KB10614 - Procedure to obtain and activate the retail version of a purchased product.

1) Download the product. When the purchase payment is received by TatukGIS, the log-in account of the named licensed user under the license will be activated with download access to the retail version of the purchased product. The named licensed user must go to the Downloads page of the TatukGIS web site and log-in using the licensed user e-mail address and log-in password. If your account has been activated to licensed user status relating to any TatukGIS commercial product, upon logging in, you will see a download link to the retail product version. Perform the product download. There can be times in which both the latest final release retail version and a later 'UNSTABLE' retail version of the purchased product are available for download. In such cases, you can download and use either version.

If the link to the retail version of the purchased product is not visible, that means that your account is not presently activated to licensed user status - probably because TatukGIS has not yet received the purchase payment.

If someone else has purchased a new license on your behalf and named you the licensed user, but you have never previously performed a log-in on the TatukGIS web site, TatukGIS may have set up your log-in account under the e-mail address that was provided by the purchaser. If you do not know the log-in password, enter your e-mail address and click on the forgotten password link on the log-in screen to make the TatukGIS server send you the password by e-mail.

2) The product activation serial number. The TatukGIS server will automatically send the serial number to you by e-mail whenever you download the retail version of the purchased product from the TatukGIS web site. If you do not receive the e-mail with the serial number, verify that your anti-spam filter is set to permit e-mail from @tatukgis.com e-mail addresses.

The product serial number typically begins with the user’s e-mail address followed by a string of 15 or more random characters. (This is not to be confused with the shorter log-in password that is used to log-in to your user account on the TatukGIS web site.)

3) Install the product. The activation procedure is easy and almost effortless. At some point, the installation procedure will ask you to register/activate the product. Installation without activation will enable the product to run on the computer for only a limited pre-activation period of a few days, so it is recommended to perform the activation at the time of installation. (Note that when asked "Please provide the password" in one window during the installation procedure, this means to enter the TatukGIS 'serial number'. TatukGIS cannot customize the term "password" in this window because we use 3rd-party installation software.)

4) Activate the product. The activation procedure is specific for each computer hardware and must be performed for each computer on which the TatukGIS product is used. There are two activation methods. Both methods require the product serial number issued by TatukGIS.

i) On-line method (default method). This method connects the installation computer to the TatukGIS web site and automatically performs the activation procedure. It is very easy. You must only log-in (with your e-mail address and log-in password) to your licensed user account in the TatukGIS system when requested. There is no need to obtain or enter the computer's hardware ID number or to manually enter an activation key. The exact steps are:

- Install the purchased program on the computer that the program is to be used.
- Select the “One-step activation – On Line (I’m connected to the internet)” option. The procedure will automatically connect the computer to the TatukGIS web site.
- Enter your licensed user account log-in e-mail address and log-in password when requested and click on the “Next” button.
- The next window presents a field which allows you to enter or verify the serial number. (The first time that a product is activated on a computer the serial number must be manually entered. If any subsequent activation is performed on the same computer, the field for the serial number is usually auto-filled.) Click on the “Next” button.
- The final window will confirm the successful activation.

ii) Two-step (off-line) method. This method is for activation on a computer that is not connected to the internet or for other situations in which the on-line activation method is not possible or does not work for some reason. This method allows for use of any computer (not just the installation computer) to connect to www.tatukgis.com/activate to obtain an 'activation code' for the installation computer. So, for example, this method can used if the person controlling the activation does not have access to the computer on which the product is to be used.

The two-step (off-line) procedure is performed as follows:

- Install the purchased product on the computer in which it is to be used.
- Select the “Register” option, which opens a window allowing the selection of the activation method. Select the radio button for the first step of the “Two-step activation" method. This item appears as "1) Visit www.tatukgis.com/activate”. Then click on Next button.
- Enter the license serial number in the next window and again click on the Next button.
- The next window in the process presents the field labeled “Hardware ID” which is auto-filled with the computer’s hardware ID number (a string of random characters). Write down or copy/paste this number.
- Using a computer that is connected to the internet, connect to the www.tatukgis.com/activate link and log-in using the licensed user e-mail address and log-in password.
- Within the on-line “Software Activation” window, type in or paste the license serial number into the upper field and the “Hardware ID” number into the lower field. Then click on the Enter button.
- The next window provides the activation key (a long string of random numbers) for the installation computer. Write down or copy and paste this number.
- Manually enter or paste this activation key into the product activation box on the installation computer. If not already open, the activation box can be opened from the menu: Start/All Programs/TatukGIS/Product Name/Registration.
- The final window will confirm the successful activation.

To confirm if a TatukGIS product has been activated to retail mode on any computer, look in the About box under the Help/About menu. If the first line in the About box contains the serial number, the product is activated. If the word "unregistered" appears in the first line of the About box, the product is not activated.

5) Problem reporting. If for some reason the on-line activation method is not successful, attempt the off-line/two-step method. Help with activation related problems is provided in knowledge base item KB10823.