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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: lcorder on March 10, 2010, 07:57:54 PM

Title: users purchasing pro version can't find activation code
Post by: lcorder on March 10, 2010, 07:57:54 PM
Hi, I am a computer technician.  I have had two calls from customers who had the free version then bought the upgrade to the professional version and were not able to complete the installation.  They can't find their activation codes.  The process seems to be confusing to them.  How can I help the customers complete their registration  and  setup for the Avast Pro version?  Can you send me any instructions and tell me where the file that gets downloaded (if they did so) during the process of buying the upgrade gets stored on the comptuer?  I haven't actually seen it yet.

thanks,
Lora
Title: Re: users purchasing pro version can't find activation code
Post by: Pondus on March 10, 2010, 08:08:14 PM
avast! 5.0 FAQ - General
http://support.avast.com/index.php?languageid=1&group=eng&_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=455

see also pdf.doc pictures on page 7 - 8
http://www.avast.com/documentation/quick-start-guide-pro-en-ww.pdf



How to insert license key file into avast! Pro Antivirus 5.0 or avast! Internet Security 5.0?

Licenses for avast! Pro Antivirus 5.0 and avast! Internet Security 5.0 can be purchased via our website, www.avast.com.

After receiving your license file, you just need to double-click to open it and your license will be inserted into your program automatically.

Alternatively, save the license file on your computer, open the avast! Pro Antivirus 5.0 or avast! Internet Security 5.0 interface and click on the 'MAINTENANCE' tab. Next click on 'Subscription' and then on 'Insert license file'. A dialog window will open where you can browse your computer to locate your license file. Once you have located it, double click on it and it will be automatically inserted into the program.

avast! Pro Antivirus 5.0 or avast! Internet Security 5.0 can now continue to be used for 12, 24, or 36 months, depending on the purchased license, and you will continue to receive automatic updates to both the program and your virus definitions. At the end of that time, it will be necessary simply to purchase and insert a new license key.


Title: Re: users purchasing pro version can't find activation code
Post by: sys-eng on January 20, 2011, 05:58:49 PM
While the registration screen does have the option to insert the activation code when installing, avast has failed to supply the code after purchase.  When customers purchase a 3-computer license, they must copy the activation file to a CD or DVD or flash drive (if they have one) and move the file to each computer to active.  They cannot simply enter the code because they have no idea what is the code.  It is a real pain for some people.

I do not know why the activation code has been witheld but it was a mistake.  I know many people who have multiple computers but no network and no flash drive.  Wasting an optical disk just to copy the activation file is senseless.

Bring back the code!!
Title: Re: users purchasing pro version can't find activation code
Post by: DavidR on January 20, 2011, 06:42:16 PM
Well if they used the avast web site, on-line payments are processed by Digital River (Element5) and they should send an email receipt, etc. on that there should either be a link to download the license file (license.avastlic) or it should be attached to the email.

Did they purchase through the avast on-line processing ?
Did they receive the email from Digital River (Element5) ?

-  Pro license enquiries Digital River (Element5) https://secure.element5.com/esales/impressum.html? (https://secure.element5.com/esales/impressum.html?).

-  Resend avast License http://www.avast.com/resend-license.v2.php (http://www.avast.com/resend-license.v2.php)
For this they would need to input the email address that they used during the purchase processing.
Title: Re: users purchasing pro version can't find activation code
Post by: sys-eng on January 26, 2011, 01:27:39 AM
-  Resend avast License http://www.avast.com/resend-license.v2.php (http://www.avast.com/resend-license.v2.php)
For this they would need to input the email address that they used during the purchase processing.

Will this extra step get the license key code or will they simply resend the same activation file?
Title: Re: users purchasing pro version can't find activation code
Post by: DavidR on January 26, 2011, 02:00:41 AM
I believe they should send you the license file which you require to input.

How to register avast 5 pro on page 7 - 8
http://files.avast.com/files/documentation/quick-start-guide-pro-en-ww.pdf also see http://support.avast.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=475 (http://support.avast.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=475).
Title: Re: users purchasing pro version can't find activation code
Post by: sys-eng on January 26, 2011, 02:05:49 AM
I believe they should send you the license file which you require to input.

That is the hassle.  As I said in my first post, I know many people who have multiple computers but no network and no flash drive.  Wasting an optical disk just to copy the activation file is senseless.  I suppose someone thought the activation file was better than a simple code.

Title: Re: users purchasing pro version can't find activation code
Post by: DavidR on January 26, 2011, 03:15:34 AM
The whole idea of the license file is to combat keygens, etc.

I don't know what the problem is as the email comes with the attached license.avastlic, why do they need a CD or USB when they can use the attachment on the system they receive it on and forward the email again and pick it up with the next system, etc.

What is stopping them doing the resend license more than once and pick it up on the systems that require it.

If they have multiple systems burning 1 CD is hardly expensive and honestly how many people with multiple systems don't have a USB flash drive, I have 4 currently, not to mention SD cards in my camera, miniSD card in my mobile phone (with a multi-card reader).

What do those people do for backing up those multiple systems, do they not back-up to external hard disks.

What is wrong with uploading their license.avastlic file to a file share and get it to their other systems that way.

There are more options than you can shake a stick at it to get it to multiple systems it just takes a little imagination.
Title: Re: users purchasing pro version can't find activation code
Post by: sys-eng on January 26, 2011, 04:16:23 AM
"There are more options than you can shake a stick at it to get it to multiple systems it just takes a little imagination."

The people who go to websites like this forum will never have this problem.  I am an IT Project Manager and Project Engineer for large systems.  I have more flash drives, virtual drives, and cloud drives than I can keep up with. 
But not everyone speaks in ones & zeros.  There is a whole generation of PC users over 70 years old who do not know what a flash drive is and do all their backups on CD's (and still have several hundred 3.5" floppy diskettes).  Someday, they will upgrade to DVD's.  They write down all their passwords and software license information in notebooks for safekeeping.  They do NOT save any email messages.  Perhaps people in this generation are not targeted customers for Avast but they also do not buy bootlegged hacked versions of Avast either.

Title: Re: users purchasing pro version can't find activation code
Post by: DavidR on January 26, 2011, 04:55:26 AM
Yes, but that is a slightly different target audience you are talking about from what my comments were made on.

Quote from: sys-eng
That is the hassle.  As I said in my first post, I know many people who have multiple computers but no network and no flash drive.  Wasting an optical disk just to copy the activation file is senseless.  I suppose someone thought the activation file was better than a simple code.

That target market you mention in your last post are more likely to have a single system so it is a case of visiting the link I gave to have their license resent.

Inputting the license file shouldn't be that complex as Pondus outlined and probably easier than typing in the long license number as they did in avast 4.8, whilst they could copy and paste in 4.8 that wasn't without its issues with a trailing space being copied causing a license error.

I appreciate that some people will have a problem with this, I use the free version of avast and I can't check the license file to see if the is any easier way.

Unfortunately the old style license number is history and I can't see them going back to it, as it was the number of keygens, etc. that forced this on avast and legit users are affected because of the actions of others.