Prevx Edge Question.

Hello everyone!

I just purchased myself a subscription to prevx edge for a 1 user 1 pc licance, and i have had a nasty suprise, apparently 1 pc dosen't mean 1 pc, it means only 1 windows activation, Because i run a dual boot system soon to be a Tri Boot system "When win 7 is out" I thought it would be a nice tool to add, so i go about installing it on my vista partition works fine great!, and then i log onto my windows XP partition and i find i cannot install it because i have already registered it on Vista, So i am now stuck because i don't want to pay twice for something i have already bought it would be buying 2 pc licances for 1 pc xD

So anyway dose anyone know how i can install it on both without it canceling out the other? thanks.

 

Hello,
You are correct - our licensing locks down a license to one operating system. However, from the one OS, you can scan the other OS's files (granted, not in realtime but Edge's on-demand scans will still look through them).

There isn't a way around this system, however, if you would like me to move/reset your license to work on your Windows 7 install once you make it, please let me know and I'll switch it over (and note: once you install Windows 7, I'd be surprised if you ever want to use Vista or XP again I personally love Windows 7 and am using it right now to type this message )

Please let me know if you have any other questions

 

Hmm. That's a new thing about online activations i didn't know. I wonder what's next. I will add it to my list of reasons for avoiding online activation products like the plague. (Twister being the only exception). Don't take it as offense to PrevX of course, i apply the same rule for every application.

 

I'm just kinda annoyed, the one reason i bought prevx edge was for the real time engine one of the best in the industry in my oppinion, and thats the sad thing because i really like prevx, but i may have to request a refund because i was under the impression it was for one system meaning "1 system" not just 1 operating system, and i am definitely not buying it 2 or even 3 times so, I'm gonna think it over but i will probably ask for a refund, its just a shame thou

For the price on 2-3 licenses for Prevx edge i could just buy G-data or kaspersky Internet security and Threat fire pro, And they will allow me to install on multiple operating systems on the same box.

Also i just looked on the prevx web site it mentions nowhere on the prevx site that the program is locked to one operating system.

New to me also thats why i was confused

 

Yes, i checked their site too. They should make a visible note about this, because it's misleading information.

From the moment that MS came with the online activation thing for Windows, i knew nothing good could come out of it. For the consumer that is... Maybe in the future MS will make the next step and ask for the user's fingerprints or voice signature to be mailed to them, so to make sure that it's the user that bought the license, the one who really activates it.

 

Yeah sad how these things are happening more and more, At least i bought my license alot of other people would just use a warez license, too bad for honest consumers.

Unless Prevx can come up with a comprimise then i'm gonna get a refund ;/

 

I was getting ready to purchase but after finding this out I'm going to have to rethink this.

 

Don't get me wrong its very good software and has great detection, But with the licance if you loose your windows partition in a reformat i guess you would have to go threw a whole ordeal to get your key back -.-

 

That's what back up is for

TH

 

No... what If I want to reinstall Windows from scratch.. I shouldn't be forced to get another key for a product I already purchased. If I knew about this, I would not of purchased PrevX Edge... Not happy about this. I guess I won't be renewing next year...

 

It looks like i have brought to light something most diddent know, also at the time i purchased the product the website had no information on the restrictions nor did i sign any agreements so i am fully eligible for a refund.

So if the prevx rep comes back in this thread please contact me in private message so i can get my refund.

Also i recomend anyone else that has this problem also gets a refund.

 

Prevx should of limited the amount of users which can use edge at the same time similar to kaspersky. Locking to the operating system is even worse than some game hacks which lock to hardware instead.

 

Atleast everyone is behind me with this

Its good to know that everyone hates the locking system as much as me.

 

This isn't an answer. The site says "1 PC" in the purchase screen. No user is obligated to have backup software or even know that he needs it , just because the product that is supposed to work on 1 PC, is instead working on "1 windows installation". It also comes to show to you, that you can never know just exactly what info the online activation uses and sends home. You have to trust every company...


That's why i hate online activation products. The more you buy, the more you reward this technique, the more it becomes "normal" and then someone will take it a step further and then a step further. Already with Windows, if you change hardware often (not just because you upgrade often, but even to diagnose a hardware problem taking components out one at a time and trying different combinations), it arrives a point that you can't activate directly from internet and you must actually call their call center (no weekends or late hours) and be given a key by phone. In a few years, at this pace, we 'll start seeing that for regular applications too. At the end we will have to prove with documents that we are the original user and pray that it's not a weekend and that our internet connection/my ISP's DNS/their server isn't down. Without of course counting that if a company goes belly up, you 'll be left with a useless product, because you can't activate it anymore.

So, my policy is against activations schemes, because they can only become worse and it's already spyware-like behaviour for my taste, for them to know how often and when i uninstall and install the product i paid for. (And God knows what else they get to know about my system when it sends info out to activate).

No, i hate online activations more than you do!

 

It seems Prevxhelp dosen't want to reply so i can get my refund ;/

 

This wouldn't be the case.

