How to deactivate all modules? Following procedure on ED site doesn't seem to work

So I've wasted the last ~45 minutes trying to get my DCS modules safely deactivated so that I can install & activate them on a new hard drive. Unfortunately, the site is confusing at best. There appear to be some glitches involved, too.

The FAQ linked on the DCS main page says to hold Shift while launching the multiplayer shortcut, in order to deactivate stuff. However, this only allowed me to deactivate my Warthog module, and even this doesn't seem to have been deactivated properly.

Going into my "Personal Section" and then "My Account," it says I have no user account. Odd, given that it lets me log in on the main site (with a different password than on the forum).

Using the in-game module manager (which isn't mentioned in the FAQ, but which I found direction to after some frustrating forum searches), I examined my A-10C key, and entered it into the "Request Information" bit at the "Licensing" section of the site. This function recognizes & shows that I deactivated it today, but it says that it's still active? So confused.

And how do I deactivate the P-51D module? When I did the shift+launch thing, it only brought up a dialog box for the A-10C. After deactivating this, it kept asking me to activate the A-10C again, and repeatedly brought up the box when I tried to close it. After ~three tries, it stopped, but never brought up anything for P-51D.

Some help would be nice. Gods know I love DCS and am very fond of ED as sim developers, but FFS this web site / activation&deactivation system is terrible and if it were any less of a sim/game, I'd be a VERY unhappy customer right now. A paying customer should never have to go through this sort of hassle just to make sure his game keeps working. Neither the FAQ on the main site nor any FAQs & sticky threads I could find on the forum contain complete, current, & accurate explanations on how to solve this problem.

So I've wasted the last ~45 minutes trying to get my DCS modules safely deactivated so that I can install & activate them on a new hard drive. Unfortunately, the site is confusing at best. There appear to be some glitches involved, too.

 

And how do I deactivate the P-51D module? When I did the shift+launch thing, it only brought up a dialog box for the A-10C. After deactivating this, it kept asking me to activate the A-10C again, and repeatedly brought up the box when I tried to close it. After ~three tries, it stopped, but never brought up anything for P-51D.

 

Some help would be nice. Gods know I love DCS and am very fond of ED as sim developers, but FFS this web site / activation&deactivation system is terrible and if it were any less of a sim/game, I'd be a VERY unhappy customer right now. A paying customer should never have to go through this sort of hassle just to make sure his game keeps working. Neither the FAQ on the main site nor any FAQs & sticky threads I could find on the forum contain complete, current, & accurate explanations on how to solve this problem.

Sorry your having such issues, I havent had to do this for a while, but an alternative to your methods, the old way, is.

Try going into each aircraft modules DCS game directory and running the *_protect.exe and select deactive / activate with that.

ie DCSW 1.2x (Aircraft):

• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\A-10c\bin\a10_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\BF-109k-4\bin\Bf109K4_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\C-101\c101_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\F-86\bin\f86_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\Flaming Cliffs\bin\fc3_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\FW-190D9\bin\fw190d9_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\Hawk\bin\hawk_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\Ka-50\bin\ka50_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\Mi-8MTV2\bin\mi8_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\MiG-15bis\bin\mig15_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\MIG-21bis\bin\pcnsl.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\P-51D\bin\p51_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\Uh-1H\bin\uh1_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\tech\CombinedArms\bin\CombinedArms_protect.exe
  

DCSW 2.x Beta (Terrain):

• d:\Games\DCS World 2 OpenAlpha\Mods\terrains\Nevada\nevada_protect.exe
  

Kind regards, Ian.

Thanks for the quick response. Are you sure that this method is current? The system has changed in several areas since I last purchased something, and since I last activated & deactivated things. The official tutorials are no longer up-to-date, and so I'm concerned about losing activations / deactivations unnecessarily, as I have in the past due to other such troubles with the profusely-confusing system.

I'd be much more comfortable if I could receive official word on the current, safe way to do this with no unnecessary loss, but sending a support ticket typically takes days at the minimum and sometimes weeks. I guess I should just send a ticket anyway? : /

Thanks for the quick response. Are you sure that this method is current? The system has changed in several areas since I last purchased something, and since I last activated & deactivated things. The official tutorials are no longer up-to-date, and so I'm concerned about losing activations / deactivations unnecessarily, as I have in the past due to other such troubles with the profusely-confusing system.

 

I'd be much more comfortable if I could receive official word on the current, safe way to do this with no unnecessary loss, but sending a support ticket typically takes days at the minimum and sometimes weeks. I guess I should just send a ticket anyway? : /

Do what your comfortable with, but I have always done it the way I have described and had no problem at all.

The built in module manager of the game, is only fairly new, and I have never had to use as yet so I can't comment on how it works or doesn't work.

