Me too, loads of times after reformat.

The Vegas registration site will not complete your registration after x-number of duplicates, and will instruct you to call customer service.

I don't know what the cut-off count is. This happened to me when I first started working with Vegas 2.0. At that time, none of my NLE programs would give me flawless results - each had it's own hiccups - and, of course, one of the tonics for any malfunctioning program is to re-install it.

I must have reformatted my system and re-installed vegas a dozen times or more in those days. At some point, I got that message, called customer service, I think they reset the count or something, and I was up and running again.

Have not experienced that message since moving to 3.0 and now V4 because the program simply works.

Don't know if they still do it, but you could select to register from another computer, and they would email you a little registration file that would alter your registry to permanently unlock Vegas and keep it from expiring. With that little file, you could install/uninstall/install to your heart's delight without running out of successful attempts.

I don't think any of this would work if you tried to install your registered copy to a second computer, though (hope you weren't thinking of that, right? . . . we want to support one of the few software companies that truly give us a wonderful, functioning product, real support, this forum, and an attentive ear that leads to implementation of suggestions for improvement that we make, right?)

Caruso

With that little file, you could install/uninstall/install to your heart's delight without running out of successful attempts.

Not true. The code is based on the unique identity of the computer where the program is to be installed. It is also time-stamped in some way. You can't just re-run the .reg file after a reformat - have to get a new one. But that, as has been explained, is a simple matter.

Tor

register on more then one computer? heck no! i'm investing to much money in this to share it! :) if my friends want a copy they can go out and buy it!

According to Sonicfoundry you CAN have the software loaded on more than 1 computer as long as only 1 computer is actually running the software at any given time. (i.e. You can legally have copy on your laptop and your desktop computer)

When you format your drive, or even just reinstall windows upon itself, your 'computer ID' changes. Simply uninstalling and reinstalling the application does NOT change your computer ID. When the ID changes, you need to get new activation codes from Sonic Foundry. Clicking 'register online' from within the application allows the application to communicate with the Sonic Foundry server, automatically updating your registry without your need to enter any kind of code. If you don't have access to the internet, but do from another computer, choose 'register from another computer' and you'll get an email back from Sonic Foundry that contains a new activation code. From my experience, after about 10 formats you will get the 'too many activation codes issued' error when registering online from the Sonic Foundry server. What I do is keep track of my system restores and when I know I'm getting close to 10 I give the Sonic Foundry reps a call (1-800-57-SONIC) and ask them to make sure I'm not going to have problems. Never, and I mean NEVER, have they given me sh$% about having too many activations, mainly because I ALWAYS register my software, and I don't let other people use my copies.

I used that little file with success through more than one reformat/restoration of my system. Worked fine everytime until I actually upgraded from Win2000 to WinXPPro.

Don't know if my ID changed or not during those restorations, but that little file was a timesaver.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, haven't had any concerns in this area for quite some time, so stable has been Vegas Video 3 and now, V4.

Caruso