Solutions to the error "You must have Internet access to activate your license"

If your computer is connected to the internet and you receive an error message stating that you must have internet access to activate your license, there are a few potential situations that may have caused the error you are seeing. This article will help you identify why you are receiving this error, and steps to help get your software activated, for prompt use.

You are using a version of the software prior to a critical security update

If you are connected to the internet, the most common cause of "You must have internet access to activate your license" is because you are not running the latest version of your licensed application, or your license is for a version of our software that can no longer connect to the activation server due to a security compliance update. Minimum versions of software that have the security update are shown below.

• Surfer - 24+, 23.4, 22.3, 21.3, 20.4, 19.4, 18.3, 17.3, 16.8
• Grapher - 20+, 19.4, 18.4, 17.6, 16.9, 15.5, 14.6
• Strater - 5.9
• License Administrator - 4.1+, 3.1
• License Manager 9.7+

If you are using a version prior to Surfer 16 and Grapher 14, you will need to perform an offline activation. Please refer to this knowledge base article, which contains instructions to successfully activate your software.

If you are using a version prior to License Manager 9.7 and License Administrator 3.1, we highly recommend updating your software to the latest version. This can be done by navigating to our downloads page, and installing the most recent versions of License Manager and License Administrator.

If you are unsure about which version of software you are using, please see the section below to locate the full version number of your software.

Locate the full version of your software

You can view the version of software you are running in 3 places. Please see the locations below and complete the steps to view the full version of your software.

In the file path where software was installed

If your install location was the default install location (if you used default settings during install, or used custom settings but did not change the install folder), you can locate your full version number by following the steps below.

1. Open your file explorer
2. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer, C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Grapher or C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Strater
3. Right click on the program you are locating the full version info for and click Properties in the drop down (as shown below in gold boxes)
   
4. In the Properties window, navigate to the Details tab
5. The full version number will be displayed in this tab (as shown below)
   

In the Apps & Features system settings program

You can also locate your full version number through the Apps & Feature program within System settings. Please follow the steps below to view your full version number.

1. In the Search bar located on the toolbar at the bottom of your desktop, start typing "Apps & features"
2. Click on the Apps & Features program at the top of the search window
   • Steps 1 and 2 are shown below in gold boxes
     
3. In the Apps & Features window, navigate to the search bar and start typing the program you want to view the full version number (shown in gold box below)
4. The full version number will be displayed under the program in the "App list" as shown below
   

In the About dialog within the software

If you are within your active trial period, you can view the full license version by following the steps below.

Please note: if you are unable to open the program due to no viable license (the trial license expires 14 days after installing the software) and are having issues activating your product key, then this path with not work for you. Please see the directions above to find your full version number.

1. Open Surfer or Grapher
2. Click File | About Surfer or File | About Grapher
3. Full version is displayed below in the gold box

You are using a version of Windows Operating System that cannot communicate with the licensing activation server

On October 10th, 2023, an update was made that disabled weak cipher suites from being used to communicate with our licensing activation server. This update affects activations, renewals, and deactivations from working normally through our products if you are running our products on one of the following Windows Operating Systems:

• Windows 8 (and Windows 8.1)
• Windows 7
• Windows Vista
  (And all prior versions)
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server 2008
  (And all prior versions)

If you are running a Windows Operating System version listed above, you will not be able to activate, deactivate or renew normally. Instead, you will need to reach out to our Customer Success Team, and request an offline activation or renewal. Directions to do so can be found here.

We highly recommend that you update your Windows Operating System to one of the following, as Golden Software is among a myriad of software companies that this crucial security update affects:

• Windows 10+
• Windows Server 2016+ (although Windows Server 2020 or 2022 are recommended)

If you require further information about this update, or if you need additional help, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Customer Success Team.

Security firewall, proxy, anti-virus or anti-malware is blocking communication

Another common cause of the "You must have internet access to activate your software" error message, is a security firewall or proxy that is blocking communication from your software with the Golden Software activation server. These firewalls can be on your work computer, or set up on an internal company network. 

Your computer also generally contains anti-virus and anti-malware software that can also block the Golden Software program from reaching the Golden Software activation server.

To correct this, your IT department will need to whitelist the domain "golden.prod.sentinelcloud.com" for HTTPS.

Activation server is down for maintenance

The Golden Software activation server may be down for maintenance.  This is extremely rare and does not normally last more than one hour.  If you believe this is the cause of the error, please feel free to contact our Customer Success Team, and they will assist you in getting your software activated, so you can use it promptly.

Additional assistance

If none of the troubleshooting steps above fix your activation issue, and you are still receiving the above error, please reach out to our Customer Success Team and our legendary support agents will assist you in activating your products, so you can use your software promptly.

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