Continue to Site

Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

Register Log in
  • Congratulations waross on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

SW New Copy Protection Is a Big Problem Beware for 2008 3

Status
Not open for further replies.
Rocko

Rocko

Industrial
Jan 4, 2003
219
SW recently changed something with their copy protection. Now even if you have saved the past updates for SW2008. If you are no longer on subscription they will not install. It states you must be on active subscription service to install service packs. What a load of BS. I had a active subscription including SP1.1 for 2008 and now it will not allow me to install on my new computer the 1.1 service pack just because we are no longer doing the subscription service. So beware to all that just downloading and keeping a copy of the service pack will not allow you to install it if you no longer do the subscription service. I have a big problem with this since I had paid for this service pack already while still on subscription.
 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

Sort by date Sort by votes
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Service packs should in no way shape or form be tied to subscription service. If SW were releasing bug free software at Sp 0.0 it would be justifiable but they are not and never will be able to do this. Can you think of any other software comapnies that require you to pay for bug fixes other than CAD companies?

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
Eastern Region SWUGN Representative SW 2007 SP 2.0
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Rocko ... a simple phone call to SolidWorks support to explain your situation should be all it takes to allow re-installation. But just remember, it's not the person at the other end of the phone who makes the rules.

[cheers]
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Rockguy or anyone else,

If you're going to SW World please ask SW to explain that one. Then post the reply to this fourm.

Thanks.

---SW 2008 SP1.1---
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Perhaps their goal is to keep companies with multiple seats honest, I.E. having 1 subscription and applying the service pack on multiple seats or otherwise distributing the service packs in the same manner?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
That's why they went to Activation, because so many users were buying one seat and putting it on 10 seats... not a great way to run a business... when they got caught they paid a healthy fine. Thanks to the few bad apples that caused this to happen we all have to suffer from their stupidity.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP [pc2]
"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"
Click to expand...
faq731-376
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
That still doesnt answer why they cannot know when the SP came out and when you stopped your subscription service and allow you access to that sp. It sounds like SW being lazy and taking the easy way out! I mean they go to all the trouble of checking over the internet your license from time to time (oh yeah , you didnt know that did you). So perhaps they should do what they were paid for and provide access to features that I legitimately should have access too!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Without upsetting you further... SW has a Database that tracks entitlment dates and the activation is part of it. I am not going to get into this issue with you or anyone else, because I have spoke my mind about this before many times.

But SW has ways of tracking users and their seats like other software companies do. Unfortunately there is nothing more that you can do at this time in regards to SP.

Maybe instead of making a bold up front question to SW, try asking your question in a different way and maybe you will get the answer your looking for.

I wish someone would answer it so these posts would get some closure... will probably make it worse though

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP [pc2]
"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"
Click to expand...
faq731-376
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Can anyone answer my question? What other software companies charge for service packs pertaining to bug fixes. I'm not trying to stir the pot here. I'd really like to know if there are sofwtare companies doing this other than CAD companies.

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
Eastern Region SWUGN Representative SW 2007 SP 2.0
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I can't give actual software names (they don't blatantly advertise their shortcomings), but I believe that many data management and financial applications (health, MRP, HR, etc) suffer from the same affliction.

[cheers]
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Actually, Rocko, I would contact your last VAR about your original question. It may be a bug, or may be that they need to refine their activiation licencing scheme a little better. Maybe someone at SolidWorks just didn't think the decsion through when they made the choice to work it that way. Technically, you are entitled to install at least the SP you already obtained from them.

BTW, I don't know how others feel, but if you bought the software, you should be entitled to any SP's that come along for that version. It's not piracy to install updates to your software where you already posess a current licence (having nothing to do with whether or not the subscription is current). Some companies place a new license on the SP's, and of course, this is a sneaky and hostile act. A subscription is not a license. A license is a license. I think SolidWorks is trying to blur the lines so that you have to keep paying them in order to keep the license you already own.

Matt Lorono
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
Lorono's SolidWorks Resources
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group
and Mechnical.Engineering Yahoo! Group
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Actually you can get them through your VAR if you found a bug in that SP and the next one fixes it... I know that... its not that I don't disagree with any of you... I just don't see it changing anytime soon. Sorry just trying to give you guys the facts from my stand point. Been a user of SW for many years... so many I don't want to count anymore. But its what it is.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP [pc2]
"If it's not broke, Don't fix it!"
Click to expand...
faq731-376
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
To anyone that feels it is inappropriate to tie licensing to subscriptions, I would suggest putting in an ER that states your problem/concerns/opinion. There is a category in the ER list for Licensing. Like Scott said, there's prolly not much we can do, but if they see the complaint often enough, they may feel compelled to do something corrective.

Matt Lorono
CAD Engineer/ECN Analyst
Silicon Valley, CA
Lorono's SolidWorks Resources
Co-moderator of Solidworks Yahoo! Group
and Mechnical.Engineering Yahoo! Group
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
fcsuper ...
I haven't met Scott in person, but I've probably read every post he's submitted to these fora, and I can't remember him ever using the word "prolly". [poke]

[cheers]
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

joshF
  • Locked
  • Question
Improve my macro for sorting a SW Bill of material so Sub-assemblies come first.
Replies
1
Views
1K
ROHITKN
ROHITKN
CAD2015
  • Locked
  • Question
SW dwg radius/diameter dimensions...... 1
Replies
11
Views
1K
CAD2015
CAD2015
borsht
  • Question
Hole Wizard is moving sketch outside of feature in tree
Replies
14
Views
6K
Gupta65
Gupta65
33MRM33
  • Locked
  • Question
SW Macro to list hole wizard features and measures the diamter of modeled hole
Replies
4
Views
2K
Gupta65
Gupta65
Nobert_47
  • Locked
  • Question
SW is autogenerating templates 1
Replies
11
Views
617
SBaugh
SBaugh

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top Bottom