In most cases when you see the Activation Failed message when attempting to activate a Surfer, Grapher or Strater license, it is because the software cannot communicate with Golden Software's activation server.

The most common reasons are:

1. Your company is using a version of the software from prior to us releasing a critical licensing update. Versions prior to this update can no longer activate or deactivate online normally. More information on this update can be found here: Security compliance update for Surfer, Grapher, Strater, and License Administrator.
2. Your company's internet security system is blocking access to the activation server.  Ask your IT department to whitelist "golden.prod.sentinelcloud.com" for both HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443) to resolve this error.
3. Your computer's antivirus software is blocking access to "golden.prod.sentinelcloud.com".  Check your antivirus logs to confirm if this is true.
4. Your company requires that you use a proxy server to access the internet, and that proxy server requires separate authentication from your Windows authentication.  Ask your IT department if there is a way to allow your program to access "golden.prod.sentinelcloud.com" without requiring separate authentication.  We currently do not offer custom proxy configuration.  Our programs rely on the Windows proxy server settings.
5. Your computer is never connected to the Internet.  Internet access is required to activate online.  Optionally, you can activate your license by following the steps at this article: Can I activate and use Surfer, Grapher, or Strater on an offline computer?

If you are not able to activate after reviewing the reasons above, please click the Create support file link in the Licensing dialog and contact us with this information.

Updated March 16, 2023