Paint By Numbers 2005™ Activation
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions:
Question:
What
is Activation?
Answer:
Activation is a software-based license management technology used on all of
the Color Wheel Company software products. It is a secure and easy process
verifying that you have a valid license to use Paint By Numbers 2005™ by
checking your Activation Key against a master list of valid keys.
Question:
What
happens during Activation?
Answer:
During Activation, your Activation Key is sent to our Activation server to
verify that it is a valid key. If the key is valid, we unlock the product so
that you can use it. Activation typically takes less than 30 seconds.
Question:
Why
does the Color Wheel Company use Activation?
Answer:
Activation is the state-of-the-art in the software industry for preventing
the casual copying of software. We depend on revenue from the sale of our products
to pay our employees and Activation is a great way to prevent this casual copying
of the software by encouraging people to pay for a legal license.
Question:
Is
any personal information recorded during Activation?
Answer:
No. Activation is an anonymous process.
Question:
Does
the Activation process send any information after Activation has
completed?
Answer:
No. Activation is a one time anonymous process.
Question:
Where
is my Activation Key?
Answer:
Your Activation Key is printed on the paper insert found inside of the Paint
By Numbers 2005™ retail packaging.
Question:
Should
I keep a copy of my Activation Key?
Answer:
You may need to use your Activation Key again in the future. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you keep your Activation Key in a safe place.
Question:
How
many times can I use my Activation Key?
Answer:
Unlike many software companies that allow their products to be Activated only
one time, Paint By Numbers 2005™ can be Activated two times. With such
unfortunate events as viruses, hard-drive crashes or even the theft of your
computer, we at the Color Wheel Company recognize that two Activations will
enable our customers to continue enjoying our products even in the face of
the unfortunate events listed above.
Question:
My
Activation Key did not work?
Answer:
Please verify that:
- You have entered the Activation Key exactly as it appears,
- Your computer is currently connected to the Internet, and
- You have not already used the two Activations permitted for
your Activation Key.
I have verified all of the above but I am still not able to Activate:
- Please read the section below on software and hardware firewalls,
- Please read the section below on Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware
software.
Question:
How
do I know if my product is Activated?
Answer:
At the end of the Activation process, you will receive confirmation that your
product was successfully Activated.
Question:
How
do I Activate Paint By Numbers 2005™ on a computer that does
not have access to the Internet?
Answer:
To Activate, your computer must have access (and be connected) to the Internet.
Question:
My
computer is protected by a firewall. Will this be a problem?
Answer:
We strongly recommend that you turn off all software and hardware firewalls
prior to starting the Activation process. Once Paint By Numbers 2005™ has
been Activated, you can turn back on any firewall that you have on your computer.
Special note for users of Windows XP - Service Pack 2: Your system is
bundled with a built-in software firewall that, as a default, is turned
on. As stated above, we recommend that you turn off this firewall prior
to starting the Activation process.
Special note for users of routers and Wi-Fi networking equipment (primarily
for broadband Internet access): Your equipment may act as a firewall in
order to enable you to hook-up multiple computers on a single Internet
connection. If you encounter difficultly with Activation, connect your
computer directly to your cable or DSL modem for the Activation process.
Question:
My
computer is protected by an Anti-Virus and/or Anti-Spyware software.
Will this be a problem?
Answer:
We recommend that you turn off all Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software prior
to starting the Activation process. Even though you are still able to browse
the web, send and receive email, many of these software programs may actually
block legitimate programs (like Paint By Numbers 2005™) from accessing
the Internet.
Special note for users of Windows XP - Service Pack 2: Your system is
bundled with a built-in software firewall and application blocker that,
as a default, is turned on. Turn off this feature prior to starting the
Activation process.
Question:
I
lost my Activation Key. What can I do?
Answer:
As discussed above, we strongly recommend that you keep your Activation Key
in a safe place. If you need to use your Activation Key and it is either lost
or has already been used two times, you will need to purchase a new copy of
Paint By Numbers 2005™ from your local retailer.
Question:
I
have a Mac. Can I install and run the Paint By Numbers 2005™ on
my Mac?
Answer:
No. Paint By Numbers 2005™ can only be installed and operated on a PC.
Question:
Is it safe to purchase Paint By Numbers 2005™ from someone other than a Color Wheel Company retailer?
