The licensing scheme used by Checkbox Survey Server is designed to be transparent to the end user and simple to configure for the system administrator. However, due to the nature of web-based applications, certain issues occasionally crop up with licensing and the activation process. This document presents the most common issues seen when installing and activating Ultimate Survey Enterprise survey software along with their solutions.

Problem:

When Checkbox Survey Server starts, you see an error message that the license file cannot be found: No license file was found for this installation of Checkbox® Web. Please check that there is a license file (.lic file) in the /bin directory of this installation of Checkbox® Web.  You may download a license file for Checkbox® Web from our customer support area.

Solution:

Ensure that the license file is present in the /bin directory under the application root directory of your installation. The extension of the file must be .lic; Internet Explorer sometimes adds a .xml extension to the file that must be removed. If you do not have a license file, you may download one from the Prezza support customer area.

Problem:

When Checkbox Survey Server starts, you see an error message that the license cannot be validated: The current license is not valid for the installed version of Checkbox® Web. Please visit the Prezza customer support area to download an updated license file.

Solution:

The Checkbox Survey Server license file is digitally signed, so that any changes to the file cause it to become invalid. It is possible for the license file to be inadvertently changed as some programs insert extraneous characters at the start or end of a file when opening or saving it. Examples of ways the file could become changed include opening it in some text editors or downloading it via a download manager. If your license file becomes corrupt and cannot be validated, download another copy from the Prezza customer support area.

Problem:

When Checkbox Survey Server starts, you see an error message that the license cannot be validated: The license for this installation of Checkbox® Web was not properly activated.  This could be because the license file was copied from another machine, or because the license was not activated during the activation grace period.

Solution:

This error is encountered when an activated license file is copied from an existing installation to a new machine; once a license has been activated it is only valid on the machine it was activated on. This error message is also encountered when a license file has not been activated within a month of being downloaded. In both situations the resolution is to download a clean copy of your license file from the Prezza customer support area.

Problem:

License cannot be activated using the automatic online activation system.

Solution:

• To activate online, your installation of Ultimate Survey must be able to communicate with the Prezza Activation Service. Ensure that your server has internet connectivity and can connect to www.prezzatech.com.
• If you are able to connect to the Prezza website from your server and still receive an error, ensure that the appropriate account(s) have write access to your license file. Depending on your configuration and version of IIS the appropriate account will differ; however, by default the most common accounts are aspnet user, anonymous internet user and network services. After checking the file permissions please try to activate again. Write permission can (and should) be removed from the file once the activation process has succeeded.
• Rarely, the Prezza Activation Service may be unavailable due to maintenance. If you are certain that you have addressed the above issues, use the "Request Activation" button to request a manual activation. You may continue to use the application while your request is processed.
• You will also encounter this error if you have activated your license the maximum number of times. Our license allows for one production and one staging installation. You can confirm this is the issue in the customer area of our website. In this case please contact Prezza Support and we can assist you in deactivating one of your previous installations.

Problem:

License cannot be activated using the manual activation system.

Solution:

Ensure that the appropriate account(s) have write access to your license file. Depending on your configuration and version of IIS the appropriate account will differ; however, by default the most common accounts are aspnet user, anonymous internet user and network services. After checking the file permissions please try to activate again. Write permission can (and should) be removed from the file once the activation process has succeeded.