After you have activated ExtendSim, the Activation Dialog should not appear again spontaneously. When that does happen, the first instance was usually preceded by an error message. If there is only a backup license file (extendsim.lic.bak) in your Documents\ExtendSim folder, try removing the ".bak" and launch ExtendSim again. This will often cause the original error message to appear so you can send us a screenshot.

Below are the most common reasons an Activation Dialog would appear again after ExtendSim has been activated:

• The license file (extendsim.lic) has been moved, deleted, renamed, modified, or replaced by someone else's license file:
  • The license file should be located in the ExtendSim folder that contains the user-modifiable files (libraries and example models); by default, that folder is UserName/Documents/ExtendSim.
  • There should only be one .lic file in that ExtendSim folder and it must be named extendsim.lic.
  • Each license file is signed as being specific to the Activation Key that was used and the device that ExtendSim was activated on. Do not modify the license file, attempt to use someone else's license file, or copy over your license file with someone else's license.
  • Your anti-virus software, such as Norton 360, might have quarantined and removed the extendsim.lic license file. If this happens, choose to "Restore an item from Quarantine" and exclude ExtendSim from being quarantined in the future.
  • Your device might have been "swept" for security, and any files that were created after installation got removed. The fix is to set the sweep such that it does not remove extendsim.lic files.
  • The license file has been modified, such as being changed to "extendsim.lic.bak". This can happen if the ExtendSim folder containing the license file was stored in the cloud (for example, on OneDrive or DropBox) and then used to replace the ExtendSim folder on a device that has a different license. There is no need to store the files that ship with ExtendSim in the cloud. For OneDrive, you can exclude the license file or the ExtendSim folder from being synced with your device.
• There is more than one installation of the same ExtendSim product on your device.
  • Someone else may have installed the same ExtendSim product on this device. For example, maybe an Admin or another employee installed an Individual license of ExtendSim to their user account and you installed the same license to your account. In this case, both user accounts will have an ExtendSim folder in their Documents folder. And while there will only be one ExtendSim folder in the Program Files folder, the path in ExtendSimDocPath.txt (located within that ExtendSim folder) will point to the location of the other installation. The solution is to uninstall ExtendSim from all duplicate locations. (If you want multiple users on one device, you must purchase a Node-Locked license.)
  • You may have improperly installed a Trial version when using it to update ExtendSim. When using ExtendSim 10.0.3 or earlier to update existing files, the Trial version must be installed using the exact same folder name and to the same location as the current installation. If the previous ExtendSim installation didn't get replaced, there will be two installations of the same ExtendSim10 product, as indicated in your Documents folder. The solution is to uninstall the Trial version and reinstall it over the existing installation so that it updates the ExtendSim 10 files. If you are using 10.0.4 or later, use the Updater to update to the latest release.
• You have the same ExtendSim license installed on more than one device.
  • Per the ExtendSim license agreement you are only allowed to install and activate your ExtendSim license on one device. If you have the same ExtendSim license installed on two devices, ExtendSim will present the Activation Dialog again each time you switch devices.
• You tried to launch ExtendSim by double-clicking a model file that is stored externally (such as in OneDrive, DropBox, or a portal), and that model file is shared with other ExtendSim users. Instead, copy the model file from the external source to your local device. To open the model file, either:
  • From within ExtendSim, choose File > Open and browse to the model's saved location to open it.
  • Right-click on the model file icon on your device. Choose Opens with... from its properties and select your ExtendSim installation. Then, you can double-click the model file icon itself and it will find and open ExtendSim.
• The license is no longer valid. For example:
  • A Student version license has been revoked and reinstalled too many times.
  • An ExtendSim product has an expiration date that has now passed.

Our Support Team can help determine if any of these situations applies to your license.