Troubleshooting Copy Protection Problems in PC Access for Windows 4.00

This file provides a diagnostic decision directed graph to help you solve copy protection problems in PC Access for Windows. The file contains a list of questions and possible answers. Each answer provides a hyperlink that takes you either to another answer, or to a procedure for correcting your problem. Simply click your mouse on the answer to the first question that best fits the problem you are having. Continue to answer questions until you get to an answer.

• Note: if you have PC Access for Windows 4.20, this troubleshooting guide may not apply. The user authorization has changed in version 4.20.

Start Here: [q1] Are you installing your copy of PC Access now?

• I am installing my copy of PC Access for Windows for the first time. I have not installed my copy on another computer.
• I am installing my copy of PC Access for Windows on a second computer.
• PC Access previously installed and worked correctly on my computer. Now I get a user authorization error.
• None of the above.

[q1.1] What symptom are you having?

• When I type my Registration Code on the "Register PC Access for Windows" window, PC Access for Windows reports that my Registration Code is invalid.
• I cannot even get to the "Register PC Access for Windows" window.

[q1.1.1] When you type in your four-character Registration Code, do all four characters appear on "the screen"?

• Yes
• No

[a1.1.1.1] Your computer may be incompatible with the "standard" user authorization in PC Access. Do the following:

• Go to the MS-DOS prompt:
  • Windows 3.1x, click File | Exit Windows....
  • Windows 95, 98, or NT, click Start | Programs | MS-DOS Prompt.
• Type this command:
  CD\PCAWIN
  and press the Enter key.
• Insert your "PC Access for Windows - Disk 1" in your diskette drive.
• Type this command:
  A:EVMOVE A: C:\PCAWIN
  and press the Enter key (this assumes your diskette drive is A: and that you installed PC Access for Windows on your C: drive).
• Press the Enter key when EVMOVE asks you to confirm that you really meant it when you typed the above command. -->
• [q1.1.1.1.1] Does EVMOVE report that it successfully moved your user authorization?
  • Yes. Return to Windows and run PC Access for Windows. You should be able to run PC Access for Windows now.
  • No. Your computer cannot read the user authorization from your "PC Access for Windows - Disk 1." You will need to call VISTAinfo Technical Support at (800) 347-6367 for assistance, or send e-mail to: mfm-techsupport@mfm.com (MFM Technical Support).

[a1.2.1] Delete the file PCAWIN.LIC .

• You need to delete the file PCAWIN.LIC from your C:\PCAWIN directory and re-start PC Access for Windows.

• Go to the MS-DOS prompt:
  • Windows 3.1x, click File | Exit Windows....
  • Windows 95, 98, or NT, click Start | Programs | MS-DOS Prompt.
• Type each of these commands, and press the Enter key after each one:
  CD \PCAWIN
  ATTRIB -R -H -S PCAWINEV.SYS
  DEL PCAWINEV.SYS
  
• Return to Windows. Start PC Access for Windows. PC Access for Windows will prompt you to insert your "PC Access for Windows - Disk 1" into your diskette drive.

• PC Access for Windows instructs you to insert your "PC Access for Windows - Disk 1" into the diskette drive of your computer. Do so and click this the OK button.
• PC Access for Windows displays the Reset User Authorization window.
• Read the Serial Number (in the form: XXXXXXXXX-X) to your technical support representative.
• Type in the User Authorization Reset Code that your technical support representative reads back to you. Be sure to type the code exactly.
• Click the OK button. After PC Access for Windows processes your Reset Code, exit the program.
• Restart PC Access for Windows, leaving your "PC Access for Windows - Disk 1" in your diskette drive. PC Access for Windows will re-install our user authorization.
• After the PC Access for Windows Main Menu window displays, you may remove your "PC Access for Windows - Disk 1" from your diskette drive and store it in a safe place.

• PC Access for Windows will display a user authorization error code beginning with 7030 stating that you have no install counts remaining.
• When PC Access for Windows asks if you want to reset your user authorization on your "PC Access for Windows - Disk 1" click the Yes button.
• Click here for the remaining instructions on restoring your user authorization.

• This document corresponds to a "decision directed graph" (flowchart) for diagnosing copy protection problems in PC Access for Windows. The directed graph (or digraph) is not a tree because it contains multiple paths to some points (nodes, vertices). If you are unfamiliar with graph-theoretic terminology, please consult any introductory text on graph theory, or see:
  • http://www.ics.hawaii.edu/~sugihara/course/ics621f95/handout/H03/graph.txt
  • http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/workbk/graph/grbkgd.html
• Each heading contains an identifier code in square brackets, in the general form: [q|a1.n[.n...]]. Each code begins with a symbol indicating the heading type. q indicates a (branching) question, i indicates a non-branching informative or instructive step, and a indicates (terminal) answers. Headings correspond to vertices (nodes) in the decision directed graph (flowchart).
• Each question heading has a following list of answers. Each answer list element contains a hyperlink to another heading. Thus the answer list elements correspond to lines (links) in the decision directed graph.
• The numbers in a heading's identifier code show its position in the decision directed graph. The leftmost digit is always 1, representing the root vertex. The next digit to the right indicates a daughter vertex of the root, and so on.
• This is a preliminary version. Eventually we'll probably split this file up into a set of individual .html files, with one file per heading. That might make the document somewhat confusing, and reduce the chances of a user scrolling into the middle of a dignostic path (instead of strictly following our hyperlinks).