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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: Wizard on August 24, 2006, 12:09:00 AM

Title: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: Wizard on August 24, 2006, 12:09:00 AM

Hi!
I'm using latest Avast Home. I'm using Paragon Exact Image bootable cd to make backups of my primary partition. Each time I restore my partition, Avast pop-ups a message saying among other things "why don't you buy the program?" and doesn't start unless I enter the serial again. Any ideas on why this is happening?

Edit: I originally installed Avast with the account I always use for my pc (not Administrator, but with administrator rights). Does this mean anything?

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: DavidR on August 24, 2006, 01:33:10 AM

I suggest you uninstall avast and reboot using the account you installed it with, reinstall using 'The Administrator' account and enter the registration key. That way avast will be available for all users without having to be asked for a registration key or nag screen.

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: Lisandro on August 24, 2006, 02:47:07 AM

Restoring a partition will 'always' ask for the registration number.
This is an avast antipiracy feature.  :)

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: alanrf on August 24, 2006, 04:46:17 AM

Tech,

hmmm .... odd ...

I'm using Acronis True Image and I have performed several C: partition restores in the past few weeks.  I have never been asked to provide any avast credentials following the restore of the partition.  In fact I did one to resize my C: partition (on which avast is installed) just 3 days ago.

What am I doing wrong?

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: Lisandro on August 24, 2006, 04:48:55 AM

Quote from: alanrf on August 24, 2006, 04:46:17 AM

I'm using Acronis True Image and I have performed several C: partition restores in the past few weeks.  I have never been asked to provide any avast credentials following the restore of the partition.

Did you restore the full partition or just some files or folders?
Maybe it occurs only when you 'copy' the partition (like with Acronis Disk Director) and not only make a image backup file restoration...

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: alanrf on August 24, 2006, 04:50:17 AM

Full partition restore.

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: Lisandro on August 24, 2006, 05:11:19 AM

Quote from: alanrf on August 24, 2006, 04:50:17 AM

Full partition restore.

So, it works only for the 'copy' of the partition as the partition signature will remain the same in the image backup.
Maybe restoring the MBR and the Track 0 will occur the same.

On Disk Director you could see the Windows NT Serial number...

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: Lisandro on August 24, 2006, 05:14:49 AM

Alan, the Volume ID is another possibility of 'checking'...

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: alanrf on August 24, 2006, 06:00:59 AM

Tech,

you have the advantage of me ... I believe you are using Acronis Disk Director.  I am using Acronis True Image Home.

I notice both are currently the same price but that was not always so and I am staying with the same version of the software used by the folks I support ... it is much easier for me that way. 

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: Wizard on August 24, 2006, 09:31:22 AM

Paragon Drive Backup does a full partition backup & restore. Since alanrf doesn't have that problem with True Image, what does Avast check so I can see if I can work on it? VolumeID? SID?

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: alanrf on August 24, 2006, 10:43:45 AM

Tech,

sorry I should have added that I have never selected the MBR restore option of Acronis TrueImage.

Title: Re: Avast asks for serial after restoring partition
Post by: Lisandro on August 24, 2006, 02:02:35 PM

Quote from: alanrf on August 24, 2006, 06:00:59 AM

I notice both are currently the same price

U$ 80 in a package with both...  :)