Activation Code-enabled App will not run from a Windows Standard User account

XLS Padlock
#1

An XLSPadlock-generated spreadsheet application that requires an Activation Code to enable the program on the target machine, will NOT run from within a Windows “Standard User” Account.

After the application is invoked, the requisite Activation Code screen appears. Once the requisite Activation Code is entered, an application error is displayed on the screen:

  Exception ERegistryException in module App.exe at 0202e814

and the program terminates. This does not occur, if the same program is executed from a Higher-privileged account (Administrator).

Other programs (non-GDG) that require registry writes work fine when installed from the “Standard User” account.

Is there a workaround for this?

Thanks in advance.

#2

Which version of XLS Padlock are you using?

#3

The latest & greatest… Version 1.3.3

#4

I cannot reproduce the error. Which Windows version are you using?

Workaround: you can try to enable “Do not store activation key in registry” as highlighted, to see if it helps:

#5

Hi,

I just saw this option, tried it, and it works. This doesn’t mean though, that the .EXE and .LIC files can be copied to another machine and work, right?

I have re-created the above run-time problem on 2 different Windows 7 machines; one 32-bit, and one 64-bit, with the identical error. One is running Excel 2010 and the other is running Excel 2013.

My development environment for creating the XLSPadlock-based.EXE is as follows:

  • Windows XP, SP 3
  • Microsoft Excel 2000 (that is, version 9)
  • XLSPadlock configuration:
    o Disable Formula Protection (I checked this option) on Applications Setting tab;
    o On Security tab, all options enabled EXCEPT 1) Do Not prompt users for filename
    when saving and 2) Do not use a virtual drive for temp files;
    o On Activation Keys tab, I enabled 1) End users must enter an activation key;
    2) Use hardware-locked keys (I use Hard Disk Serial Number);
    o On customize EXE tab, I have a splash screen file specified.

That’s it. Pretty straight forward. It’s definitely choking on writing the Activation Code stuff to the Registry, when I am logged in from a Standard User account only.

#6

Additionally, on my development Windows XP SP3 machine, I just XPSPadlock-compiled my spreadsheet under the auspices of Excel 2010 (recall above I did it with Excel 2000). Same registry error under the Standard User accounts.

I also XPSPadlock-compiled my spreadsheet on my 32-bit Windows 7 machine, using both Excel 2000 and Excel 2013 for compile environments. Same result as well under when I try to run the .EXE in a Standard User account.