Answer:
We strongly recommend that you purchase your copy of Paint By Numbers 2005™ from a Color Wheel Company retailer. Paint By Numbers 2005™ is copy protected and requires Internet activation. Each copy provides for only a limited number of activations. If you purchase an "open box" copy or if you purchase from an unknown source (e.g., Internet auction), you may receive your copy of Paint By Numbers 2005™ only to discover that it can no longer be activated.
Also, click
here for Installation Instructions (PDF)
Question:
My PC is running Windows Vista. Can I install and run Paint By Numbers 2005™ on my PC?
Answer:
No. Paint By Numbers 2005™ can only be installed and operated on PCs running Windows XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000 or Windows 98.
Question:
I have finished installing Paint By Numbers 2005™ on my system, but when I try to activate it the program tells me that the activation server is unreachable. What should I do?
Answer:
Your computer is probably protected by a firewall which prevents Paint By Numbers
2005™ from directly connecting to our activation server, practically rendering
it "unreachable".
For more details, please read this. In some rare cases the
problem may be caused by an anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. For more
details, please read this.
Question:
I try to start Paint By Numbers 2005™ and a message comes up that says "runtime error... the application has requested the runtime to terminate it in an unusual way. Please contact the applications support team." What should I do?
Answer:
Delete the file "Thumbs.dat" from the program's installation directory (by default: "C:\Program Files\Pegmaris\Paint By Numbers 2005") and restart the program.
Question:
I deleted Paint By Numbers 2005™ from my computer and now that I reinstalled it I can’t get to the activation screen so I can reenter the activate key. What should I do?
Answer:
You do not have to re-activate your product if you just uninstalled and reinstalled on the same computer. In essence, your computer is the one that is activated, not the actual program. After you have reinstalled the product you should simply run it. If the product requires re-activation it will ask you to do so.
Question:
What are the system requirements for Paint By Numbers 2005™?
Answer:
Paint By Numbers 2005™ runs on the most commonly used computers. It would run best on any computer having the following specification:
- Any Pentium class computer that runs Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000 and Windows XP smoothly.
- Recommended at least 128MB of RAM.
- Recommended screen resolution of at least 1024x768 in full color (32 bit colors).
- 15MB of free space. Additional space required for photos and paintings.
- Printer, color is preferred.
- Internet connection for activation and updates.
- CD-ROM drive.
Question:
My computer has lost its hard drive two times. I am now reinstalling Paint By Numbers 2005™ on a new drive, but it won’t activate, saying that I have reached my activation count. What should I do?
Answer:
Please contact us with specifics regarding your incident.
Question:
I am very interested in the Paint By numbers 2005™ software, alas, it seems that the software is supported only on PCs running Windows XP, or earlier versions of Windows. Are you planning to produce a Windows Vista or a Mac compatible version?
Answer:
There are no plans for either Windows Vista or Mac versions at this time.
Question:
I followed your instructions regarding firewalls and anti-virus/spyware software but I still get the "Server unreachable" message and cannot activate. What should I do?
Answer:
In a few rare occasions the activation server becomes unreachable for reasons that are beyond your control or ours, and the only viable solution is to wait and activate your product at a later time. Please contact us should an activation outage persists for more than two consecutive business days.
The software won't install or run on Windows Vista. It was not designed for or modified for VISTA.
In addition…..
1) If you find that your server is unreachable, first check and make sure that you are not running VISTA and that you have followed the instructions on the FAQ's page on our website.
http://www.colorwheelco.com/support/CD-PBN.php
2) Make sure that your computer is actually connected to your server....by seeing if you can log into another web site or another browser - for example Google, Yahoo, MSN and others
then consider.....
It is possible that the activation server is really unreachable…. For instance: There may be a technical reason not under our control. (Our meaning you the computer user or us The Color Wheel Company). In this case, and assuming that it's only a temporary condition, we recommend trying again later - within a couple of hours or the following day. This might solve the entire problem.
3) Make sure you have not used the two available activations. Additional activations are available from The Color Wheel Company. Email info@colorwheelco.com or call Deb at 541-929-7526 after 9:15 AM – two and only two additional activations will be provided.
4) The Color Wheel Company is not a software development or repair company, we have provided as much guidance as we can and made installation and use as simple as we can. If more technical questions persist.... we would ask that you seek advice from someone locally who can look at the actual computer and trouble shoot.
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