Author Topic: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation  (Read 68355 times)

virtuali

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FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« on: February 07, 2011, 03:15:29 pm »
In an effort to make our activation method as user friendly as possible, we added today a new feature:

User controlled Deactivation
With this option, you'll be able to remove an existing activation for a computer, without having to contact us. Very useful in case you are planning to upgrade your system with major hardware components, reinstall Windows from scratch, or buy an entirely new PC.

If you use this option before starting the hardware upgrade, the OS reinstall or giving away/selling your old PC, the existing activation for any product handled by the Addon Manager will be removed from your system AND from the Esellerate Activation servers too. Which means, your counter of remaining activations will be increased by one.

The big advantage of this feature is, even if you already used all your 6 activations and need a new activation, there will be no need to email us anymore, just remember to Deactivate your existing system before upgrading.

How to get it
You'll get this upgrade automatically if you run any of our scenery installers OR, by downloading and installing the Stand-Alone Addon Manager. The updated versions are 2.8.0.0 in FSX and 1.80 in FS9.

How to use it
With the updated Addon Manager, select any product which is currently Activated on your system, and choose "Deactivate" from the Addon Manager menu for that product, with an Internet connection alive.

After a brief wait, you'll get a message stating that Deactivation completed successfully. Your existing Serial Number will be automatically saved in a .REG file in your Home folder (the folder with your Windows user name), the Serial Number will be cleaned from the registry, and the product will go back in TRIAL MODE, as if was never activated on this system and your remaining activations counter on the server has now increased by one.

Limitations
Please note, you have to do this on the computer you want to update/reformat/sell/dispose BEFORE doing any of those operations. You can't Deactivate a system remotely using another one, or Deactivate it after you have started or completed your upgrade.

There are no limits how many times you can perform a deactivation.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2011, 12:06:28 pm by virtuali »

Silverbird

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2011, 03:36:37 pm »
thanks Umberto I'm very happy you continue to approve the add-on manger I had to reactivate my scenery allot of times since I'm obsessed with reformatting every so often or I'm sometimes changing parts like a network card etc etc. this way reminds me of SecuROM Deactivation but it works well thanks for the update.
Cesar

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PUP4ORD

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2011, 03:56:16 pm »
Hey that's very nice. :)
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Scorpio47

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2011, 04:58:39 pm »
That is good news and a major step forward towards user friendly management of the licences.

Thank you, Umberto

Andyfly76

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2011, 05:42:14 pm »
Thanks for this updating, is very useful and hope be followed.

skimmer

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2011, 06:01:28 pm »
So if I get a new hard drive with just Windows 7 on it can I still install all my fsdt products without this Deactivation program?

Clutch Cargo

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2011, 06:09:57 pm »
Agree.  This is a nice touch.  I think you guys have one of the best installers out there.  Now you will probably have one of the un-installers,  ;).

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virtuali

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2011, 08:10:41 pm »
So if I get a new hard drive with just Windows 7 on it can I still install all my fsdt products without this Deactivation program?

When upgrading your system drive (the drive Windows boots from), you'll have to Deactivate before the hard drive change, this will increase your remaining activations by one. It will basically "forget" you installed the scenery on that system.

You then install the new hard drive, do all the installations including FSDT products, and activate them all using your Serial Number. This will use an activation, so the net total would be unchanged at the end of the upgrade.

Without Deactivation, this would have consumed an activation more.

RRSignal

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2011, 09:32:07 pm »
Sorry if I'm sneezing on the party cake, but this is like going from the sewer into the unflushed toilet; it is not an improvement! The DRM is still there. And, among other things, what happens when Virtualis/FSDreamTeam decides to stop supporting your products, or go out of business? (Hint: The same thing that happened with Yahoo Music, and will happen with MSN's music later this year.)

virtuali

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2011, 10:15:39 pm »
it is not an improvement!

Surely is. Before, if you upgraded your hardware, it would use one of your activations. Now, if you deactivate first, it won't.

Quote
The DRM is still there

And it's going to stay, just like FSX, which is the host program our products runs into, just like Windows, which is the OS under which both FSX and our products runs under. All of them use online activation, except we give more activations than Microsoft, and FSX/Windows DRMs don't allow user controlled deactivation.

So, if you have accepted FSX and Windows DRM with online activations, there are no reasons why you couldn't accept ours.

Quote
And, among other things, what happens when Virtualis/FSDreamTeam decides to stop supporting your products, or go out of business? (Hint: The same thing that happened with Yahoo Music, and will happen with MSN's music later this year.

This has been already explained long ago: if we went of out business, what will happen, is basically nothing. We don't run the activations servers ourselves, Esellerate/Digital River does. Which means, you should worry if THEY would go out of business...

The activations are handled automatically, and now there's the Deactivation, it would be very difficult to consume all your 6 activations. AND, since there's the auto-reclaim of older activations after 90 days, our products will self-activate indefinitely, even in our absence.

In the unlikely event Digital River would go out of business, we will of course find another ecommerce provider by then, and migrate all the existing activations to a different system.

The comparison with Yahoo Music and MSN music is also wrong for a different reason: they weren't selling their own stuff, they licensed music from someone else, which means they couldn't plan a solution for the existing purchasers. We have the full rights to our stuff so, in case we'd go out of business, the most likely outcome could be we'll pass our products and our customers orders data to another flight sim company.

What happened to Cloud9 customers when they decided to quit from the flight sim business ? Nothing: they handled their product support to us, and all existing customers had their order preserved, and much better licensing conditions too.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2011, 10:26:02 pm by virtuali »

scott967

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2011, 10:15:53 pm »
Haven't needed this (yet) but its nice that you are looking at ways to make life easier for your customers.

scott s.
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Anders Bermann

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #11 on: February 08, 2011, 12:56:03 am »
Nice addition! Definately a nice improvement! :)
Must admit, that I've been sighing for this for some time! Thanks FSDreamTeam for your continuous support!

Just a question... (don't know, if you can answer this, but here goes...):
Does this new 'policy' apply to other products using the eSellerate engine? I.e QualityWings Boeing 757 Series?

Thanks again! 
Best regards, Anders

virtuali

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #12 on: February 08, 2011, 01:36:13 am »
Does this new 'policy' apply to other products using the eSellerate engine? I.e QualityWings Boeing 757 Series?

Yes, all Flight sim products that use our Addon Manager for activation already got this feature because of the update.

The only thing that might change depending on the developer is (like the number of Activations before emailing) the maximum allowable Deactivations before emailing.

skimmer

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #13 on: February 08, 2011, 08:40:32 am »
okay,I get it and thanks for the reply. :)

christiaan

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Re: FsDreamTeam introduces user controlled Deactivation
« Reply #14 on: February 08, 2011, 06:00:43 pm »
Have FS9, I am getting a new computer for FSX and FS9, can I use the FS9 airports on both computers?