5th attempt to seek help for neoscene reinstallation

[Jack Tran]

I have tried and contact the customer service lines, every departments on the customer service list, provided by Don and it's been over a week already and nothing. I left them all messages overlapping. I am using my brother's acct to make this post, the 5th attempt to reach y'all guys.

I got it installed on one computer but I fooled around and decide to take off the activation code and put it onto another desktop. That plan failed and now I want it on the 1st computer installed again. Here's the question... how can I go back and reactivate onto the 1st computer? I have the neoscene uninstalled(also cleared out all of the related cineform registries) and installed but it seems there's a hidden of the registry and it's still active under my name even though it's "deactivated". How can I make it where the software(activate.exe) is blank so I can put in all of the mumbo-jumbo codes again?

[David Newman]

Did you file a trouble ticket here Support Center. Tickets have the highest priority, then emails (support@cineform.com), then telephone (voicemails can end up in random mailboxes that aren't discovered for weeks.) We have VOIP service is not prefect, so please the ticket system, that way we can track all requests and get problems solved quickly.

[Jack Tran]

Thanks for the reply, Mr. Newman

I will see what the support has to offer but I would think that, probably like everyone elses, on-demand-phone-calling would be prioritized. Why is it not? why is online support is being prioritized to the top and not phone? I am not trying to get all pissy over the net here but just trying to express my frustration.

I was hoping at a certain date, I can just call in a have a talk w/ a real person bc I have a consistent schedule w/ work, and it's not always that I have near that computer.

Can you help others by posting the solution on your FAQ or this forum? I know installing fresh on a computer is a "cake" but for my situation, I would expect everyone to run into a brick wall. Do you not know, on top of your head, how to re-install/activate it?

[David Newman]

We are a company of 8 people, with 20,000+ customers, if phone was prioritized no one would be helped. We can handle 10-times the support load with online services. Support will call you if this becomes necessary.

I haven't heard on your particular failure, other user haven't either I guess, that is why you need to file a trouble ticket. If a tech note is needed for a common issue, that would go onto Cineform Tech Blog, typically not here as forum information is more for users to talk to other users.

[Jack Tran]

I don't think too many have ran into this situation bc they dont install>deactivate>reinstall>activate in that order, which is my problem. I believe the culprit is something hidden w/in the computer/registries, even when registries/related cineform files are whipped from my computer, there is still cineform registration onto the neoscene.

Since you're the team-leader of your company, how does the uninstallation works? does it wipe all of the cineform information from my computer or is there still infos hidden?

I just need the activation screen to be blank so I can fill it in again after the installation. that's all I am asking for so I can move on w/ my projects.

I did check the tech website but nothing to my problem. yes even b4 i posted this thread.

thanks again for your reply, Mr Newman.

[Dave Haynie]

I have had NOTHING but problems with Neo Scene... and it's all based on activations. The attitude of the support people seems to be that, if you're having problems, you're some kind of crook.

The activation system itself seems flawed. Last fall, I installed Windows 7 on my video PC, and did not realize there was any need to uninstall Neo Scene (I have dozens of applications, in value from $10 to $10,000 on this system, and this was the only one with this "feature").

So when I tried to re-install on the same machine (wiped, since it was an XP machine), I was told I had already activated, and would have to de-activate-- now impossible, of course. So I wrote to technical support. They told me I had could have activated twice... which is incorrect, since I had only ever installed and activated on my one machine (eg, the only one I own with 10+ TB of HDD... Cineform is useless on generic PCs). They promised me they'd add one new activation. I tried that, several days later, and nope... still rejecting my activation.

So, I'm still without Cineform... but I'm kind of liking Avid DNxHD, which serves the same purpose, but is available free from Avid. And it's now an industry standard, recently adopted by SMPTE as VC-3. And there's source code available.

As for Cineform... I do kind of which I was getting something for the money I spent, and there's no 1080/60p support in DNxHD yet, far as I can tell, which is a feature I do use. I have to conclude that either the Cineform folks lied to me about the now three potential activations, one of which worked, or their activation system is very easily hacked by people trying to steal activations. For example... once I register, they ought to lock the activation to a single email address... at least then, I would know if someone else had activated it.

I have written the support people a few times since that last supposed extra activation failed, with no response. This leaves me angry and frustrated with Cineform. Hopefully you have better luck.

[David Newman]

NeoScene does have two activations by default, so some reason that didn't stick on your account. Please use the ticket system as that is tracked (Support Center), we know whether we have missed a follow up. Email is less reliable for tracking, I apologize for support being delayed in their response. Normally a new OS install should have you back in the trial period, give support time before licensing runs out to issue a new key. So please re-file you ticket, and you will get your activation. As for activation is general, we agree it could be much better, we license those tools, and I'm always looking for something better that is simple to implement. When we do change we know we will be impacting tens of thousand of users, which makes switch harder, so we want wait for a suitable major upgrade time, yet we do so few, preferring regular small free updates.

[Dave Haynie]

Ok, so based on your crazy-fast response, on a Saturday, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt... I just filed a support center ticket (#:611-8307183). Yeah, I know getting "in the system" helps... I've been in computer hardware and software engineering since the early 1980s (anyone remember Commodore-Amiga computers? Some of that was me). Though we usually had a support guy who would create a support ticket based on any phone calls or emails, not just ignore or lose these things. Yeah, even at small companies.

But here's the thing... I'm willing to accept that, for some reason, I only got one activation. But for two problems. First problem: don't you have a log of activations? I was told I had used two, but I personally only used one. I should have either been told "sorry, we forgot to give you a second activation", or "hey, here's the email addresses from your two activations". That might help explain what happened to the second one.

Next, we have the fact that, after my first contact, I was told a third activation would be added. When I tried to use it, that activation too was not there. The probability of both of those being mistakes seems to be damn near zero, don't you think?

Thus, trusting people more than your flimsy activation system, I sent my PC ID codes along with the report, and requested they send me a new activation key, not another activation, which I do not trust. Hopefully they can do that, and I'll be happy enough. But you really have a larger problem here, I believe.

Product activation is hardly rocket science. Look at how Sony does it (and did it, since way back in the Sonic Foundry days)... you enter your serial number in the program itself (or, if you like, the activation program you all use). That program contacts a server, ideally using an SSL link, and keys are exchanged. That's secure enough.. I have been these products for over a decade, upgraded to most versions of Vegas, Acid, and Forge, changed PCs, etc. and never, not once, had any activation issues. And their system... I'll bet a decent junior engineer could write that in a week, if you have your own server available to host it. I don't know what you all are paying for, but you have no security. A serial number is just way too easy to guess (do have server logs that might indicate this?), and if someone guesses my serial number, your system seems happy enough to send an activation key to any arbitrary email address they provide.

[David Newman]

Dave, I'm aware of you history, I headed up software for Applied Magic, an Amiga NLE vendor. You have a very cool hardware background so I will forgive your over simplification of node locked software licensing -- wish it were that simple (where there are many companies that only do software licensing for other businesses, we have switched through two of them already -- never happy with the results.) Support is not around on the weekend but have emailed to see if anyone can remote check the action server for you (I can't.)

[Jake Segraves]

For the record, activation issues are really a very simple thing to fix. The best method is to send a screenshot of your activation window to support. If I can't figure out the problem with that, then a remote access session will usually do the trick. This lets me see your screen and control your mouse. I can usually have you up and running in a matter of minutes doing this. I did this with Dave Haynie today and it took less than a minute. I don't seen an e-mail from you specifically, Jack, but if you're still having problems please email support and I'll get you squared away.