[2005] Activate programm each year and check

[fatihpk]

I realy need you're advise. We need to have a check in the system for ativating the programm each year. Is there anyone who can give me an good idea for the architecture. How you can check the programm (like via registry or other source). A good code can help me too

[Tom Sawyer]

You can use a Windows Scheduled Task for this. The process for doing this (through XP, but it would be similar if you're using a different OS) is:

Go to Settings - Control Panel - Scheduled Tasks and select "Add Scheduled Task".

Hit the Next button and then browse to the exe of the program that you want to run once a year. Select to perform this task Monthly and then hit Next. Select the day and time that you want it to run and then uncheck all of the month checkboxes except for the one that you want to have active.

Hit Next and then enter the username and password that the application will be run under. If your system uses accounts that require passwords being changed every few months, you'll need to create a separate account to run this program or else by the time it runs the second time, the password for the account it's being run under will be invalid and the job will fail.

That should do it for you.

[fatihpk]

Isn't there a better way for Activation and Licence Controll?

[kleinma]

I don't think Tom understood you correctly.

It sounds like you are looking to setup some sort of licensing service so that users need to activate/pay for a software license renewal each year, is that correct?

If so, then you have 2 options

1) use a system that is already in place (can be costly)
2) develop your own (can be time consuming)

I took the #2 route in my most recent commercial software package, and I used a combination of an encrypted license file, and a webservice to connect to my website to validate/renew the service. That is oversimplifying things a lot, but you get the idea.

The people who buy my software are not very tech oriented people, so I probably went overboard on my protection scheme, but I am sure if it was a mainsteam app that lots of people wanted, it would get cracked pretty quickly.

An example of one you could buy would be Microsofts new SLPS
http://www.microsoft.com/slps/

There are others, and I have never done feature/price comparisons

[Kasracer]

You have told us nothing about your current application or what you're trying to do.

So far I have that you want to do some sort of activation every year. That's it.

Plese don't waste our time. Give us a description of what you're trying to accomplish. Is any of the work around done? Is the application finished but activation is still needed? Is this deployed? Do you have a web server to handle transactions / activations? Do you have any current License / Activation methods / controls?

[fatihpk]

If we waste you're time KASRACER than don't read the FORMS AT ALLLLLL. Maybe my problemm (or advise) is maybe a short I know. But that doesn't mean you have to pronounce it like this. But ok. We don't have a web server. Yes the application is finished but needs to be activated each year. Most of the end users don't have Internet so web activating can't be done. It must be with a phone number. So Maybe a good way to activate with binaire files or registry solutions?

[kleinma]

you could try something similar to Microsoft's Windows XP/Vista phone activation.

Basically, the system generates a random set of letters/numbers which is showed to the user. The user calls in, and plugs in this code, and then they are given another code over the phone, which they type in. This activates the software.

[Kasracer]

If we waste you're time KASRACER than don't read the FORMS AT ALLLLLL. Maybe my problemm (or advise) is maybe a short I know. But that doesn't mean you have to pronounce it like this.

I come here to try to help but by you not giving us the information we need, it's just a guessing part on our side which wastes everyone's time including yours. I want to help.

We don't have a web server. Yes the application is finished but needs to be activated each year. Most of the end users don't have Internet so web activating can't be done. It must be with a phone number. So Maybe a good way to activate with binaire files or registry solutions?

Ok so i'm guessing you'll probably want to go the same way Adobe goes with providing a number that the custom gives over the phone then you provide another number that "activates" the software.

I'm not sure what you mean by a binary file or registry solution. Any application you make is a binary file and the registry only holds information.

To be perfectly honest, subscription based applications that require the use of a telephone and large lines of numbers is very anti-user friendly. Would you want to use MS Office is every year if you had to call, wait on the phone, give them a long set of numbers / text, they give you a new set, you enter them in and activate the software? Complex activation schemes like this is what turns users away. If you want to have a subscription based application, you need to provide a very easy way for people to continually give you their money. The internet is the best place to do that.

What kind of demographic are you targetting? Do none of them really have internet access? If it's in the enterprise and the machines can't get online then I could understand not going the internet activation route but many of these companies can open ports for this.

[kleinma]

I would also suspect that after a years time, there will be changes and bug fixes made in the software no?

If your users don't have internet access to begin with, then I will have to assume you are sending media (cds, dvds) to the customers so they can get the software initially.

You may need to go the route of sending out new media each year, which could obviously contain a license for that year to use that software. Probably not very cost effective, but when you take the internet out of the picture, options are more limited.

I can't imagine that there will be a user base paying yearly for software that goes completely unchanged over the course of the years that they use it, its just not the nature of software.

[fatihpk]

Thanx for responding guys. Offcourse the software will be changed each year. That's why the customer must pay each year. It's no much but it is enough. This software is not the same as Office. It's a custom software so you always have to pay for these custom programms. The activation via XP isn't a good solution? Need to have some kind of LOGARITHME with registry id's.