Kontakt 2.2 Authorization workaround

Hi all,

our support guys are still busy analyzing your activation problems and getting back to your support requests.

so far we have not found THE underlying cause. however, we have successfully helped some users by using the following steps. please try this and let us know if that helps.


best,
Markus

***

0. Close all applications

1. Delete the files named "Kontakt 2.plist" files found here:

root(the OS X volume uppmost level) /library/preferences

and here:

root(the OS X volume uppmost level) /users/<your username>/library/preferences

2. Then run the installation from the original Kontakt 2 installer disc again. If you installed the application as part of a Komplete bundle, use the Komplete installer disc to install. When running the Komplete installer, choose custom install and check only the application you need for installation.

3. After running that installation, run the Kontakt 2.2.0 update installer. After this installation is finished, start the Service Center and perform the authorization.

4. Then start the standalone version of Kontakt 2 to check that authorization has taken place and the application starts up in authorized mode.

If the application still starts up in demo mode, start Service Center again. If Service Center shows the application as authorized, repeat steps 0. - 4.

***

PC users: in step 1, delete the following registry trees using Start-Run-"regedit", OK. Navigate to the lowest folder in each of the two trees, i.e. Kontakt2, and press the DEL key. Exit the Registy Editor - no need to save your changes.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Native Instruments\Kontakt2
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Native Instruments\Kontakt2

 

Just done this with the PC version. It has updated the info on my registrations page in that there is a new authorisation registered but it's still running in demo mode on my PC.

Why not send those of use having problems the information to manually register - it is possible to enter information manually in KORE so why not use this facility?

Just tried using the old Registration tool as well out of curiosity - it managed to register it succesfully (it said) but it's still in demo mode. Damn!

 

Offline Activiation permanently GONE!?

Gee, I really, REALLY admired the "offline activation" process which Native Instruments had for all previous registrations as it made the "totally isolated" music system a possibility. With this upgrade, however, I had my primary music system "quasi-online" (it's removed from the primary Internet connection by one system in-between, so it's intentionally NOT on the Internet) so the online registration process went forward without a hitch.

Is the old "copy info to floppy" then register with an internet connection from a different system (and bring back the registration "signature") gone forever? That would be a disappointment, I'm sure.

My humble $0.02 ... KevinKauai

 

Re: Offline Activiation permanently GONE!?

No it's not. If you are offline you can export an offline authorisation request to run from another computer and then import the file it sends you back.

 

For PC users I have worked out what to do - this will work I am certain and has worked for me.

The thing is authorisation requests are still getting through to NI as my registrations page has updated - it's just the Service Centre that isn't putting the right information in the registry. So here's how to cut service centre out of the equation:

1) Go to your registrations page and copy your serial no, System ID and Authorisation keys to a textfile.

2) Open Regedit and go to the 2 registry locations Marcus mentioned above.

3) In HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Native Instruments\Kontakt2 you will need to add a string - right click and select New/String Value and name it SYSTEMID - then doubleclick on this and it will open a box - copy/paste in your System ID code.

4) Then in the same window make sure the information under KEY matches your current Authorisation code - if it doesn't doubleclick on this and enter the correct code.

5) Do the same for the key named SNO - make sure this matches your correct product serial number.

6) Now go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Native Instruments\Kontakt2 and do the same there. You will probably find that in this window there is already a SYSTEM ID string but it might not match the one in the other window so doubleclick on it and enter the correct info - same for the SNO and KEY strings. (I wonder if it's the lack of a SYSTEMID string that is messing up with Service centre's ability to register the product?)

Close regedit and open Kontact and it should be activated. Worked for me anyway

 

Just one thing though - this will only work if you have installed Kontakt as a standalone product or did what Marcus recommended at the top and reinstalled it from the Standalone K2 installation disk (but not the Komplete one). If it's consolidated into Komplete you don't get to see the full registration details on your registration page. So I can't do this for my Reaktor update which also won't activate. This is why i have been arguing for some time that NI need to give us the full registration information for all products so if activation fails we can activate and use the products we have paid for manually.

 

Intel MAC workaround didn't work for me - whether installing Kontakt via Komplete 4 discs or standalone v2 update disks

 

Markus,

this Kontakt 2.2 activation problem starts to suck really!!!

