Activation / launch problems Ripley

[joneb]

Hello,

I've been experiencing a problem with Pixinsight failing to launch. Before the new year, after using the new version for some weeks it suddenly failed to launch. On attempting to launch I was told I needed to activate the code and supply the user ID. I had already done this initially,  the Ripley version had been used successfully for some weeks. So this came as a surprise, I wondered if I had downloaded a trial version by mistake. I contacted Pixinsight, the original  information was sent to me again I duly reactivated the software. This worked successfully for about a week, yesterday the problem recurred. On attempting to launch I was informed I needed to activate the license. I copy/ pasted the information from the Pixinsight email, so I know that's correct, ( or do they change on a rolling program i.e.. LIke my VW fob code), but what I get now is:- Network error, failed to connect to Pixisnight.com:80   operation timed out. In effect Pixinsight remains unusable. I am using MAC OS 10.8.5, I have a license and purchased the original version in 2011. Can anybody comment constructively on this situation.

Many thanks

John B

[Carlos Milovic]

Do you still have the license file? Always back up it. Keep it safe. Activations is performed only once. Just need to copy the license file where it belongs (see the FAQ and the installation guidelines).

[joneb]

Dear Carlos,

Thanks for getting  back.  Yes I still have the license file, also backed up. I don't know if this is an administrative/ procedural problem or a bug, what I do Know is: Pixinsight won't launch at present, it has launched successfully over a period of time, the problem seems repetitive. One silly question, does the location of the stored license file have any bearing? Should I remove the present  Ripley download and start again? Rebooting makes no difference. In a moment of frustration I thought   Pixinsight was sulking because it was close to the Photoshop file in applications, ridiculous, but, in moments of frustration any thought enters the head. I've contacted Pixinsight via their email link, I live in hope.

Many thanks once again

John B

[georg.viehoever]

See 2.7 of http://www.pixinsight.com/faq/index.html . you only need to copy the license file to the right location.
Georg

[joneb]

Dear Carlos,

Thanks for getting back to me. I've copied the license file to the personal folder on OS10.8.5 ( hidden to make life difficult) . Copied pasted the user ID, copy pasted the activation code, - the same response: invalid code! Now  - I've tried to examine the  recent history of my  Mac use to see if I've inadvertently changed something: upgraded computer recently and automatically transferred files, now I  use  the old computer as an external hard drive. I've tried to contact Pixinsight, as yet no  response. Seriously baffled by all this!

Kindest regards

John B

[Carlos Milovic]

You should never activate PI again. You only need to copy the license file where it belongs. The activation code works only once.

[joneb]

Dear Carlos,

Thanks for getting back to me, what you say is what I understood. However, the fact remains Pisinsight won't launch and asks me to enter the Activation codes and Identifier. These, it says are incorrect, yet are copy pasted from the Pixinsight email.  I've looked at my personal folder( what I think is my personal folder) and it contains an encrypted message from Pixinsight. This I'm presuming is the correct license, it is titled  'Pixinsight license'. Now - I intend to book a call with Apple support, OS 10.8.5 hides the personal folder to avoid tampering, I need to know the exact location for this license. Mac and PC terminology can differ so when I speak to Mac I need the correct questions. Is it possible for you to provide, in Mac terms, the exact location for the license? I will  then proceed from that point. However, I'm still baffled as to how Pixinsight launched successfully, from May 2011 until, -- the advent of Ripley.

Many thanks for your help

John B

[georg.viehoever]

According to http://www.pixinsight.com/faq/index.html section 2.7, the file name should be ".pixinsight-license". Note the leading ".", the lower case "p" and the "-". (Edit: Leading "." only on Linux/Unix platforms, not Windows and Mac).

Georg

[Juan Conejero]

Note the leading "."

No leading dot on Mac OS X, or the file will "disappear automagically". The file name has to be "pixinsight-license" (without quotes), just as it is on Windows.

[pfile]

weird… it must work either way??

Code: [Select]

light-n-airy2:~ pfile$ ls pixinsight-license
ls: pixinsight-license: No such file or directory
light-n-airy2:~ pfile$ ls .pixinsight-license
.pixinsight-license
light-n-airy2:~ pfile$ uname -a
Darwin light-n-airy2 12.5.0 Darwin Kernel Version 12.5.0: Sun Sep 29 13:33:47 PDT 2013; root:xnu-2050.48.12~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64


[Juan Conejero]

It works with and without a leading dot on all platforms.

However, Mac OS X does not provide a way to show dot files on Finder, so if you name a file with a leading dot, it effectively "disappears" because the only way to see it is using a terminal. And a 99.9...% of Mac users don't want to even hear the word 'terminal'.

On Windows, a file starting with a dot can cause weird problems when copying and moving it with Windows Explorer.

For these reasons the license file is always generated without a leading dot on Windows and Mac OS X.

[Carlos Milovic]

John,

Don't confuse the message from the PI server, and the file that was created after your first activation. Please, take a look at the whole section 2 from the FAQ http://www.pixinsight.com/faq/index.html

[pfile]

It works with and without a leading dot on all platforms.

However, Mac OS X does not provide a way to show dot files on Finder, so if you name a file with a leading dot, it effectively "disappears" because the only way to see it is using a terminal. And a 99.9...% of Mac users don't want to even hear the word 'terminal'.

On Windows, a file starting with a dot can cause weird problems when copying and moving it with Windows Explorer.

For these reasons the license file is always generated without a leading dot on Windows and Mac OS X.

fair enough, but if you get stuck like this as a macosx user:

http://lifehacker.com/188892/show-hidden-files-in-finder

from terminal.app

Code: [Select]

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

killall Finder



[joneb]

Dear Gentlemen,

I must express my warm appreciation for all your help. Pixinsight will now launch successfully. I am indebted to you. I cannot pretend it hasn't contributed to my ageing process, I can now,  at least, smile contentedly. I will wish you all  a very good evening from a very wet UK.

Regards and best wishes

John B