- The serial number was not typed in correctly during installation. To check this, look at the Serial number shown in the Help/About box. For C21 installations it should be 8 digits, hyphen, 6 digits (e.g. 12345678-123456). For HPR installations, the serial number should be HPR, 5 digits, hyphen, 6 digits (e.g. HPR45678-123456). If this is not true, the software should be reinstalled.
- The system has reverted to an evaluation copy due to an antipiracy measure that invalidates the program configuration file. If the Registered to field in the Help/About box shows Edward Teach, then this is what has happened. See below for steps to recover this file.
C21 Reverted to Evaluation Copy
Edit the “config” file, which is in the \c21\data folder. Make sure the C21 program is not active.
1. Go to Windows Start/Programs
2. Go to the Accessories menu
3. Start Notepad
4. From menus, select File/Open
5. In open dialog, set the “Files of type” setting to “All Files”
6. Browse to the c:\c21\data folder (that would be folder with default install)
7. Locate the “config” file and open it
8. Search for a line that looks like
set sysG(serial) {XXXXXXXX}
9. Replace the Xs with the assigned, full serial number
10. This is not a must, but if you want the Help/About window to show a proper owner, then look for a line that looks like : set sysG(owner) {Edward Teach}
*Change the name inside the braces to whatever you like. Make sure to include the dash in your serial number and that there are no spaces between the curly braces.
*From menus, select File/Save, then File/Exit
At this point when you start C21 you should see a Help/About window that shows the Serial Number and Installation Number and prompts for an Activation Key. You may request an Activation Key with an email. Make sure to include the "Installation Number", as it's necessary for creating your key.