I have only lost activations, etc. when I forgot to de activate it, before changing HDD, memory, OP systems, and motherboards and cpu combos.

Best of luck.

Sorry your having such issues, I havent had to do this for a while, but an alternative to your methods, the old way, is.

 

Try going into each aircraft modules DCS game directory and running the *_protect.exe and select deactive / activate with that.

 

ie:

 

• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\P-51D\bin\p51_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\A-10C\bin\a10_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\Flaming Cliffs\bin\fc3_protect.exe
  
• d:\Games\DCS World\Mods\aircraft\Ka-50\bin\ka50_protect.exe
  

Kind regards, Ian.

The more modules you have, the more it becomes a pita. Hopefully ED can do something about this in the (very near) future.

Do what your comfortable with, but I have always done it the way I have described and had no problem at all.

 

The built in module manager of the game, is only fairly new, and I have never had to use as yet so I can't comment on how it works or doesn't work.

 

I have only lost activations, etc. when I forgot to de activate it, before changing HDD, memory, OP systems, and motherboards and cpu combos.

 

Best of luck.

Agreed.

Hello Echo38. I submitted a ticket on this issue and wags replied that you should use ed's windows registry scrubber located on the faq page/activations of the dcs main site. I have never been able to deactivate yet. Good luck!

Hello Echo38. I submitted a ticket on this issue and wags replied that you should use ed's windows registry scrubber located on the faq page/activations of the dcs main site. I have never been able to deactivate yet. Good luck!

So was Wags saying that the Starforce tool (protect.exe) does not work?

I had explained that I had tried the protect exe. method.

I had explained that I had tried the protect exe. method.

That's fine if the 'correct' procedure fails, but it also causes you to lose the current activation, since you are not actually deactivating the product.

I did not explain very well, I was told to use the registry tool after the deactivation process. In my case starforce said my deactivation was successful but still claimed another activation when everything was reinstalled on a new 840 pro. This is not a gripe as I would gladly buy all the modules again, but frustrating as it seems I'm too stupid to complete this process!

Hello Echo38. I submitted a ticket on this issue and wags replied that you should use ed's windows registry scrubber located on the faq page/activations of the dcs main site. I have never been able to deactivate yet. Good luck!

I have used those before, it was when I changed hardware, memory and cloned my whole system to another HDD before deactivating all my dcs modules.

Because the weren't deactivated before the change, you can't deactivate or re-activate them once you fire up your new build as the hardware keys are still in the registery and are no longer valid for the hardware there on.

So the only option is to:

• Accept the loss of an activation/deactivation for all your modules, strip the registery of all saved key data with those registery cleaner tools.
  
• Re-active all modules, it will ask for the keys, etc when you try to play a game with any module you own.
  

None of this should be necessary if you keys are working fine, and you haven't changed any of you hardware or OS.

The deactivate worked fine last time I did it for all my modules, I then setup a new HDD again and did a fresh install of windows and dcs onto it and activated all modules again without drama.

Obviously other peoples success may vary from mine, I do agree it is overly complicated and finicky.

Regards, Ian

That's fine if the 'correct' procedure fails, but it also causes you to lose the current activation, since you are not actually deactivating the product.

What's the point in doing it, then?

So far, the only suggested answer to my question ("how do I deactivate my P-51D module?") has been do do it with this protect.exe, but if what you're saying is true, then the protect.exe doesn't deactivate it, which leaves me at square one.

How do I deactivate my P-51D module, in a manner that doesn't waste any activations or deactivations? The FAQs don't say, nor do any of the sticky threads, nor any of the {threads on the subject} posted by any ED employee, at least as far as I could find.

After six lost activations I'm at that square with you!

I believe I figured it out by reading something EtherealN posted on page two of this thread [http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=116362&highlight=deactivate+key&page=2].

The website has changed but the procedure is quite the same. Only difference is you click on profile on the top right corner of the webpage once logged in. Here you can click on "Details" for all of you modules to access your personal keys. I suggest middle mouse click on all of them and then copypasta into the "License Check" Text box. Each one gives a "Unbind from current login" button that you can click.

I haven't had to use it yet since they changed the site, so this could be incorrect, but it is all the help I can offer. Hopefully, you haven't had any issues since the last post in April.

I haven't had to use it yet since they changed the site, so this could be incorrect, but it is all the help I can offer. Hopefully, you haven't had any issues since the last post in April.

This is NOT the procedure to deactivate a module, but rather to unbind it from your account. These should under no circumstances be confused.

This is NOT the procedure to deactivate a module, but rather to unbind it from your account. These should under no circumstances be confused.

Oh I get it now. I don't understand why that would even be a thing but okay. So what is the deactivation steps then? I heard before it was explained in a pdf or readme file with all the modules but I have looked at the A10, F86, and Ka50 so far but no luck. Have 3 left on the A10c so quite curious.