You can create an account at my.prevx.com and manage your own license there. If you reformatted for example, you can effectively transfer your license by deleting it from the previous machine, then installing the key on your new/reformatted machine.

We do lock down the amount of times this can be done, as unfortunately there are many people out there who like to buy a 1 PC license to then go around cleaning multiple machines

I'm not sure PrevxHelp would be in the position to handle your refund query. I would recommend you contact Prevx Support through Edge, which will then be forwarded to the correct department

 

I'm afraid, many people use software without license. Not caring about the value of the product. I can understand you, but I understand the vendors, that rely on paying customers, too. What should they do in your opinion?

I agree that Prevx should mention the limitation to one operating system. Reformatting an -installing have never been a problem for me, and I am pretty sure that Prevx would reset my license without any trouble if needed.

 

I understand the vendors have a problem. But as you see, at the end, they look after THEIR interest and decide to penalize the legal customers. So, in my turn, i look after MY interests and avoid online activation products.

What should they do... This is their problem, not mine. Maybe go against the gazillion sites that distribute warez and operate in all happiness?

As far i as i go, i am innocent until proven guilty and not the opposite.

The software vendors, aren't the only one with that problem. Come to my campus and see how many students actually make photocopies of books instead of buying them. Well, fortunately, the authors (professors) haven't decided yet to put a DRM device on the cover, limiting the book to the original buyer. And i suspect, writing a book for a very limited audience is less profitable than software.

I find the logic of "I will increase the discomfort for paying customers , because i don't want to go hunt the warez users" , most twisted. Maybe paying customers will actually go for the warez version instead.

Thankfully, each can make their choice. Software vendors think that it is best to follow such a policy? Fine!

I think it's not best for me? I will use other products, without online activation, whose vendors apparently don't want to treat me as probable thief to start with.

So, there, problem solved...

P.S. : Would any vendor cry about the paying customer, if a product had online activation and the company went belly up? Like it happened with some products that we all know here, but fortunately had serial keys and not online activation? No, the vendor would go AWOL and the customer would be left high and dry. So, they look after their interest, i will look after mine.

 

In this case software developers always have the option to release a patch that disables the activation. So any decent company that goes bankrupt and also uses activation mechanisms in there software should release a final patch in the case of going AWOL that will removes such protections and ensure that customers can continue to use the software.

 

So basically, you must trust them that are good people. But they must not trust you for being a good person. Right... "Any decent company"... PG vanished in thin air overnight, no replys even to mails. It was decent enough to have a forum in here. Sygate was bought from Norton, a very decent company. Oddly enough, even the free firewall version was left with a pop up asking online registration , for which to disable you have to dig for quite some time in google. Ghostsecurity also disappeared. ProSecurity also disappeared with the author silently abbandoning the forum. This is quote just some security related software. If we go to more generic software, the list goes on.

Fortunately none of these had online activation. But, if they were "decent company", they would partially refund customers that had a very recent license i would think. Well, they weren't "decent" enough.

And so on... Trust... I can trust them, but they can't trust me, eh?

 

The funny thing is i have relative reverse engineering knowledge so i could have probably cracked the program myself with a little thought, but i diddent because I'm not a jerk and i know companies need to make money for there hard work, every time this happens now i can just see why more and more people are going to warez sites instead of buying the program, i just hope they can change there outlook on people and make a compromise for fairness and good.

 

The truth is, almost any application that has "demand" is out there cracked and easy to find. Software vendors, prefer to ignore that and instead try to contain "damage" by treating paying customers as potential thieves.

Because, at the end, it's cheaper to go after the paying customers instead of the warez sites or pirate users... Also, many users with pirated versions, are an economic loss, but also an indirect free pubblicity of the product.

So, you have for example big antivirus companies with fake keys. They let them use them for months. Don't they see when they update definitions that the key is fake? Of course they do. Can't they register the IP and then ask for the ISP the user's name and press charges? Of course they can (That's what music and film companies do). But why pay for legal actions... Same goes for warez sites. They are part of the free pubblicity and hunting them down legally would cost money. So,it's better to torture the legal customer...

I have a starforce protected game. Legally paid. Guess which version i install on my PC when i want to play it. The pirated one, because in that, starforce isn't installed. Needles to say that i won't buy such a game again... So, they actually pushed me to use the pirated version (which runs better than the non-pirated by the way, because the legal version does periodical checks and speed has slowdowns). That can't be good for business. Same goes for games that need "CD Check". I use "No cd patch". Because i don't see why the pirate user can run it without problems from the hard disk, while i, must be punished, because i purchased the original! Media get ruined with use in cd/dvd readers or can even be accidentally ruined if you have them around all the time (beverages, dogs, scratching them inadvertently, smashing them by sitting on them etc).

Anyway, with the economical crisis that is coming, maybe these gentlemen will start appreciating a bit more the customers that are willing to pay, instead of treating them like potential thieves, while leaving the real thieves undisturbed.

