License Reactivation Problems

You aren't the only one. I started up Hero Lab and got a message about how my license had to be reactivated because my operating system must have been reinstalled. My operating system has NOT been reinstalled and there have been no hardware changes either. I assume an update to windows must have screwed something up. Anyway, I reactivated it through the interface provided and everything worked OK.

Immediately after that, I updated Hero Lab. It wanted to run it's installer again so I did that and when I got back into the program I got another message telling me my license was invalid AGAIN and had to be reactivated AGAIN. This time, though, it sent me to fill out some form because it has been less than 120 days since I reactivated my license (about 10 minutes, to be exact). The form tells me I have to wait 1-2 business days to get this taken care of. In the meantime, my software is stuck in "demonstration" mode.

So, as far as I can tell some random windows update must have screwed up the registration once and then installing a Hero Lab update screwed it up again. Am I going to have this to look forward to every time Windows or Hero Lab updates because its really annoying?

It's a very rare problem. And Colen and Rob generally monitor the license queue over the weekend, so there's a good chance you'll get things fixed soon.

They took care of it today. I just hope whatever it is doesn't happen again.

WOw, you only had to wait two days for them to fix something that should not be in the system to begin with. How this clumsy system combats piracy, I have no idea.

I guess I can wait two days to use software I paid for...that requires a yearly activation...not like I have a finite number of days to use it...oh wait.

FYI, there is no yearly activation with Hero Lab. Also, the licensing mechanism combats piracy very successfully and is the key to keeping the company in business. If we didn't have the licensing mechanism, there would be no software from us. Then you'd be back to pencil and paper, which I'm guessing most of our users would prefer to avoid.

rob said:

I'm guessing most of our users would prefer to avoid.

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Oh god yes!

Used the software for years and never had a single licencse issue. It effortlessly even transferred the 2nd license from Vista to Win7.

Only one of players did but that was because he activated the software on a library computer. So going with that was a problem located between the chair and the keyboard.

I apologize, I did not realize I was in the hero labs section. I am complaining about the mechanism for Army builder...4 days and still no reply form wolflair, I guess it is a good thing you have no competition,

You know, piss-poor sarcastic attitudes probably don't work as well as sending a polite reminder email asking for help. Consider the stats, here. The user who started this thread posted months ago, and you're posting just now. The amount of users who have licensing problems (i.e., legitimate buggy issues and not those who disagree with how the system works) are incredibly low. No system is perfect. There are flaws in everything. But overall, this particular system works well and effectively.

Instead of acting like a typical, self-entitled spoiled 8 year old, realize that LWD prides itself on taking care of its customers and that humans sometimes make oversights or have lapses in memory. A gentle reminder after Day 2 might have had your problem resolved by now. And even if it didn't, this is likely to be one of if not the only time you have this particular problem.

To everyone else, sorry for my combative response. I just can't stand the growing attitude of self-importance where everyone in the world has to stop what they're doing and tend to one particular individual just because they are, as an adult, throwing a kid-like tantrum. Someone should've been spanked growing up.

@Joshua:
Personally, I understand narceron's ire. I've been in the situation of an online activation failing for every reason from company error to my error to my ISP's error and in every case, my immediate reaction is "Why is the company keeping me from using the product I paid for?" And not getting a response from support when others are assuring you that 2-3 days is the standard and less than that is the norm would make you wonder if they're putting you on or, worse, are astroturfing you. Nevertheless, civility on both sides is key.

@narceron
Check your spam filters if you can to be sure the support response didn't get stuck there. If not, send a second email and post on the forums politely and there's a very, very high chance of resolution. Frankly, posting impolitely probably won't lengthen your waits — the guys at Lone Wolf are users themselves, so they understand your frustrations — but it decreases the chances of getting yelled at by other forum members and it will help stave off Rob's ulcers.

And yes, Army Builder has a yearly renewal, however that works, so that explains why you were talking about things expiring. Used to be, since both products used the same activation system, Hero Lab similarly warned of an expiration date, although that date never came due to the different business model. I think they've fixed that, but at first, I feared that you'd run into another place where the old documentation was present.

But yeah, you've got the attention of the employees now, I think, but you may want to check your spam filters and try sending a second email. Good luck.

Duggan, I understand and even to some extent agree with those feelings and thoughts, but I don't believe that the situation (or the resulting feelings or thoughts) warrants the underlined behavior. Restraint and accountability have gone by the wayside and it seems to be pandemic these days, but that doesn't make it any more acceptable.

narceron said:

I apologize, I did not realize I was in the hero labs section. I am complaining about the mechanism for Army builder...4 days and still no reply form wolflair, I guess it is a good thing you have no competition,

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Hi there,

From your earlier post I assumed that your issue had been resolved - is it still outstanding? If so, please check your spam filter - it's possible a reply from us ended up there.

If not, please email me directly at colen@wolflair.com with your license details and the original message you sent to technical support.

Figured i should post on this thread. The E-mail that my license is tied to no longer exists. It was changed after I installed the license and so i can't use it. can i have some help send the #'s to a new e-mail address?

If you still remember the old email address, it's still tied to your license. So if you still have the original order email that contains your license number, you can login and change the email address to your new one. This is done via the license administration website at www.lonewolfdevel.com.

If you don't have your license number anymore, you'll need to send an email to support. Provide them with your name and the old email address to which your license is associated. They can change the email address associated with your license, at which point you can retrieve your license via email.

Hope this helps!

I've recently experienced a similar issue that has yet to be resolved.
I have a primary PC, a secondary PC, and a Mac. Naturally, I had herolab installed on both PCs. I have since stopped using it on the secondary PC.

I decided to try out the Mac beta and maybe I misread something, but I thought it was going to allow me to download and play the Mac Beta as long as I had previously paid for a PC license. Instead, it took over my primary PC license and now I had to fill in some form because it's been within 120 days or some such nonsense if I want to use my PC herolab again. (and it says I need to wait a couple BUSINESS days)

Now, I get it. You want to control your intellectual property. You worked hard, and want to get paid, as you should. HOWEVER, this license system you use seems to be punishing legitimate users. Why wouldn't you guys setup a user controlled authorize/de-authorize system built into the app that many other programs use? Restricting it, of course, to the number of purchased licenses. (see itunes, netflix, ect)
That would eliminate the need to email your support staff and would allow the individuals that bought the software to manage their own use of the licenses.

Talon, can you email me at colen@wolflair.com with your license number? You should have been able to automatically transfer your license, so I'd like to check into things and make sure everything on our side is working as intended.

I haven't had any license problems yet, though that will probably change when I install Windows 8 CP or RC on my upcoming build and then update to the final version once it's released. I agree with Talon125 that having some sort of user-manageable authorization system would be very helpful, similar to what Amazon does with Kindle devices/software (where you can authorize/deauthorize either on the device/software or via the internet).