Losing license with automatic windows update

[Anirban Das]

It is very unfortunate that ArchiCad crashes with windows automatic updates. This has happened a second time to me. As a practice Microsoft sends updates automatically to improve the performance of the operating system and it never clashes with any of the software for the licences. This is a faultline that exists with Archicad.

In India the dealer is asking money to repair the lost license for which I am not responsible. Please let me know whom should I contact in Archicad.

Following are the excerpts fron the recent communication with the dealer:

As per the condition described, I guess your license has been destroyed due to OS update.

It is mandatory to upload license in GS License Tool Manager, whenever you are formatting the system or updating the OS.

As this is a software key, the license gets downloaded to Hardware of the system. And upon formatting or OS Update there is a process in which hardware is considered and due to the same the Key also gets deleted/Destroyed.

To revive it, I am sending a Destroyed key form. Kindly fill it up and our accounts team will contact you for the pricing of new key. 

After the payment is processed your key will be allotted to you within a day or two.

[Lingwisyer]

How would you prove that is was the licence manager software that was responsible and not Windows, or something elses?

[Barry Kelly]

The SSA/Forward agreements are a bit like subscription, but you buy the perpetual license outright and then pay a yearly fee for support.

That support may include actually talking to someone on the phone or via a support ticketing system, additional objects and materials (possibly even add-ons), future version upgrades, and insurance on the license should you lose it for any reason.

Stop paying the support fee and you still have the license (if you don't lose it), but no upgrades or support or insurance.

Subscription (I don't have), I am unsure if it includes the support, upgrades, license insurance - but I assume it would.

So you don't have an initial cost for the license, but you would pay more in a monthly/yearly fee than SSA/Forward support.

Stop paying the fee and you have nothing, not even the license, you will at best be able to work in Demo mode (no saving/printing).

Barry.

[Jp1138]

I think many of these problems could be resolved if software licenses could be autouploaded after use, or even better, just checked online on start of the program without having to download anything. There should be some flexibility in case there´s a connection loss and an option to download the licenses in case you have connection problems or pretend to work without internet access.

The fact you have to pay to recover a software license as if you were buying a usb or something just seems absurd to me 🙄

[Anirban Das]

Sorry to accept your argument.

Instead of justifying the SSA to be paid,  you should look into the matter so that the bug is removed. Or make this service free.  There are hundreds of sofwares made by renowned companies like Adobe, Corel Corporation, Autodesk etc where automatic windows updates do not make the software lose its license.

License is a code which communicates with the server of the software provider. Why that code gets changed everytime when it is loaded by the SSA?? It does not happen with the companies I mentioned above.

I would expect that Graphisoft should issue me a fresh license (as I had purchased it) and it is lost for the bug that exists in the software and must start working on removing the bug at the earliest.

This attitude will certainly affect your sales in India as architects community is very well connected here.

[Jp1138]

I suppose you are answering to me by mistake, as I completely agree with you that restoring a software license due to any kind of glitch in the home computer should always be free.

[Anirban Das]

Looks like Graphisoft doesn't bother about the discussions in this forum. Why are they not responding? Is there any way to reach them??

[Barry Kelly]

You have contacted your local Archicad support and they have given you a response.

Whether you agree with that response is up to you.

This really has nothing to do with the people at head office running and contributing to this forum.

They aren't your local distributor.

If you don't agree, argue the point with them some more, asking them to point out the documentation where it informed you to return your software license to the pool before undertaking any automatic Windows system updates.

But it seems they have informed you of this before as you said in a previous post they wrote this to you ...

As reference from earlier tickets #368 and #205 raised by you. We conveyed you to upload the License whenever you have OS update and it is practice followed incase of OS update or System Format.

As they seem to have instructed you before of this exact situation, I think you will be stuck paying the fee.

But if you are nice to them and it has not happened before and you promise it won't happen again, who knows, they may reduce or waive the fee.

Barry.

[Anirban Das]

At the mercy of the dealer?? Dealer is a trader only. The software company is responsible for all these. And such things may happen again and again as windows updates are unpredictable & while sutting down you may click the update & shut down, as I did without any thought in my mind and I should go on paying the dealer for years together. This is nonsense. Please fix the bug first. 

I think this is to be highlighted to our architects community.

[Barry Kelly]

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@Anirban Das wrote:

 Please fix the bug first. 

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But is it a bug?

Can I ask all reading, have any of you had an issue with an automatic windows update that has caused you to lose your software license?

I am curious to know because I don't recall any post here about it (I may be wrong).

This would be a major issue if it is the case.

I can understand someone opting to install an OS system version update potentially being a problem.

But that is something you opt to do, it won't happen automatically.

Barry.

[Anirban Das]

Good question. One way you accept that unless it is uploaded to the server, the license gets lost with windows update. Yes, this is the bug.

If its not a bug then why the same thing doesnt happen with Adobe, Autodesk, Corel etc. Firstly please accept that this needs to be rectified and advise the seller not to charge for it. Sellers can ask money for training and other supports but not for such things where I can use the software without bothering for any updates in the same release of operating system.

Infact, there are many outdated softwares which was working on windows 8 and does not work on windows 10. But here it is just a simple update on the same release of windows !!