In Premiere you need to activate your mpeg encoder before they let you use it. For some reason I can't do this, so I was wondering if there was a way around using the Adobe encoder. Does Encore require you to activate its encoder before you use it? Can I export out of PP to another mpeg encoder and do it that way?

What I think its asking for is "Product Activation" Most apps will give you the full functioning app for a limited time, and then require you to activate the product or a product feature before you can use it. Try registering and then "activate" your copy, this should fix the issue. Unless you are trying to use a feature that requires an additional purchase. However Premier to my knowledge has not required any special up-grade activations, plug-ins yes but to use the encoder no.

No, it's not the activation when you install the program. I did that, and have been using it for close to a year now. It's just when I go to file-export-export to dvd, this pop up appears and asks for me to activate my Adobe MPEG encoder. Even when I go the Adobe media encoder it will grey out the "ok" button when I am trying to export to anything other than Quicktime, windows media, or realmedia.

The Adobe Media Encoder is an applet that is shared between PPro and Encore (not at my editing box right now, but I think AE can access it, too). You have to obtain a separate activation number for it via internet or phone from Adobe. I don't know for sure, but this probably is done because of 3rd party licensing arrangements (MainConcept?).

Norton upgrades and a hard drive upgrade have caused me to do the internet activation several times without any problem at all. Just took literally a few seconds. Did you not get a prompt that allowed you to activate via internet, or give you a phone number to call?

I get the pop up, but for certain reasons I am unable to register it using traditional methods. I am wondering if anyone knew of any untraditional methods of getting it to work.

There are ways into the sys file that can be cracked, however I would strongly recomend just calling Adobe or sending an e-mail to activate.