I tried your suggestions step 0 to 4 to no avail!

As far as I understand the situation NI is not able to deliver almost bug free software to its KC2005/2006 clients. But therefore NI overdone it again with the copy protection scheme!

Today I received a reply based on my support request from NI stating to delete *.plist files blablabla which may useful for Mac users. I am on PC with WinXP, so what is the use of this reply? Nothing at all.

Then I tried your suggestions in the above thread several times without success:

0. Close all applications
1. Deleted the two relevant Kontakt 2 registry entries
2. Re-installed Kontakt 2 only no libs etc from the Komplete 4 DVD
3. Not starting Kontakt 2 updating with Kontakt 2.2. Then starting highly appreciated ‘NI Service Center’ for which the whole world was waiting for centuries.
4. Starting standalone version of Kontakt 2 stating that it is still in FÙCKING demo mode!!!

The only things what I have found in this couple of wasted hours (in total now 8 hours!!!) with your high quality software product is the following:

1. After step 1 highly appreciated ‘NI Service Center’ stated no entry of Kontakt 2 under Komplete 3. This was really new!
2. After step 2 and 3 highly appreciated ‘NI Service Center’ stated entry of Kontakt 2 under Komplete 4 not activated. This was really new too! Before the entry was always stated under Komplete 3.
3. After activation process of highly appreciated ‘NI Service Center’ entry of Kontakt 2 did not appear under Komplete 4. It was sitting under Komplete 3. Stating it is not activated. BTW as always.

Reiterated all the steps a couple of times with some crazy variations with no success. When do you and your programmers intend to give back full functionality of your product? I’m not willing to continue wasting my time with childish unprofessional copy protection problems caused through your software development department.

With greatest regrets

Pooh

 

Another MacIntel user here who can't authorize UB versions of Kontakt or Reaktor....everything else worked fine. I have done the plist deleting so many times that I created aliases on my desktop for them. I also repaired permissions. Tried doing things in different orders etc....I think we may be just have to wait for NI to post a patch.

FYI---I am installing from the Komplete 4 discs...and then applying the UB update from the website.

 

If you have a standalone version of Kontakt (i.e. one that comes with it's own serial and installation disks) try my method posted above. It should work as long as your not afraid to touch the registry and follow each step carefully. Back your registry up first if in doubt.

What is happening is Kontakt is registering (in that the Registrations page at the NI site is being updated) but the Service Centre is not writing the keys correctly back into the Windows registry or whatever it's MAC equivelent is. So this method just enters the information Service centre should be adding to the Registry manually.

If NI gave us the full details of all the apps serials and authorisation codes from Komplete in the Registrations page we could do this with Komplete apps too but they don't (I think they should)

 

I will try that one.

 

Hello,
I'm successfully authorized but with stand-alone mode only. My L7 (7.0.1) still loaded Kontakt in demo mode. I've tried with vst in Live 5.0.2 and successfully loaded. What should I do? or because my L7 is not UB?

Boonrut

 

This method didn't work for me (Komplete4 - upgrade from K3/MacOSx 10.4.8).
I did notice one thing different in Service Center this time though. When I was choosing Kontakt2 from the list, it showed up under the Komplete4-branch, and not under the Komplete3-branch as the last time I tried to activate Kontakt2.2. But when I pressed next to activate, and got an "Product activation successful"-message, it showed up under the Komplete3-brach... as "not activated". It seems to me like the Service Center doesn't get that it should use my K4's bundle/serial-number, but insted it try to use my bundle/serial-number from K3.

 

I went through these steps at least five times in various permutations, and Kontakt 2 still will not authorize. I trash the preferences for Kontakt 2 from both the system and user libraries. I install Kontakt 2 from its standalone DVD I received as a supplemental bundle to Komplete 2. Komplete 4 is installed and authorized. I then install the Kontakt 2.2 update. Start Service Center to authorize Kontakt, and the program tells me I need to buy an authorization. I start over and this time I authorize Kontakt 2 through Service Center, which works fine. I then install Kontakt 2 from the Komplete 4 DVD, authorize, and it works fine. Run Konatakt 2.2 update, authorization fails. I have spent two days running through every permuation of this process I can think of, and all have failed.

 

from now on, i'll check the user forum before i update anything.

