actually it is my brother's dongle. he is a commercial lobster fisherman and while redoing his boat someone took it. now his computer with all his fishing ground data is locked. ( a dongle is a software key) he is the second owner of this computer and the previous owner had replaced it before, the software company will only issue 1 replacement before they make you buy a whole new software. $600.

i did some internet searches and there are people that make dongle emulators. i guy quoted me $400. :sad:

of course this is all last minute. he loads the boat tonight and starts throwing traps tomorrow. being that this site has some of the best minds in one place, i thought i would see if anyone had a good suggestion. the program is called "Maxsea navnet commander" V 12.5

?????

436-MaxSea.rar

About file: Tags: MaxSea Size: 1 GB Extension: rar
http://www.filestube.com/bc5b20865374eda203ea/details.html

* Found on Filestube on 2009-06-14 16:56:11
o Rate: 0.00

436-MaxSea.rar

About file: Tags: MaxSea Size: 1 GB Extension: rar
http://www.filestube.com/1f5ce478e12de2f803ea/details.html

* Found on Filestube on 2009-06-14 16:56:11
o Rate: 0.00



?????

I do a number of programs that require a dongle. IMHO he has no choice but to repurchase the software.

One thing worth noting is nobody actually purchases software, the guy/company that wrote it retains ownershiup forever. What you purchase is the priveledge of using the software according to the terms of the license agreement.

In the case of software requiring a dongle, they are enforcing the terms of their license agreement but good.

None of the companies whose software I sell that require a dongle will issue a new dongle unless the old one has failed. even then, the old one must be returned prior to a new dongle being shipped.

Someone who is good with computers could make a dongle or crack with a "little" work. I used to be a software/graphics developer and a lot of the guys I worked with could do it without much effort. but good luck actually getting someone to do it! Those guys used to make 100k + per year so I can see one of them wanting $400 to lift a finger...

I know nothing about what needs to be done but $400.00 is better than $600.00 the question I would have is will he be aable to you it all the time and will this guy make him a back up for that amount? If so he is saving some cash, has a back up and can get back to working with his spots already mapped. If he needs to get new software does he loose what he already mapped? If so then the $400.00 is cheap since it's a business related expense. At least it can be written off as an expense....

Joe

Can you even get a dongle emulator if you lost the dongle and don't have one to emulate?

Even if you can, I can't see paying $400 for something that is probably a violation of the software licence when the real deal is is $600. And you become eligible for one more replacement dongle for that $600.

To put it in Camaro terms, lets just suppose you lost your VIN tag and needed a new one to get the car registered. Would you rather:

A. Spend $400 for some guy on the internet to make a reproduction VIN tag that may not be legal and makes no promises that the DMV will accept it.

B. Spend $600 for GM to issue you a new VIN tag that is 100% legal and offers a second replacement if you ever loose it again.

GM will Not issue another vin tag!!!

GM will Not issue another vin tag!!!
Did you miss the part where I wrote:

"lets just suppose"

And not to sidetrack the thread, but vehicle manufactures can supply replacement VINs.
Not for 40 year old Camaros, but they can for newer vehicles.

This thread is about software companies, not car companies.
I tried to use an analogy to relate it to Camaros, sorry if you missed it.

I had a situation at work like that. Someone made off with the dongle. I did not even know what a dongle was. Ended up costing 5K for a replacement after much negotiatoion. Could have been 16K all over again.

thanks for all the answers. it looks like he will be able to get a replacement after all. a lot of begging by the local dealer to the manufacturer assuring them my brother is on the up and up. i will believe it when it arrives.
oh and i was a little off on the price of the software. the version he has is $1600 not $600 (the basic one)

i still want to check into being able to make a back up dongle so this doesn't happen again.

I don't think you can "back it up". I think it is a digital key that the software looks for and it is usually tied to some number buried in the program.

alan

Tie the dongle to the computer. They make security straps for them so you don't lose your dongle.

With a actual original dongle it is much easier to make a duplicate. But since that isnt likely to happen anyways lets hope it doesnt get lost again. On a side note now that you have a replacement it should be just a short amount of time before the lost one is found...