How do you use dolphin when no access is available? My shop isn't hooked to the net and I want to run Dolphin off the shop computer. If you hit cancel the online license check, it doesn't boot up.

CopyMinder (the license activation system) has two methods for activating a license. In both cases they start by putting up a dialog requesting the user to enter their Product code (typically PM-US01-xxxx-xxxx-xx). The same dialog also has a checkbox to allow the user to request a trial activation.

When the user hits OK, CopyMinder determines if Net access is available and if it is, asks permission to access (The copyminder web site).

1. If the user agrees, CopyMinder will access the web and take the user to a Registration page which the user must complete. The CopyMinder web-site then emails the user and waits for the user to confirm receipt. Finally the CopyMinder web-site downloads an Activation Code to the PC and completes the activation process.
2. If the user denies CopyMinder permission to access the web, or if the PC does not have web access, CopyMinder will then ask "Do you want to continue with manual activation ?". If the user select NO then Activation is aborted. but if the user selects YES, CopyMinder will then display a new dialog displaying the users Product code and an Installation code, the dialog has space to enter an Activation code. In order to obtain the Activation code the user must visit http://www.CopyMinder/Activate.php. Here the user can trade the Product Code and Installation code to obtain the Activation code. The user will have to fill out the registration form and do the email confirmation thing, and once the email confirmation has occurred, the user will receive the Activation code. Now all that remains is to enter the Activation code in the waiting dialog box (i.e. back at the shop computer) and activation is completed.

So by following step 2 you can activate the license on a PC with no net access - you will need a 2nd PC that does have net access in order to register the product and deal with email confirmation. Once the procedure is completed CopyMinder will not attempt to access the internet again (unless the CopyMinder code itself is upgraded as a result of installing a new version of PartMaster).

If you take the normal "automatic" activation i.e. the PC is normally connected to the internet, you can still work with PartMaster while dis-connected from the internet. e.g. If web-access is temporarily down, or if you want to take the PC home for the evening or weekend, or move it into the workshop temporarily. The amount of time you can spend away from the internet varies but can be as much as three days.

CopyMinder also allows "activations" to be transferred from one PC to another - but only if they have Internet access. Simply install the software on the new PC and activate it using the same product code as before. CopyMinder will transfer the activation to the new PC (and disable the activation on the old PC). This mechanism exists mainly to allow the user to upgrade the PC or permanently transfer the activation to the 2nd PC. It should not be used to transfer the activation from a "works" computer to a "home" computer for the evening or weekend (it is simply not necessary). If the activation is transferred on a regular basis CopyMinder will eventually refuse to allow the activation on the basis that the user appears to be running two seats of software but has only paid for one.

CopyMinder prefers to have internet access, this provides

* automatic software upgrades of the CopyMinder code
* ability to transfer the activation to another PC
* ability to upgrade the PartMaster installation e.g. we can switch on the Lathe or EDM modules remotely, or upgrade from L2, to L3
* ability to take the PC home


NOTE: When the software is manually activated, it cannot be easily transferred to another PC. If the PC it is installed on crashes and needs to be replaced then we (or an agent such as yourselves) must make a judgment (is the user seeking to get a free seat, or is he genuinely seeking to replace worn out /broken kit) then we can allow the software to be re-activated. When re-setting the activation on the CopyMinder database there is no provision for changing the users confirmed email address. (Actually this is not strictly true, but we have never tested it). This means that if the user sells the software/activation to a 3rd party they cannot activate it without assistance from us, this would attract an Administration fee at the least.

Did I do something wrong? A few days ago I followed the steps you laid out for my laptop to see how it'd (no net access) work, and used the non-web access code from Copymaster after the confirmation Email arrived. Last night as I was going through the motions of a step by step look at where my crop circle problem arrises due to the PPR, Dolphin wigged out on the G-code after about ten lines of code. I got the message that I didn't have the proper license for more code? Say what?

Returning to my house, I spent the evening finally getting intimate with my Belkin wireless router (I've owned it for a year and a half) and figured out the MAC addresses and encription and how to add my laptop to the web. Once the laptop finally had access to the internet, I got the full g-code spit out. My shop computer is NOT going to have wireless as the signal is just too weak out there. What do I need to do besides getting access to the net through a second computer, and installing the key code that Copyminder spits out for my off line computer? The steps didn't work for my off line laptop. Did I get the wrong product codes from Dolphin, and off line computers recieve a different license? If this is so, people need to be aware to state when they order so they don't run into problems.

I'll make-do with my laptop for now and just recharge the laptop's license, but the shop will NEED it to work with no improper license glitches.

To be honest, when drama isn't rearing it's ugly head in my life and I have the time to work with Dolphin, it is actually fun. It isn't painfully hard to learn, in fact it's very intuitive and when it is chugging along properly, it is a great tool to have. The neat thing is the discovery of the different capabilities, or the many, many different ways you can do the same thing. I think this ambidexterity allows users to find ways to use Dolphin that best suit the way they learn/do things.