Introduction
Family Historian 7 introduced online activation, and Version 8 uses the same system. This article explains how it works and what it means in practice. The step-by-step instructions are on Calico Pie’s Install Family Historian 8 and Activation Help pages; for licence problems see Family Historian Licence Problems.
Before Version 7, ƒh was unlocked with a Registration Key that came in the box or by email. That was simple enough until the key was lost, at which point it became slow and tiresome for everyone, Calico Pie included.
How It Works
Every user needs a Family Historian account. The first time you run ƒh on a computer, which must be connected to the Internet, you log in to your account or create one. Anyone who has bought from the Family Historian Store already has an account, and Calico Pie recommend using it.
What happens next depends on the licence:
- Subscription (Version 8, monthly or annual): there is no activation code. Log in with the account you bought the subscription with; the licence is already attached to it.
- Any other licence: an activation code is emailed to you. After logging in you enter it once, and it attaches the licence to your account. It cannot be used again, but keep a copy in case you ever need support.
If you install ƒh8 before buying it, it still asks you to log in the first time it runs, but there is no licence in your account to attach. You can try the full version free for 30 days, or apply for the free edition, whose activation code comes by email; either way you can buy a licence later without reinstalling. ƒh7 and ƒh8 use the same Family Historian account, so log in with the one you already have rather than creating another.
ƒh remembers your account on each computer, so you do not log in every time you run it. You do need the account details whenever you reinstall, on the same computer or a new one, so keep them safe. If you have forgotten the username, About Family Historian on the Help menu shows it on any computer where ƒh is still installed.For users, reinstalling is quick and there is no key to lose. For Calico Pie, the “I’ve lost my code” support calls stop, and the licence limits enforce themselves.
Consequences of Online Activation
Internet Access
ƒh can only be activated online. There is no way to activate it on a computer that is never connected to the Internet, so a PC kept offline for security or any other reason cannot be used for ƒh7 or 8.Installing on More Than One Computer
Most licences allow ƒh to be installed on two computers at once; the End User Licence Agreement has the details. To install on another computer, log in with the same account. If that would take you over the limit, ƒh shows the Licence Activations window, which lists the computers using each licence in your account, and you can deactivate one of them. Deactivation is permanent: a deactivated computer cannot be activated again, so check the device name before you click. If both copies are in use (a desktop and a laptop, say) and you replace one of them, deactivate the old one when you install on the new. See Moving Family Historian to a New PC.
If a computer is already running the free trial when you buy a licence, logging in does not change it over. Use ProjectA Project is a Windows folder, created by Family Historian, which contains all your Family Tree information recorded in Family Historian. Normally located in the Documents\Family Historian Projects folder. Window > More Tasks > Licence Manager to swap the trial for the new licence; it is not on the Help menu. See Family Historian Licence Problems.
If you need more computers, buy another licence and activate it in the same account, which raises the limit for that account. You cannot deactivate a copy temporarily to try something out, such as running ƒh under an emulator; the free 30-day trial is the better route for that.
Hardware Upgrade
When ƒh is activated on a particular PC, a record of that is kept both locally on the PC and on the Calico Pie servers. This enables the PC to be used offline without having to go online to check activation every time ƒh is started. It also enables automatic reactivation if reinstallation on the same PC is necessary, even if the hard disk is wiped completely and Windows reinstalled.
Exactly how this works is proprietary to Calico Pie, but probably involves storing a hardware profile, similar to the way Windows is activated. It is likely that upgrading hardware, such as installing a larger or faster system disk, will affect this process, and the new PC configuration may not be recognised. Calico Pie’s policy is to not disclose any details of how activation works, so it is not possible for us to give definite advice on potential problems caused by hardware changes at this stage. Users experiencing problems should contact Calico Pie for support directly, and post their experience on the FHUG Forum so we can keep this article updated for the benefit of all users.
Transferring Ownership
When you “purchase” a copy of ƒh, you do not own the software. What you have is a licence to use it, normally on up to two different computers, provided both are owned and used by the same person.
This licence is non-transferable. To quote directly from the licence agreement, you may not rent, lease, license, distribute or otherwise transfer the Software or your licence to use it, to anyone without the express written consent of Calico Pie LimitedCalico Pie Limited is a UK software house, and the publishers of Family Historian.. There is no mechanism within ƒh for the user to transfer ownership of the software, even if they are no longer interested in family history and completely wipe the program from their PC. You cannot sell or even donate an activated copy to anybody else without authorisation from Calico Pie, as online activation enforces the “non-transferable” clause in the licence strictly and without exception.
Future Proofing
Older versions that use a Registration Key will go on working until a change in Windows stops them (plenty of Windows 95 programs no longer run on current versions of Windows). There is no reason to think an activated copy of ƒh7 or a perpetual licence for ƒh8 is time-limited; subscriptions are a different matter, so check the terms when you buy. Either way, new installations can only be activated while Calico Pie’s activation servers are online.
Should Calico Pie stop supporting ƒh, or cease trading, it would no longer be possible to activate new installations, including reinstalling on the same PC after a repair or upgrade, unless another company took over support.