Activation Guide

Please contact service@apexsql.com or call 1-866-665-5500 with any activation related questions or issues.

Activation
Automatic Activation
Manual Activation
   Online Activation
   Get Reg Key File
Activation Troubleshooting
Activation FAQs

Click Here for a comprehensive Sales FAQ.
Click Here for special instructions on Activating ApexSQL Report.
Click Here for special instructions on Activating ApexSQL Log manually.
Click Here for special instructions on Activating ApexSQL Log API.

Note : some screen shots may refer to "Unlock Code" which is the same as "Activation Key".

Activation

After you have purchased your software, you will receive an email that contains the Activation Key that will activate your ApexSQL software:

The Activation Key in above example is 45HJ-3ER496D. To start activating your ApexSQL software, do one of the following:

Automatic Activation

The easiest way to activate is through Automatic Activation. Automatic Activation is done through the following steps:

1. Start your ApexSQL software. The Activation Form will be displayed.



2. Enter your Activation Key in the Activation Key field. The Hardware ID that uniquely identifies your computer will automatically be displayed.
3. For the Activation Type, select Automatic.
4. Click the Activate button.

If activation is successful, you should get a confirmation. If you are unable to activate successfully, try Manual or Online Activation. You may also contact Sales at sales@apexsql.com.

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Manual Activation

You may want to activate manually if:

• the computer you installed ApexSQL software on is not connected to the Internet
• you already have an activation code
• you are behind a firewall or proxy server and you are experiencing technical difficulties with activation
• you prefer to manually start a web browser and explicitly go through the activation steps on http://www.apexsql.com/activation

1. To activate manually, follow the same steps for Automatic Activation but this time, select Manual.



2. Click the Activate button. This will display the Manual Activation Form:



If you are not connected to the Internet and the selected Activation Type is Automatic, the following message will be displayed:



Clicking Yes will allow you to proceed with Manual Activation.

3. The Manual Activation Form displays an activation link that, when opened, displays an Activation Code.



To open the link, click Open in Browser. You may also click Copy to Clipboard and manually paste the activation link on your Web Browser's address bar. Make sure to open this link in a workstation that's connected to the Internet. Opening the link validates your Activation Key and Hardware ID in ApexSQL's activation server.

4. If the Activation Key and Hardware ID combination is valid, an Activation code will be displayed as below:



5. Copy this activation code and paste it on the multi-line box at the bottom of the Manual Activation form.

Note: Alternatively you can click Get Reg key file to generate a Registry (.reg) file. Double-clicking this reg key file manually adds the activation code to your registry (see Get Reg Key File for more details).



6. Click Activate.


7. If your manual activation is successful, the following message will be displayed:

"Thank you for activating this software! The application will be closed now. Please restart it to complete the activation process!"

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Online Activation

If you have your hardware ID and your activation key, you can also opt to activate online. Activating online can give you the activation code needed in the Manual Activation form (see Step 5). It can also give you the registry file that's needed to activate your software. Both methods can be used to activate your ApexSQL software. Activating online can be done by following below steps:

1. Go to http://www.apexsql.com/activation. This will bring you to the Product Activation page.
2. Select your ApexSQL Product from the Product pick list. Next, enter your Activation Key and your Hardware Id.



3. Click Submit. Your Activation Code will be displayed:

   

4. Click Get Reg key file and save it to the computer where your ApexSQL software is installed on to activate your software. Activation is complete once you have manually added the activation code (double-click the reg key file) to your computer's registry. Click Get Reg Key file for more information.

Note: Alternatively, if you have the Manual Activation form open, you can paste this Activation Code on the multi-line edit box at the bottom of the form and click Activate.



A successful activation displays the following message:

"Thank you for activating this software! The application will be closed now. Please restart it to complete the activation process!"

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Get Reg Key File

Manually adding the activation code to the registry is done easily via a .reg file. 

1. To create your Reg Key file, click the Get Reg key file button on the page that displays your Activation Code (see Manual or Online Activation for more information).



2. Save the registry file to the computer you obtained the Hardware ID from (where your ApexSQL product is installed on).
3. Double-click the file.

Your ApexSQL software is now activated.

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Activation Troubleshooting

I'm getting "Invalid Regkey" message - what do I do?

I successfully activated the software but the application activation form keeps showing up indicating the product is un-activated. How can I get the software activated?

I'm getting "Invalid Activation Code" message on both Automatic and Manual activation - what do I do?

I'm getting "Activation Key doesn't exist" message - what do I do? I have new version of software and I've tried to activate it on the new site.

I'm getting "Activation Limit Exceeded" Message - what do I do?

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Activation FAQs

How can I tell if my software is activated or not?

What is the difference between Activation code and Activation Key?

Where is the Activation code written to on my computer?

Can I use the activation form several times without using up activations?

How do I get the Hardware ID required for manual Activation?

I notice you use activation. Does that mean the product is limited to one computer only?

But what if I need to install the software on a laptop, home pc, test server or need to move the Activation Key to another computer etc?

Am I able to transfer my activation key to another machine?

Even though I have exceeded the Activation Limit, I'm only going to be using the software on the next computer I want to activate on. I have uninstalled on the other computers and no one else is currently using it. So I plan to have no more than one "concurrent" activation. I should be able to do this right?

So the software is coupled with computer Hardware ID. Will I have problems if I re-install windows, delete my registry, or otherwise change my configuration on the installed computer?

Yes, but I have just reinstalled windows (changed registry, etc.) and the product IS asking for my Activation Key again?

I upgraded my OS but ApexSQL software DID prompt me to activate again on the same machine.

Are Activation Keys case sensitive?

Do I need to type in the hypen "-" in the Activation Key?

For Sales FAQs

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