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Portable v12.01?

Aug
29
0
Have been struggling with this since going to v12, and now that I'm on v12.01, I'd like to get it sorted out.

I have a license key, and after entering it on an "installer box", I copied the contents of the installed folder (including TakeCommand12.key) to a thumbdrive. No matter how I do it (direct from the drive, copy to local, etc), it comes up unlicensed.

However, when I export the registry key (HKCU\Software\JP Software\Take Command 12) from the "installer box" and import it into the target machine, it comes up registered.

The problem, naturally, is that the registry 'stays behind' when I leave with my thumbdrive...
 
Is this still valid?


When you enter your registration information, Take Command will save it in both the Windows Registry and in a key file (TakeCommand12.key, or TakeCommandLE12.key for Take Command/LE) in the Take Command directory. At startup, Take Command will look for its registration information first in the Registry and then in the TakeCommand12.key file. This allows you to put Take Command on a USB drive, and move it among different computers. (Note that if you are running Windows Vista or later, Take Command will not be able to create the TakeCommand12.key file in the root (C:\), any of the "\Program Files" subdirectories, or the Windows subdirectories.)

Topic "register.htm" last edited 9/17/2010. ©2011 JP Software, Inc.
Keywords: Registration
 
I have a license key, and after entering it on an "installer box", I copied the contents of the installed folder (including TakeCommand12.key) to a thumbdrive. No matter how I do it (direct from the drive, copy to local, etc), it comes up unlicensed.

12.x does not support portable installations (and 12.10 will not allow it even if you modify the registry). You can either install the eval version if you're going to be using it on a machine < 30 days, or TCC/LE if you're going to be using it longer. (Or if you're going to be using it > 30 days and want the full version, buy another license!)
 
rconn:
| 12.x does not support portable installations (and 12.10
| will not allow it even if you modify the registry). You
| can either install the eval version if you're going to
| be using it on a machine < 30 days, or TCC/LE if you're
| going to be using it longer. (Or if you're going to be
| using it > 30 days and want the full version, buy another
| license!)

How about people who repair computers, or install software and hardware on
corporate machines? A single 5-system license (or 10-system, etc.) would not
do:

1/ The machines would usually not be connected to the internet, it may even
be the networking hardware that failed (as did the wireless network card in
my laptop). Or they may be behind "unbreakable" firewalls - I had worked for
a client where any attempt to access the internet, instead of the intranet,
was a firing offense.

2/ Any one machine will be used less than 30 days, BUT it may come back for
another repair 6 months or a year later! The now very old scheme of counting
only the days when TC is used would most likely do for the repair
situatation, but not for the software installer.

It would not be reasonable for my church to need a corporate license just so
I could check any one of over 10 machines if and when needed, typically less
often than once a year. Admittedly, I can currently deal with them using my
5-system license for earlier versions - I can only be in one location at a
time, so I would never use more than 3 at any given time (my desktop at
home, if I left TC active when I left, my laptop, and the machine under
test). But TCC/LE would not do - it is too limited, even some 4DOS features
are excluded.
--
Steve
 
How about people who repair computers, or install software and hardware on corporate machines?

I would be very interested in some real-world examples of how TCC/LE would be insufficient in those cases. The only differences between TCC/LE and the full TCC is in the batch scripting language and Internet connectivity, which doesn't seem relevant here. And corporate customers rarely have concerns about acquiring multisystem licenses.

Unfortunately, providing unlimited free licenses of the full Take Command / TCC version (which is what the "portable" licensing means) is not a sustainable business model. We offered that type of registration keys in the past and it was (very!) widely abused. We will not be returning to that scheme.
 
rconn:
| I would be very interested in some real-world examples of how TCC/LE
| would be insufficient in those cases. The only differences between
| TCC/LE and the full TCC is in the batch scripting language and
| Internet connectivity, which doesn't seem relevant here.

Below is a list of features not available in TCC/LE which I need.
Hash (#) marks those on which I already depended in 4DOS and
frequently used in my aliases and batch files. Note that none relate
to internet connectivity or using any external scripting language.

Commands
--------
# function
# head
shortcut
# tail
taskend
tasklist
# unfunction

Internal Variables
------------------
# _lastdisk
_pid

Variable Functions
------------------
# @agedate
# @alias
@compare
# @convert
# @fileage
@inode
@ipaddress
@ipname
@junction
@links
# @makeage
# @makedate
# @maketime
# @max
# @md5
# @min
# @search
# @time
# @truncate

The worst of it is the lack of UDFs! Most of the items in my list are
platform-independent.

| And corporate customers rarely have concerns about acquiring
| multisystem licenses.

My guess is that they would if the sole purpose is for use by one or
two people, who cannot physically use more than a very few machines
concurrently. But on a network you could provide a license which is
not based on machines connected to the network, but on the number of
concurrent users. Many products have that kind of licensing.

| Unfortunately, providing unlimited free licenses of the full Take
| Command / TCC version (which is what the "portable" licensing means)
| is not a sustainable business model. We offered that type of
| registration keys in the past and it was (very!) widely abused. We
| will not be returning to that scheme.

