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Not licensed to run on this computer

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(@smatthews51)
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Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 688
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When I try to bring up a copy of Pralana Gold on my new computer I'm getting this pop-up: "This copy of the Pralana Retirement Calculator is not licensed to run on this computer" and when I click OK the file closes and I can't use it. What's going on?


   
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(@smatthews51)
Member Admin
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 688
Topic starter  

Here’s the answer, straight out of the user manual on page 13:

PRC Gold is an Excel file, nothing more and nothing less, and it runs under the Microsoft Excel application just like any other Excel file; however, to protect Pralana’s intellectual property, the file contains a protection mechanism that prevents a registered copy from being moved to a different computer than the one onto which it was initially loaded. If it becomes necessary or desirable to move it to a different computer or to take PRC Gold updates, the previous copy of the file will have to be replaced with a new copy of the file. The data inputs to the file can become very complex and lengthy, and you will probably not want to enter them manually more than once. For these and other reasons, the existence of capabilities to easily move user data into and out of the tool are essential and are a key part of the tool’s design. These are the import and export functions.

The export function is an automated process for extracting user data from the tool and writing it to a user-specified export data file (the file is created by PRC). The import function is an automated process for reading the data from a user-specified file and storing it into the appropriate locations within the tool. These are complementary processes that work together to:

  • preserve user data while performing system upgrades and/or updates to PRC /Gold itself
  • share user data between multiple computers and multiple copies of PRC /Gold
  • enable a single copy of PRC /Gold to operate on multiple user-specific files or multiple scenario-specific files

The manual goes on to elaborate further on these processes.


   
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(@morlock103)
Active Member Customer
Joined: 3 years ago
Posts: 16
 

Does this mean that one can't keep the PRC2021 Gold file in a cloud like storage device like Microsoft's One Drive with personal data saved in it for access from any device such as a desktop or a portable laptop? In order words, one must separately install the PRC Gold file on each device. Is that correct?

I note the user documentation recommends not saving any user data within the PRC 2021 Gold file. Instead saving the data to the export file and closing PRC Gold without saving data within PRC Gold. That seems like a good solution, but appears to require a user change to normal Excel file operations and to take extra care when dealing with auto saved recovery files that Excel prompts one to deal when reopening Excel after unexpected shut downs such as power failures, Windows updates, etc.

What happens to the PRC Gold file if one tries to store it in the cloud and then open it up from any device? Will it work on the first device that opens the PRC Gold file but not the second device? Does the answer differ when using Office 365 versus a desktop version of Excel?


   
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(@smatthews51)
Member Admin
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 688
Topic starter  

Yes, it is true that a given copy of PRC Gold cannot be shared among multiple computers; each computer must have its own copy (downloaded directly from the Pralana website).

That's a good observation about the need to deal with the auto-saved recovery files if you don't do your own saves. The manual probably needs a little revision on this topic because I think it's very prudent to do your own saves as you're getting your data set up initially (since that takes a good while). Thereafter, when you're coming back to review and adjust your inputs or doing some what-if analysis I think you can probably get by with creation of the export files. The real message I'm trying to convey is that it's a good practice to maintain up-to-date export files, and if you make it part of your standard routine then you're always good to go in case of a computer failure.

Regarding what happens if one stores the PRC file on the cloud and then trying to open it from any device, it will open just fine by the computer that put it out there in the first place. All others will get the "This copy of PRC is not licensed to run on this computer" pop-up, and then it'll abort when you acknowledge it. It works the same regardless of the version of Excel being used.


   
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