Issues with Trial Licence when linked to a MAC address

System specifications:

• Windows 10

• GraphPad is installed, and it needs a trial licence key

The issue arises because GraphPad links the trial usage to a specific MAC address. Cloning a Fresh Start machine typically results in the same MAC address being assigned. While this would not normally cause problems, in this situation the application indicates that the licence has already been utilised, just as it did on a previously cloned machine. Even if the machine is on a different server or in a datacentre located on a different continent, this error will still occur. 

The workaround, therefore, is to alter the MAC address. On Linux, this is straightforward and well documented, but it is less straightforward on Windows.

Changing the MAC address within Windows using the commonly recommended methods will not be effective because the machine’s qemu.conf file overrides any internal MAC modification. So, while you can change the MAC address in Windows 10, doing so alone will not resolve the issue.

This happens because the qemu.conf file includes a fixed MAC address. By modifying this address, you can assign a different MAC and, consequently, allow the use of a different licence key. 

However, for this approach to function, ‘Network Isolation’ must be set to ‘Disabled’ on each machine. Once disabled, the MAC address specified in qemu.conf will take effect.

Please reach out to DaDesktop Support for assistance if you encounter this problem.