License validation failures or lost or license activation problems when moving systems

License validation failures or lost or license activation problems when moving systems

We have had recent reports that some customers have had license validation issues (various different cases). If this is a case where you are moving a license, as long as you completely uninstall (recommended) or stop using the software on the old machine you should have no issues activating the new license. Otherwise, read on to help troubleshoot and fix this problem.

One of the common errors that shows up is that the program complains during validation that the data returned from the licensing server did not match with what the program has (typically a popup after you click the validate license checkbox). We have made fixes for this and other issues and it requires an updated build (same version) to be installed: https://gearmage.zohodesk.com/portal/en/kb/articles/latest-pro-client-and-pro-server-builds-how-to-get-them
 
Please follow the detailed steps below to remedy this. If you still see issues after following these steps, please contact support and mention what steps you performed. 

Step-1: Upgrade first to the latest build


PRO Server: Before the upgrade uninstall the service

If you are running the PRO Server and had installed the service, before you upgrade, it may be wise to perform a complete uninstallation of the product (the settings will be preserved even though you are using this to uninstall). 

Since the product cannot be launched without license validation, this poses a problem -- that is you can't uninstall the service from within the program. The process below will help shutdown the service via an alternate means (without needing to run the program). 
  1. Quit the program (or all instances of it) if you are running it.
  2. At a command prompt (run as admin), run "sc delete MailAttachmentDownloaderService" to remove the service 
  3. Uninstall the app using Control Panel (settings / config are not removed, they stay intact) 
Upgrade to the latest build using the same download link in your license email

UPGRADE to latest build.  
Re-download the same installer from the link in your license email (this will always have the freshest build) 
IMPORTANT: Uninstall the SERVICE FIRST (PRO Server only) from within the program if you have it installed, uninstall the program from Control Panel. Your settings will be preserved even after uninstalling the program.
  • Free instructions - If you are using the free version, just go to our website to get and install the latest build. 
  • PRO instructions - If you are using the PRO versions, use the SAME link that you received in your license email to install the latest build. Your settings will be preserved with the upgrade.

Latest current PRO build is:             3.2.1045

To check the build you currently have, hover the mouse over the main title text (i.e. "Mail Attachment Downloader") in the main program window and you should see a popup with the version eg. 3.2 and the build 3.2.1015.0 (1015 is the build).

Step-2: Specify registry keys for TLS 1.2 (recommended)


Make the registry changes specified below (your key paths may be a bit different, alter as needed) and then 

  • quit the application and/or 
  • uninstall the service using the service tab in the program and re-install the service.

1.) .NET Framework strong cryptography registry keys

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v4.0.30319]
"SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\.NETFramework\v4.0.30319]
"SchUseStrongCrypto"=dword:00000001

2.) Secure Channel (Schannel) TLS 1.2 registry keys

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.2]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.2\Client]
"DisabledByDefault"=dword:00000000
"Enabled"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL\Protocols\TLS 1.2\Server]
"DisabledByDefault"=dword:00000000
"Enabled"=dword:00000001

Step-3: Specify proxy (if still unable to validate)


If the above still does not fix it, it means that the ports are not open or the proxy settings are incorrect:
  • Ports 80 and Port 443 need to be open
  • All websites under gearmage.com [*.gearmage.com] MUST be granted access so the program can check with the licensing servers 
Try opening up a browser and make sure you can navigate to gearmage.com and some of the sub-pages on the site. 

IMPORTANT: If that works and the program is still not validating the license, then:
  1. Make sure all entered information is valid, that all fields in the license page are all CASE-SENSITIVE and there are no leading/trailing spaces
  2. Make sure you have the correct proxy settings specified as mentioned here: https://gearmage.zohodesk.com/portal/en/kb/articles/license-cannot-be-activated-as-license-could-not-be-validated-with-the-license-server-30-6-2024
The above should usually fix all licensing problems. 

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