Because at the end, it all comes down the same thing. Mentality and wallet. In some very poor countries they don't have the money, they 'll get the warez. In the other countries, it's about mentality. Those that will pay, will pay. Those who don't intend to pay, will find your product cracked or if they don't , they will find another similar that is cracked. I 've seen even lawyers googling for cracks... The only way to stop them is to close the crack sites. And there's no use of trying to punish the legal customer over this. It's the reality of the nature of the business they 're into. Same goes for books, like i said earlier.

Back to your particular case, i can only wish you, that PrevX gives you a refund. Logic says they will.

 

Hello all,
Deciding on our licensing logic was not an easy task as there is no easy answer to it. Locking down a license by hardware leads to abuse on identical machines or accidental warnings when changing hardware configuration. Locking down a license on a per-OS basis causes complaints when using a dual-boot configuration. After long discussions, we've decided on the latter because it is more reliable and covers a majority of the users. Rarely do home users actually understand what an operating system is or better yet what two operating systems are I come back to the old adage - does your mother understand it? If not, it probably isn't in use by a majority of users.

Granted, this design does cause some grief when users reinstall their OS frequently but we always take care of this and reset their license (just come into our customer support inbox where we can access your license credentials). The problem with allowing users to install on multiple OS's on one system is that it would immediately allow them to install on multiple computers as hardware lockdown is non-trivial and non-exact.

If our limitations are too strict for you, however, then please come in to our customer support inbox for a refund and we will refund you your remaining duration. Because of the extremely low volume of people complaining about our licensing, I don't think we're going to change this design but nothing is written in stone.

Sorry for the inconvenience/raised blood pressure this may have caused some of you. I hate to say it, but software is expensive to develop and maintain and licensing can make or break a company. As we've seen recently, many of the companies that have completely free or "donationware" software are unsustainable and fall out of the market within some months/years as soon as they become too difficult to maintain for free. This is why companies are forced to use shareware - software development is generally not something you can do well in your free time for a long time, especially in this economy.

 

In many points in this discussion I agree.

But if vendors would not care about illegal copies, they would not try to make it difficult to produce them. I don't think that it is their job to fight against criminals, like it is not my part to hunt a burglar.

I think we (vendor & me) have the same interests: a good product. Only following the own interests could lead in the wrong direction: Developers just reduce costs and therefore accept low quality, while the customers buy only the cheapest ... junk. The more it enhances, the less quality will be available.

I think there is a basic problem in the attitude of many members of our community (all Wilders users excluded of course ).

 

Yes... Basically, it makes it difficult to the PAID customers to make back up copies, while the pirates find the same product cracked even before it is released. If you are a car dealer and someone steals your car, is it your job to press charges againt the thieves or control every private garage in your city to verify that innocent people don't have your car? If they steal my car, can i come into your garage to see if you have it? I suppose you won't be offended, right? I won't accuse you openly of stealing. I want just to check.

If someone steals from me, i would certainly target the thief, not the legal customer. Instead, we have an increased control over paying customers, to the limits of spyware, while warez customers, are left in peace. This is like, i write a book. To make sure you won't loan it to a friend or photocopy it, i don't go to the places that i KNOW that are being photocopied and photocopied books are sold, but i bug your house, to keep you observed on what you do with my book. That's insane, and it only happens, because politicians are mostly computer illiterates and law in the sector is a jungle. For example nobody would accept a book that is locked with fingerprint scanner and will not open unless the purchaser scans his thumb. (I hope i won't give any wild ideas to anyone). Or an "anti-photocopy paper/ink" , just in case you want to photocopy it and give it to your friend.

I know one thing. People that want to spend for software, for principle, they will do so. People that don't want to spend money, will get it cracked, easily and punishing the paying ones, won't help you. On the contrary, some will be pissed off and go to the cracked ones too in the future or simply change product. That's what i do too. For every game i have, if it has a protection that is invasive, i use the cracked one and actually got bored by this and stopped playing new games. About products with online activation : I don't protest to them anymore. I simply avoid them and use alternatives. If they think that they will earn more money with online activation, fine, it's their policy, i use mine.

As i said, i am innocent, until proven guilty and not the opposite. Or at least, this applies to all other professional sectors, except software, because as i said, ignorance reigns supreme amongst politicians. I bet most people would feel offended if they were to go to a professionist and be treated indirectly but clearly, as potential thieves. In MS they even ask you what happened to your PC, if it is the same PC or another, etc. This is spyware-behaviour for my taste. Today i activated 3 times WinPatrol over Shadow Defender (on the same PC) for testing purposes. And i don't think it's anyone's business to know that.

Anyway, i must end here, i have to go to a pharmacy and buy some drugs that my dentist had prescribed me a year ago and i still remember their names. Theoretically, he should be paid for a new visit, since they are prescription medicines, but the pharmacist gives them anyway. That idiot of a dentist hasn't figured yet an "activation" sceme on his prescriptions.