Maybe you could implement a scheme that would require TCC to be
operated from a removable device (a "stick") that must remain
connected the whole time it is running, and is related to the device
serial number. That would certainly satisfy my needs.

--
Steve
 
rc
Below is a list of features not available in TCC/LE which I need.

IMO none of those features are relevant to the goals in your previous message (repairing a machine or installing software). And most of the missing ones can be kludged around with Windows or third-party utilities.

Maybe you could implement a scheme that would require TCC to be operated from a removable device (a "stick") that must remain
connected the whole time it is running, and is related to the device
serial number. That would certainly satisfy my needs.

Only if we sold the hardware too. That's a possibility for the future, but NITV. And most of the people who've been asking for this are beta testers, who wouldn't want to pay for it anyway! :-)

I suspect this would wind up like the old 4NT "runtime" version -- many people ask for it, but nobody actually buys it.
 
rconn:
| Steve Fabian:
|| Below is a list of features not available in TCC/LE which I need...

| IMO none of those features are relevant to the goals in your previous
| message (repairing a maching or installing software). And most of the
| missing ones can be kludged around with Windows or third-party
| utilities.

All my batch programs and aliases are dependent on many (though not
all) of the features I listed, esp. the ones which were already
available in 4DOS. Note that I listed neither array nor binary
operations, but I would be dead without UDFs! I would have to
redesign how I use TCC.

|| Maybe you could implement a scheme that would require TCC to be
|| operated from a removable device (a "stick") that must remain
|| connected the whole time it is running, and is related to the device
|| serial number. That would certainly satisfy my needs.

| Only if we sold the hardware too. That's a possibility for the future,
| but NITV. And most of the people who've been asking for this are beta
| testers, who wouldn't want to pay for it anyway! :-)
|
| I suspect this would wind up like the old 4NT "runtime" version --
| many people ask for it, but nobody actually buys it.

If it is a good-quality (i.e.,fast), large (at least 8GB) stick with
built-in, registered TCMD, it might just be worth buying, esp. if it
were NTFS (my current stick is a 16-GiB VFAT).
--
Steve
 
12.x does not support portable installations (and 12.10 will not allow it even if you modify the registry). You can either install the eval version if you're going to be using it on a machine < 30 days, or TCC/LE if you're going to be using it longer. (Or if you're going to be using it > 30 days and want the full version, buy another license!)

The Help (search "registration") needs to be updated to reflect this change in policy. I'm not happy with it, but I can survive.
 
can-o-worms - sorry :-) But thanks for the info.

Regarding 3rd party utils to fill the gap and kludge, that's why I've got Take Command - so I don't need to do that!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but (since I have a v12 license) putting v11 (licensed) on a USB drive would be a violation of some sort?

This won't be a huge inconvenience for me. I was just putting together a USB swiss army knife to keep with me when out in the wild and Take Command was on the list of tools. I'll use TCC/LE and come back with a request if I encounter a need that LE doesn't provide.

Lastly, consider this - Siber Systems (RoboForm) has figured out a way to license software to a USB device. The hardware finger print is the USB device.
 
Regarding the license. My use just happens to be exactly as stated in the example below. Presumably this is still in effect for 12.10+?

Since TC is now licensed to the hardware, I hope what ever mechanism you use is as friendly as that used by Microsoft. As opposed to Nuance whose software has been known to de-activate when a USB drive is connected or removed.

(6) Use of Individual Copies. If you purchased an individual copy of the Software it may be installed for a single person's use on one or more Computers (such as a Computer at work, a Computer at home, and a portable Computer), as long as all Computers are primarily for that person's use at all times, each computer is normally kept at a different location (address) than the others, and they are never used simultaneously except during active transfer of files between them. (If the Software copy was purchased by your employer, you must obtain your employer's explicit permission before installing the Software on multiple Computers as described above.)
 
Yes, a single license still allows activations on three machines.

Had second thoughts? Or is three 'allowed' because it's within the predefined grace count for activations before it's cut off?

(6) Use of Individual Copies. If you purchased an individual copy of the Software it may be installed for a single person's use on up to two Computers (such as a Computer at work and a Computer at home, or a desktop Computer and a portable Computer), as long as both Computers are primarily for that person's use at all times, each computer is normally kept at a different location (address) than the other, and they are never used simultaneously except during active transfer of files between them. (If the Software copy was purchased by your employer, you must obtain your employer's explicit permission before installing the Software on multiple Computers as described above.)
 
Re: Portable v12.01? - now 13.x

* Take Command now supports installation and registration on removable (for example, USB) drives.

Yeah! Thank you!!!

So does this mean I can activate my upgrade on my desktop, laptop, and a thumb drive?
 
That's good to hear. I didn't see any special requirements for installation so I'm assuming just copy the installation folder from the local machine to the stick. Then execute from the stick and register it?
 

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