Native Instruments - Knowledge Base

If a Native Instruments application or plug-in launches in demo mode although it appears as activated in SERVICE CENTER, try the following things to solve this issue:

1. User Account Control (UAC) in Windows 7 / Vista
Try to solve the issue first by deactivating UAC (User Account Control) as follows.

Windows 7:

1. Enter "uac" in the Windows Start Menu search field and press Enter.
2. In the window that opens, move the UAC slider to the lowest position.
3. Confirm the changes with OK.
4. Reboot Windows.

Windows Vista:

1. Open the Windows Start Menu and choose Control Panel.
2. Enter “uac” in the search box for the Control Panel window.
3. Click the link Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off.
4. Uncheck the box for Use User Account Control (UAC).
5. Confirm the changes with OK.
6. Reboot Windows.

2. Security software
Some anti-virus software or Registry blocker might prohibit the installer or application to write to or read from the Windows Registry. Try to solve this issue as follows:

1. Disable the security software temporarily. This can often be done by right-clicking an icon in the Windows task bar and selecting the respective option in the context menu that opens.
2. Start the Native Instruments application to see if it still starts in demo mode.
3. If this does not help, reinstall the NI software while the security software is deactivated.

3. Compatibility mode
This issue can be caused if the Native Instruments software or the sequencer / host in which the Native Instruments plug-in is used, starts in compatibility mode. It can be resolved as follows:

1. Right-click the Native Instruments application icon and choose Properties.
2. Go to the Compatibility tab.
3. Under Compatibility mode make sure that the check box is not ticked.
4. If the issue affects the plug-in version, do the same for your sequencer / host.