Oh I get it now. I don't understand why that would even be a thing but okay.

When you buy a module through EDs shop, the serial is automatically bound to your account. Say you want to buy a module as a gift for someone else, you need the functionality to unbind it from your account after purchase.

So what is the deactivation steps then?

Run the file protect.exe contained in each module's folder ins your install directory and follow the steps for deactivation.

My modules did uninstall running the protect exe. files the last time, don't know what I did different but sure feels good to finally have it work.

Tried to deactivate all of my modules which, for the majority of them worked.

However - I wasn´t able to deactivat the Hawk, C101 and the MiG 21 - instead I got this message (I have only installed the modules when I´ve purchased them and they were activated ever since their first installation so I obviously never have deactivated them)

Application deactivation is impossible. Your license does not allow the deactivation or the number of deactivations allowed by the license is exceeded. Contact the product publisher.

I also had troubles deactivating the modules. Initially I lost one activation per module due to OS change. After that I opened a ticket and the support representative recommended me the following:

Please use the Reg files here to deactivate your modules: http://en.wiki.eagle.ru/wiki/Problem_with_Activation_%28reg_fixes%29.

Then, re-install using the module manager: http://en.wiki.eagle.ru/wiki/All_about_your_account.

I didn't see the reason for this, as I explained him clearly that my issue was that I lost one activation. Anyway, I did as I was told, I cleared the registry and uninstalled the modules (Steam version). You do realize that I lost another batch of activations, don't you (2nd in a row)? So, incomplete deactivation instructions/warnings and wrong customer support instructions. I was using the Steam version: how the hell should I know that I have to manually deactivate the modules? Really, this is the first Steam game that I had problems with regarding the activations.

After that I tried the protect.exe file in each module folder, just for testing purposes; and it worked. After that I installed the modules using the DCS module manager (well, I got rid of Steam). BUT, the problem here is that it seems also that the deactivations are limited: 9 remaining deactivations. As far as I remember, I received this message for all the modules, not just for MIG-21. So, am I bound to lose in the end all the activations due to limited deactivations? I am still waiting for an answer for this last question from the customer support.

I really hate this protection method. ED has me messing around with my activations and searching for solutions when, instead, for my paid money, I should relax and fully enjoy this game. Really, these guys are making for us, the customers, a hard life whereas the "pirates" are enjoying this game for free and with no hassles. I truly want to buy all the future modules and to support ED (as I have until now), but this has to stop: I wont invest future money into these modules now that I know that, at one point, I can lose my activations. Yes, I have that 30 days replenishment: but what if I remain with 0 activations and I want to install the game now, in day 1-2? What shall I do until the 30th day? I still haven't received a clear answer from customer support for this matter, they kind of seem to avoid it. Rule no.1, whatever the protection system: I should be able to install/reinstall my game whenever I want. I don't want 10 activations, one will suffice, just that one to be 100% safe. And to lose my activations, this is unthinkable; yes, I make mistakes, this is why I pay money for this software. This is not military, it's still a computer game. And the hell with Starforce.

ED tells me that it is impossible to replenish my activations and that, if I want to complain to someone regarding this issue, I should complain to Starforce directly. On Starforce's site, it says the following: "If you reach the activations limit for your serial number, please contact the software publisher rather than StarForce. The serial numbers and protected programs are owned by publisher. StarForce does not have the legal rights to amend either activations or deactivations." So, nobody is responsible; the activations seems to be lost somewhere in the universe. Very nice my precious. Uffff.

UPDATE: This is taken from the quickstart guide: "Each game license (disk) has 10 activations and 10 deactivations. You can activate your game up to 10 times. It's important to note that deactivations are utilized to save your activations when altering your PC hardware/software. To avoid using a product Activation, you may first Deactivate your installed game, make your changes, and then Activate again. You are provided 10 Deactivations."

So, basically it is like this: activate/deactivate x 10 times = 0 remaining deactivations (full 10 remaining activations - untouched). After which one starts to consume those 10 activations (because there are 0 remaining deactivations). So, ultimately, in the perfect scenario in which one doesn't lose a single (de)activation, we are still limited with 20 activations. So, ED's statement that if one carefully deactivates his license each time then he/she will be able to activate without any kind of issues in time, is a lie. In the end all of us will come to the 1 license/31 days, which is a pity: if ED wants to secure its investment, I want also to secure my money. But as far as I can see, this is kind of a consumable; I say "kind of" because if I don't change or my PC components don't break too often, I might get along with the 1 activation/31 days rule. My problem is that I do not want to abide to the 1 activation/31 days rule; period.

