Frequently Asked Question

Cannot Import a License Activation File

Last Updated 20 hours ago

Use this article if an activation file (.act) is rejected or a command-line license update does not change your license.

What you see

DeskCamera rejects the .act file, or /ImportAct does not change the license.

What to do

Check the file

Use the .act file from the License Activation portal, not the original .lic file.
Use a file activated for this PC. If needed, repeat the steps of 4. Offline Installation and License Activation on this PC.
Do not edit the file. Check that the license has not expired.

If you use /ImportAct

Before you run /ImportAct, close DeskCamera and stop the Watchdog. 5. Remote Deployment and Configuring DeskCamera shows how. If DeskCamera still runs in the same Windows session, the command does nothing. The log then shows none of the lines below. To see whether the import worked, read the log, as shown below.

Read the result

Paste C:\ProgramData\DeskCamera\Log into the File Explorer address bar. Open the folder for the Windows account that ran the command, then open DeskCamera.log.

was imported: the new license was installed.
is already installed: that activation file is already in use.
was refused by rule: check the reason below.

Reason in the log	What to do
`Unreadable`	Check the file path. Copy the original `.act` file again.
`NotActivated` or `TrustedDate`	Generate a new `.act` file at the activation portal.
`Signature`	Use the original, unedited file. Contact support if it is still rejected.
`Activation`	Repeat offline activation using a request created on this PC.
`DeviceIdUnavailable`	Wait until Windows has finished starting. Then run the command again.
`Expired`	Obtain a license that has not expired.
`ShorterValidity`	Use a replacement license that ends on the same date or later than the installed license.

If it still does not work

If the log reports an installation error, ask your IT administrator to check file permissions and free disk space before retrying. Do not close DeskCamera while the import is in progress.

If the problem continues, send the error and your logs to support.