Evaluation license expired. What now?

[Fenster]

I bought and installed the XPe development tools on 1 November
(considerably less than 90 days ago).

I made my first target image a day or two after that, so far so good.

I made some mods to the component list (the .slx file) this morning,
saved it with a new name and made a target image. Now, after a few
reboots, driver installs, etc., it's decided the evaluation time has
expired.

I don't have licenses yet because the agreement with Microsoft has been
completed (from their end) yet. Even if I did would I be to insert a
licence into an image or do I need to start from scratch again?

Also, the board I'm developing for doesn't know the time from one power
up to the next (every new day is 3 November, 2005) so how does XPe
know/think that 90 days have elapsed?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Heidi Linda]

I bought and installed the XPe development tools on 1 November
(considerably less than 90 days ago).

I made my first target image a day or two after that, so far so good.

I made some mods to the component list (the .slx file) this morning,
saved it with a new name and made a target image. Now, after a few
reboots, driver installs, etc., it's decided the evaluation time has
expired.

I don't have licenses yet because the agreement with Microsoft has been
completed (from their end) yet. Even if I did would I be to insert a
licence into an image or do I need to start from scratch again?

Also, the board I'm developing for doesn't know the time from one power
up to the next (every new day is 3 November, 2005) so how does XPe
know/think that 90 days have elapsed?

Thanks for any help.

It's probably registering that there's something up with the timekeeping
and objecting?

 

[Fenster]

It's probably registering that there's something up with the
timekeeping and objecting?

Thanks but any thoughts on how to stop it or get round it though?

 

[Heidi Linda]

Thanks but any thoughts on how to stop it or get round it though?

Is the CMOS battery in the target dead? Replacing that could help. Also
I believe it goes from build date rather than installed/fba date, so
it could be objecting to the build date being after the date the target
thinks it is.

 

[Gordon Smith \(eMVP\)]

Thanks but any thoughts on how to stop it or get round it though?

You're going to have to put the PID into the image and rebuild. You'd need
to either migrate your SLX from the eval to the release toolkit fairly
manual process or start from scratch. Microsoft didn't provide an
upgrade/convert utility from eval SLX to retail SLX.

If there were a published way to get around that mechanism (image timeout
when not licensed), piracy of XPE could increase 1000-fold because you'd
eliminate the technical need to purchase licenses. I'm not at all accusing
you of that intent, but it shows why no-one is going to publish how to do
it.

 

[Heidi Linda]

You're going to have to put the PID into the image and rebuild. You'd need
to either migrate your SLX from the eval to the release toolkit fairly
manual process or start from scratch. Microsoft didn't provide an
upgrade/convert utility from eval SLX to retail SLX.

If there were a published way to get around that mechanism (image timeout
when not licensed), piracy of XPE could increase 1000-fold because you'd
eliminate the technical need to purchase licenses. I'm not at all accusing
you of that intent, but it shows why no-one is going to publish how to do
it.

I thought he said he was using the full toolkit and just hadn't received
his PIDs yet?

 

[Fenster]

Is the CMOS battery in the target dead? Replacing that could help. Also
I believe it goes from build date rather than installed/fba date, so it
could be objecting to the build date being after the date the target
thinks it is.

The target has a real time clock but not a CMOS battery. I could try
setting the target date to today and installing from there but tonight,
I'll save that for tomorrow.

 

[Heidi Linda]

The target has a real time clock but not a CMOS battery. I could try
setting the target date to today and installing from there but tonight,
I'll save that for tomorrow.

If the thing doesn't keep the date, then you're always going to have
problems until you get your PIDs in.

 

[Fenster]

You're going to have to put the PID into the image and rebuild. You'd need
to either migrate your SLX from the eval to the release toolkit fairly
manual process or start from scratch. Microsoft didn't provide an
upgrade/convert utility from eval SLX to retail SLX.

Please excuse my ignorance but what's "the PID" (I'm new to XPe). The
toolkit is the release version but because the XPe licence agreement
hasn't been completed by Microsoft (or their lawyers or whoever) my
supplier can't sell me XPe runtime licences, they're not even prepared
to take the order (I thought I might save myself some time and the
hassle of raising two purchase orders but no).

If there were a published way to get around that mechanism (image timeout
when not licensed), piracy of XPE could increase 1000-fold because you'd
eliminate the technical need to purchase licenses. I'm not at all accusing
you of that intent, but it shows why no-one is going to publish how to do
it.

I wasn't thinking of being a pirate but I develop for XP desktop as well
and my MSDN subscription entitles me (although that may be the wrong
word) XP installations for testing purposes. This was more what I had
in mind rather than a "crack" for XPe.

 

[Gordon Smith \(eMVP\)]

I thought he said he was using the full toolkit and just hadn't
received his PIDs yet?

Ooops, you're right. I was thinking eval image and assumed eval toolkit as
well. That'll teach me to stay up til 4:30am working on projects.

 

[Gordon Smith \(eMVP\)]

Please excuse my ignorance but what's "the PID" (I'm new to XPe). The
toolkit is the release version but because the XPe licence agreement
hasn't been completed by Microsoft (or their lawyers or whoever) my
supplier can't sell me XPe runtime licences, they're not even prepared
to take the order (I thought I might save myself some time and the
hassle of raising two purchase orders but no).

When you buy licenses, you receive an envelop that contains little stickers
(one per license) and a piece of paper that has an orange box showing your
PID. PID stands for Product ID. It's that 25 character string
(XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX) that's entered when installing virtually
anything from Microsoft.

When you get that, you'll put the PID in the Run-Time License settings area
for your SLX's top level settings.

 

[Gordon Smith \(eMVP\)]

Please excuse my ignorance but what's "the PID" (I'm new to XPe). The
toolkit is the release version but because the XPe licence agreement
hasn't been completed by Microsoft (or their lawyers or whoever) my
supplier can't sell me XPe runtime licences, they're not even prepared
to take the order (I thought I might save myself some time and the
hassle of raising two purchase orders but no).

When you buy licenses, you receive an envelop that contains little stickers
(one per license) and a piece of paper that has an orange box showing your
PID. PID stands for Product ID. It's that 25 character string
(XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX) that's entered when installing virtually
anything from Microsoft.

When you get that, you'll put the PID in the Run-Time License settings area
for your SLX's top level settings.

 

[Fenster]

Ooops, you're right. I was thinking eval image and assumed eval toolkit as
well. That'll teach me to stay up til 4:30am working on projects.

You must have been up tooooo long, surely that should be that it'll
teach you *not* to stay up...