and therefore the activation states "activation error"?

Yes. See the Troubleshooting page, which includes useful notes like:

  • No Internet connection - Does the computer have a live Internet connection? You must have a live Internet connection to activate.
  • Firewall or other block - Is any software installed that would prevent the Manifold product from contacting Manifold's activation servers? If so, turn it off or configure that software so it does not prevent Manifold from contacting activation servers. Keep in mind that some blocks may be upstream from your computer, for example, installed in routers that your organization uses as gateways to the Internet.
StanNWT
196 post(s)
#19-Jul-22 20:07

I always have an internet connection when installing. I could uninstall the software completely and reinstall I guess. We do use Trend Micro Apex One. It's possible that a firewall setting at the government network / internet is blocking the activation process because it's contacting the server for activation in.... Hong Kong is it? That might raise some automated triggers / blocks?

StanNWT
196 post(s)
#19-Jul-22 20:26

You know that "More info" when there's a MS Windows advisory not to install software from an unknown publisher? Yeah I always have to click on that and say yes for Manifold installations.

I've had no luck doing an uninstall and reinstall and trying to activate the licence.

I did initially today try and install Manifold 9.0.177 Viewer 9.0.177 and 8.033 all at once then do a reboot, after the reboot they all failed. But when I did it one at a time they all installed. Initially 8.x failed to see an authorized licence but it does now

Yes I know that was stupid, but I hadn't done any installs since last summer so it's been a while and forgot the second part of the installation that happens after the reboot.

Dimitri


7,413 post(s)
#20-Jul-22 06:24

I always have to click on that and say yes for Manifold installations.

Yes. That is as it should be. Microsoft wants to force vendors to participate in their monopoly system, so if a vendor does not participate in their monopoly system, Microsoft does their Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD) thing. That is why that step is illustrated in the step by step Install and Activate topic.

I've had no luck doing an uninstall and reinstall and trying to activate the licence.

Do you mean you had no luck uninstalling? Or reinstalling? Or that you could do those OK but then could not activate? What happens when you launch the product after installing using the process in the Install and Activate topic? Do you get an Activation dialog?

after the reboot they all failed.

What does that mean? Did the applications launch an activation dialog? If so, that's not "failing," that is correct function.

Activation is really simple: you need an Internet connection and you can't have installed extra software that prevents Manifold from using Internet to contact the activation servers. It's hard to mess that up. You have to actively work at stopping activation from happening by installing software, like Trend Micro, that prevents Windows from functioning as it is supposed to function, or by having downstream hardware or software that blocks access to activation servers.

It is possible, of course, that some other utterly simple thing is going on. Classic examples are changing the serial number and expecting it to work, working with a computer system where the date is set to 1991 and expecting that to work and so on. That's why the Troubleshooting page has an explicit list of simple errors to check. Those are easy to eliminate.

If you want to solve the problem yourself, the fastest way to solve any activation problem is to follow the explicit and straightforward advice in the Troubleshooting page. Don't waste your time on anything else. For example, nowhere in the Troubleshooting page does it tell you to uninstall and to reinstall. It does tell you to install Microsoft prerequisites, but if you're using a Windows Installer installation that is done for you automatically.

In this case, the operative advice seems to be "Is any software installed that would prevent the Manifold product from contacting Manifold's activation servers? If so, turn it off or configure that software so it does not prevent Manifold from contacting activation servers. " I'd suggest doing that before you do anything else.

If you don't want to solve the problem yourself, contact Tech Support using the free activation support process. Note that you must provide full information as required for the process to be free.

StanNWT
196 post(s)
#21-Jul-22 14:09

I mean that after uninstalling and reinstalling even using the "run as administrator" one the Manifold 9.0.177 x64 executable, when I try and activate the licence with the still valid serial number, the activation gives and "activation error". It's possible it's the firewall. the IT group is asking "what software are you trying to activate?" I'll tell them and perhaps they can see the incident in their firewall logs either on my desktop side or their corporate gateway side to the internet. I even though I have admin rights, it's limited by corporate IT group policy in Windows in our enterprise environment from disabling Trend Micro. I also have Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office. It has protection features that I can completely disable. I use it for backups as it's far mode affordable that a corporate IT solution, it also protects against randsomware injection into backup files. So far I've not had a case where my organization nor my system have suffered that fate, but I don't trust that it won't happen and am not willing to roll the dice.

I wasn't saying that activating Manifold was complicated. All software activate should be simple with a valid serial number. However, in our current world, IT has to lock down environments to such an extent that it sometimes gets difficult to do things. Since I'm the only Manifold user in my organization, I'm a blip on the radar of thousands of employees and when restrictions tighten because of an ever evolving threat matrix out there from individuals, groups and nation states, one off installations like myself can get overlooked.

Dimitri


7,413 post(s)
#21-Jul-22 18:05

I hear you. My guess is that it is something that is preventing Manifold from contacting the activation servers.

It sounds like you should contact tech support for help, since this involves details that should remain private to you and not discussed on a public forum. Tech can help you go through all the details to make sure it's not something simple, and if it is something that is blocking access to activation servers, they can provide insights.

As the Activation Reference topic mentions, Manifold talks to the activation servers using plain http protocol - nothing exotic - so usually there's a way to configure whatever protection software you have to allow it.

Dimitri


7,413 post(s)
#20-Jul-22 06:01

I always have an internet connection when installing. I could uninstall the software completely and reinstall I guess.

If your Internet connection is not on or if something like a firewall or other block is preventing Manifold from contacting the activation servers, uninstalling Manifold and re-installing it won't make a difference, because the problem is whatever is blocking access.

We do use Trend Micro Apex One.

OK, so it looks like the answer is "Yes" to the question "Is any software installed that would prevent the Manifold product from contacting Manifold's activation servers?" Turn it off, or configure it so it doesn't prevent Manifold on your computer from contacting Activation servers.

That might raise some automated triggers / blocks?

That's a question for your IT group. Only they know what they've installed, what it does, and how to configure what they've installed so it does not interfere with what you want to do.

The obvious thing to start with is the Trend Micro package. A quick review of their web site indicates it is exactly the sort of software that could block packages on your computer from contacting servers. I'd start by turning it off, so you can prove that it is indeed the culprit, and then you can learn how to configure it so it doesn't block Manifold.

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