This page is related to key-based licenses — a regular license type used in TestExecute 15.40. For information on the new ID-based license type, see SmartBear ID-based Licenses.
After installing and activating your TestExecute license, the License Manager saves the activation information on your hard drive. This information may be lost when you are installing a newer operating system. This depends on the mode in which the operating system is installed.
The Windows operating systems can be installed in the upgrade mode. In this mode, the installation program can preserve the files, applications and settings you use on the previous OS. So, if the installation preserves the files, applications and settings, then renewing the TestExecute license is not needed. If the installation does not save your files, applications and settings, you will have to perform special actions for renewing your TestExecute license.
So, before updating the operating system, you need to check whether it can be installed in the upgrade mode or not. If the upgrade mode is unavailable, you will have to deactivate the TestExecute license before installing the operating system and activate TestExecute after installing the newer OS. See below for more information.
How to determine whether the upgrade is possible?
Typically, Microsoft operating systems can be installed in upgrade mode on previous versions of the OS. For instance, Windows 7 can be installed in upgrade mode on Windows Vista. That is, if you upgrade the operating system from Windows Vista to 7, there is no need to renew the TestExecute license.
Some versions of the Windows operating system cannot be installed in upgrade mode on the operating system you use. For instance, you cannot upgrade a 32-bit OS to a 64-bit version, or upgrade from a higher edition to a lower one (like from Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Home Basic). One more example is Windows 7 cannot be installed in upgrade mode on Windows XP and earlier operating systems. So, if you are installing Windows 7 over XP, you will have to renew your TestExecute license.
Renewing TestExecute Licenses
If the operating system cannot be installed in upgrade mode, follow these steps:
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Before installing the operating system: deactivate your License Manager as it is described in the Deactivating and Moving Licenses topic.
Deactivation will unbound your license from the License Manager PC. After this you will get the new license key, which you can obtain in the My SmartBear section of our web site.
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Install the newer operating system.
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Use the new license key to activate your license on the License Manager PC. See Activating Licenses for detailed information on how to do this.
| Note: | You need to perform these steps only if you are updating the operating system on the License Manager PC. There is no need to do anything on workstations, where TestExecute is installed. |