Frequently Asked Questions About NActKey

• How does NActKey protect my application from unlicensed use?

  During the activation process, NActKey obtains a unique hardware signature from the target computer system and pairs that with a unique activation key that is valid only for your application on that computer. If your application is installed on another computer, the application files are copied to another computer, or even if the hard drive is cloned, NActKey will inform your application that it needs to be activated when it is run on the second computer.

• How strong is NActKey license protection?

  First, NActKey activation is based on a hardware signature which cannot be duplicated by a hacker. Second, NActKey uses 160-bit alphanumeric key codes, each with 4,261,655,511,456,885,005,249,781,170,176 possible permutations. A brute force attack, randomly testing 1,000 codes per second would take 135,136,209,774,761,701,080 years to complete! Third, NActKey is designed in such a way that even if a hacker were somehow to defeat NActKey protection for one application, the hack would be ineffective for any other application.

• What is required to integrate NActKey protection into my application?

  First, you install the NActKey Client with your application. The NActKey Client is an ActiveX DLL, which must be copied to the target system and registered. To interact with the NActKey client, you simply create an instance of the ActiveX object, assign it your unique application code, and then read/write property values or call the Activate method as needed. Using the built-in activation dialog, implementing NActKey copy protection into your software takes just a few lines of code! For detailed information including a demo project with source code, download the NActKey SDK.

• Where do I get serial numbers?

  As a registered developer, you can sign-in to the online NActKey Developer Console and generate serial numbers for your applications whenever you need them.

• Can a serial number for one application be used to activate another application?

  No. NActKey serial numbers are unique to each application.

• What prevents an end user from activating a pirated copy of my software on another computer?

  The NActKey Activation Server stores every activation authorized for your software. Each time it receives an activation request, the server scans the databases to see if the serial number provided has already been activated. If it has been activated before on the same computer (identical request codes), the activation is authorized (the user has reinstalled the application). If it has been activated before on a different computer (differing request codes), the activation will be denied if the number of prior activations for the serial number has reached the limit you specified for the application. The default value for this limit is one, but you can change it at any time using the online NActKey Developer Console.

• What happens if an end user doesn’t have an Internet connection?

  The user can contact you providing his serial number and request code. You can then use the online NActKey Developer Console to process the activation manually and give him the activation key, which he then enters into your application to complete the activation process.

• How can I track activation activity?

  Sign-in to the online NActKey Developer Console and run an activation history report for your application.

• Can I use NActKey to create a “trial version” of my application?

  Yes. You can design your application to run with limited functionality or for a limited time period until it has been activated — whereupon it can become fully functional.