And I don't want to hear of supporting the developers, aka, buying again the same licenses. I've just pledged 45 EUR on Star Citizen without actually having the game, this is truly supporting the developers; it's not the steep price at discussion here; buying licenses which kind of expire in the future is something else, no offense. I know that this game required a lot of hard work, but if I plan on playing this game for 10 years from now on, then this issue is really starting to raise questions for me.

Once you have used all your deactivations and activations you will get one new activation per month, so as long as you don't change your hardware more than that it will not be a problem. I do agree they need a new system to make it easy, like a deactivate all button in the module manager. I own all modules and it is a pain already to deactivate them individually and it will just get worse the more modules are released.

I do agree that the investment needs to be protected by a protection/activation system, but this Starforce is obsolete, given the advent of online services/platforms. Ok, I would not be happy with a 100% online connection like Diablo 3, but I am not happy either to be left with 1 activation/31 days for the rest of the license lifetime. I want an activation system like the one from Office 365: has anyone from ED used Office 365 so that they can see the beauty and simplicity of that system? You have 5 activations/ say 10 for DCS, you can manage them all from the online control panel; no valid license, no activation. Uninstalling or upgrading the system? One can easily deactivate all the instances. This is the activation model that should be pursued.

Is it enough 1 activation in 30 days? What if your motherboard or CPU breaks down? Shall I wait 25-30 days just to play this game? Must I plan my Windows reinstall based on my DCS activation schedule? My motherboard broke down two weeks ago, no sign, all of a sudden, ASUS premium brand. So yes, bad things can happen and 1 activation/30 days means that I will have to wait 1 month until I can play the game. And, based on ED's feedback from my last ticket, I don't think they can replenish the activations manually. Pretty stupid and disrespectful towards us the customers, ain't it?

Given that the system is composed of individual modules taken from individual contractors, I don't think that activating/deactivating all of them from the press of a button will be that simple. Actually I would gladly activate/deactivate all the modules in 30 minutes as long as I have some unlimited activations for 1 PC station. In my opinion it would be best to have unlimited activations for 1 PC (1 PC at a time, like a retail key, not 1 PC OEM style) and not 10 activations the other way, this would be fair and safe. Whoever has his key stolen, will lose the license; old school serial key way.

I do agree that the investment needs to be protected by a protection/activation system, but this Starforce is obsolete, given the advent of online services/platforms. Ok, I would not be happy with a 100% online connection like Diablo 3, but I am not happy either to be left with 1 activation/31 days for the rest of the license lifetime. I want an activation system like the one from Office 365: has anyone from ED used Office 365 so that they can see the beauty and simplicity of that system? You have 5 activations/ say 10 for DCS, you can manage them all from the online control panel; no valid license, no activation. Uninstalling or upgrading the system? One can easily deactivate all the instances. This is the activation model that should be pursued.

 

Is it enough 1 activation in 30 days? What if your motherboard or CPU breaks down? Shall I wait 25-30 days just to play this game? Must I plan my Windows reinstall based on my DCS activation schedule? My motherboard broke down two weeks ago, no sign, all of a sudden, ASUS premium brand. So yes, bad things can happen and 1 activation/30 days means that I will have to wain 1 month until I can play the game. And, based on ED's feedback from my last ticket, I don't think they can replenish the activations manually. Pretty stupid and disrespectful towards us the customers, ain't it?

 

Given that the system is composed of individual modules taken from individual contractors, I don't think that activating/deactivating all of them from the press of a button will be that simple. Actually I would gladly activate/deactivate all the modules in 30 minutes as long as I have some unlimited activations for 1 PC station. In my opinion it would be best to have unlimited activations for 1 PC and not 10 activations the other way, this would be fair and safe. Whoever has his key stolen, will lose the license; old school serial key way.

Bis repetita ...

Ed, Wags, listen that!

Be very cautious with what you say about the protection system, despite I have spent hundreds of euros for ED licenses and convinced others also to buy modules we are not allowed to express the pure frustration this license model and system brings along.

I now have a 40% warning, from 30% last week WITHOUT even posting anything anymore as I am totally spoiled for the moment and I hold back till edge comes around, got my right hand bruised anyways and cast etc... no hurry for me, cant hold any joystick anyways.

What I would like to know is why my 30% went up to 40% for a post that I cant even reproduce and must be way way older than the date I got punished for.

I say it again, you can go to a certain point, but not over it, this accounts for either side !

I paid my dues and fees and I am freaking digging the war hammer out if I am at 1 lic left and 30 days, evenif , YES, even if I need professional help and a lawyer, EU and german end user rights etc...

Delete this and proof you cant stand user criticism ! Raise my 40 to 50 and show us another face of yours !

You took my money, now take my complaints also and stand up for what you are and dont hide behind punishment forum rules when customers over and over say: THIS IS MORE THAN WE ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT"

Lars Kröner

Kippweg 2

66887 Erdesbach

GERMANY