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Request for Student License HostID Reset (Already activated using different HostIDs error)

kosy

Hello Altair Support Team,

I am trying to activate my student edition license, but I am receiving the error: "This license was already activated using different HostIDs".

During my first activation attempt, the license was accidentally locked to a VPN virtual network adapter (TAP-NordVPN). Furthermore, due to a local "Unable to access license store" error at that time, the license file was never actually saved locally on my PC. Because of this, I cannot use the 'Deactivate License' tool, as it just gives me a "License not found" error.

Could you please release/reset my activation key so I can activate it properly on my physical Wi-Fi MAC address?

Activation Key: LJ3PT---4XLG8
My Correct Physical MAC Address: B81E-****-DEA5

(I can provide the full key and MAC address via Private Message if needed.)

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Ankita_v

@kosy Your license key has been deactivated in Altair One, and you can now reactivate your student license using the same key.

Kindly note, The Altair Free Student Edition license is valid for use on only one device, it cannot be shared or activated on multiple machines at the same time AND Deactivation and reactivation feature is only if a computer breaks down or reformatted and is only allowed a few times per user preprogrammed into the system.

You can deactivate the license from one machine and reactivate in another by yourself if you have access to both machines as per –
https://community.altair.com/discussion/34280/altair-student-edition-deactivate-from-one-computer-to-activate-in-another-in-the-rare-case-a-computer-is-lost-or-malfunctional#latest

Thanks

kosy

Thank you for resetting my license. I successfully reactivated it, and the .lic file was generated correctly in the C:\ProgramData\altair\licenses folder. I opened the file with Notepad and confirmed that the HOSTID perfectly matches my physical Wi-Fi MAC address.

However, I am now facing a new issue when launching the software:When I open PSIM, the main UI and Library Browser load initially. However, clicking the 'New' button, navigating to 'File -> New', or pressing Ctrl+N does absolutely nothing (completely unresponsive). Then, after a few seconds, the program crashes entirely with this exact error message:"Connection to the license server is lost. The application will shut down."

To resolve this, I have already tried the following troubleshooting steps:

Completely disabled all virtual network adapters (NordVPN, Tailscale, etc.).
Added the ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH environment variable pointing to the new .lic file.
Cleaned up any old license files in the folder and rebooted my PC several times.

Despite these steps, the engine seems frozen and PSIM keeps shutting down shortly after launching. Could you please check if this is a known issue with the PSIM 26.0 license engine or if there is something else I should configure?

Thanks again for your continued support!

Ankita_v

@kosy You might find the following discussions useful -

https://community.altair.com/discussion/comment/200137?utm_source=community-share#Comment_200137

https://community.altair.com/discussion/20960/lisence-issue?tab=all&utm_source=community-search&utm_medium=organic-search&utm_term=Connection%20to%20the%20license%20server%20is%20lost.%20The%20application%20will%20shut%20down.

Thanks

kosy

Thank you for providing those links. I have carefully reviewed both discussions and the Managed Licensing Guide, but unfortunately, the issue remains completely unresolved.

To be clear, I have already strictly followed all the suggested solutions from those links. Here is exactly what I have configured:

Set the ALTAIR_LICENSE_PATH environment variable pointing directly to my .lic file.
Added the ALM_HHWU_USE_WININET = 1 environment variable.
Added the ALM_HHWU_TIMEOUT = 20 environment variable.
Verified that the HOSTID in the .lic file perfectly matches my physical Wi-Fi MAC address.
Completely disabled all VPNs and virtual network adapters.

Despite applying all of these advanced settings and rebooting multiple times, the exact same problem occurs:When PSIM launches, the UI loads, but the interface is completely unresponsive (clicking 'New' or Ctrl+N does nothing). After a few seconds, it forcibly closes with the error: "Connection to the license server is lost. The application will shut down."

Since every single suggested workaround has failed, I strongly suspect there is a deeper bug within the PSIM 26.0 license engine or a specific conflict that cannot be solved with environment variables.

Could you please provide an alternative solution, a patch file, or escalate this issue to the technical team for further investigation? I urgently need to use this software for my university project.

Thank you.

Rahul_P1

HI , You can disconnect from the managed licensing, please set an environment variable with name ALM_HHWU and value F to disconnect from managed licensing and use the student edition license. You can set it to T to use just the managed licensing.

Once done please use either just the free student edition license or the managed licensing activation methods.

tiago_d

Hello @Ankita_v,

Could you please help me with this same issue?

The error "…already activated using different HostIDs." happened because my notebook required a motherboard replacement due to a hardware failure. Now I am unable to deactivate the license from the old hardware.

Here are the details:

Activation Key: LP47H-XXXXX-8LERG

New Physical MAC Address (Ethernet ID): E4XXXXXXXX81

Computer Model: Dell G5

Could you please reset the activation for this key so I can link it to my new hardware?

Thanks!

Ankita_v

@tiago_d

Your license key has been deactivated in Altair One, and you can now reactivate your student license using the same key.

Thanks