 

Same story here:Update path K3 ==>> K4 ==>> Kontakt 2.2 ==>> activation mess on PC. Only major difference AFAIK is that OS is WinXP Pro and not MacOSx.

 

Ok wasted some further time in analysing the Kontakt2.2 activation problem within Komplete4 package using the offline activation method:

1. Re-installed Kontakt2 from the Komplete4 DVD only.
2. Did the famous Kontakt2.2 update.
3. Checked the registry no SNO, SYSTEMID and KEY entries for Kontakt2.
4. ActivationRequestFile.html contains under item Kontakt2 a “serial” (SNO later reg entry), a “system-id” (SYSTEMID later reg entry) and a “activation_key”-request key (KEY later reg entry) with 32-digits.
5. ActivationReturnFile.naf returns exactly the same values as above.
6. If I put in manually SNO and SYSTEMID Kontakt2 says your copy is not authorised. Which makes sense because there is no KEY entry.
7. If I put in manually the unsufficient 32-digit key in the registry Kontakt2 is complaining that KEY doesn’t match with SYSTEMID.
8. This makes sense indeed because the activation key should have something like 61 digits and should fit to the SYSTEMID.

Conclusion: NI Service-Center does not return an valid activation key for unknown reasons in online and in offline mode. NI would it be possible to have manual access to our activation keys through the personalised ‘Product Registration Page’ to get the thing up and running. Or even more simple could you send me just a valid combination of SNO, SYSTEMID and KEY for Kontakt2.2. I will put it in the PC’s registry at no additional cost for you. My ENIGMA is not working right now to fix your problem!

 

That's what I have been asking for since the first problems of this nature occured with K4. We have paid for these products and should not be having to go through endless rounds of uninstalling, wiping registries and reinstalling then trying again to activate.

Incidentally - that method did work for me with Kontakt but it sounds like I managed to get the intact code and for some reason yours is truncated - not sure why unless the engine that generates codes is faulty. It certainly should work if you have the correct code - did you make sure they matched in Local machine and current user?

 

Of course there could be the possibility that the local ‘NI Service Center’ version 1.0.0.16 (1.0.0.149) is calculating a wrong activation request key which the server does not accept or the other way round the activation server is not able to reply in the required way.

Yes of course SNO and SYSTEMID are matched in both registry trees. As I have said their activation server does not reply with a Registration KEY (61 digits) to the activation request key (32 digits) for no obvious reason. That is the crux of the matter.

 

Hi Markus,

Unfortunately I have this same issue now with all the new UB plugins!! :-(

This is what I did:

0. I have Komplete 4 installed on my Intel iMac 24" Core 2 Duo.

1. I removed the Guitar Rig 2, Kontakt 2, and Reaktor 5 plist files from:
root(the OS X drive uppmost level) /library/preferences
and
root(the OS X drive uppmost level) /users/<your username>/library/preferences

I then emptied the trash.

2. Installed:
1. The Kontakt 2.2 UB upgrade
2. The Guitar Rig 2.2 UB upgrade
3. The Reaktor 5.12 UB upgrade

In all 3 installations I pressed CANCEL to not install the service center again.

I then opened the NI service center. Reaktor, Kontakt and Guitar rig was no longer shown if I expanded the Komplete 4 box. So I quit the service center and then started each one of them stand alone and then quitted them all.

I opened the NI service center. I have version 1.0.0.16.

I located my Kontakt 2 serial found in main menu>product overview>product details, which is the same as my Komplete 4 serial number: [[[REMOVED FROM WEB POST]]]

I then go to Online Activation Assistant, expand the Komplete 4 selection, make sure Reaktor 5, Kontakt 2, and Guitar Rig 2 are checked, click Next, enter my Komplete 4 serial number as above for all 3 plugins, and click next.

It now says "Product activation successful", but when I expand the Komplete 4 selection on that same page, it says:

GUITAR RIG 2 WAS NOT ACTIVATED!
KONTAKT 2 WAS NOT ACTIVATED!
REAKTOR 5 WAS NOT ACTIVATED!

I can verify this by trying to open the three applications. They are not activated.

This is getting absurd now, it has now been more than a week without a working solution for Komplete 4 OSX owners - which should be your #1 customers! :-(

Thanks in advance for your assistance,

Johan