Need advice regarding Software

[Nestor]

Good Afternoon

My Company bought a software about 8 years ago. We installed it to a computer and after playing with it for about 6 months we decided that it was too cumbersome for what we needed at that point.

8 years later we want to put it in place since now we have the infrastructure to begin using it.

Here is the problem. We tried installing the application to my computer, but once we put the activation code it seems that it goes to an outside server to get Authenticated. well the Authentification Failed because Apparently the company disable all the servers that do the authentication for our software. also we don't have the original computer where we authenticated the software to begin with.

So we’re trying to see if there’s a way to bypass the authentification for the software that we Own, and have all the info for. We tried dealing with them, but those attempts haven’t helped since they want us to buy the newer version for thousands of dollars, when we only want to start using our software that we own for 8 years now.

Any ideas. What can we do. The FM database is build on filemaker 5.5

Thanks in advance.

[Lee Smith]

Does the company still exist. If so, what did they say about this? If not, then you are either going to have to recreate it in your 8.5, or seek out a vender that makes a solution that will provide the features you desire.

HTH

Lee

[Nestor]

The company still exist, but they don't want to provide us with the code or nothing to make the application work even though we own the software yrs ago.

What's irritating is that we only have a quick manual and don't know how we can even recreate the software in 8.5 that's why I'm looking for alternatives. Do you think there's a way to bypass it?

[Colin Keefe]

Hacking the files to bypass the authentication is probably legalistically a no-no, regardless of whether you own a license for the software.

That said, the company supplied you with the software should provide you with the licensing for the product - if not on legal grounds (again have no idea what the circumstances here are) then as standard client relationship practice.

BUT - they are perfectly correct in trying to discourage you from using the 5.5 product. 5.5 is no longer supported, and you're setting yourself up for a world of pain to adopt 5.5 now, 8 years after the fact.

We're probably not getting the whole picture here, but basically what I'm hearing is you wanting to save a few thousand bucks. It will cost you much more than that when you have to migrate OUT of 5.5 because you have to upgrade your OS a year from now.