Latest incident
 

Everything was running fine until - my machine went into a reboot rather than the ((I thought) commanded shutdown; I then cut the reboot process short by using the lock screen power option, and the system shut down. After the next boot, I had to re-enter the code upon starting MA3.
Win 8 Pro, X64.

So Far So Good!
 

Well, I'm sorry to hear that some of you have been having problems. In my case after making certain to install as admin I have no longer had a single instance of the key-code resetting. I've gone through multiple Windows updates and am still running Norton Internet Security.

Even though I had previously installed MA3 as administrator by right clicking on the .exe file and running it as the admin, since philosopher's post I uninstalled it again and re-installed following his procedure (by running a command prompt as admin and then running the .exe from that command prompt.) I'll report back after a while whether I continue to have to re-enter my key code. Keeping my fingers crossed...

Jim, is anyone from Prolific looking into this issue?

There doesn't seem to be anywhere else to look. Edgar is unable to reproduce any problem if the program is installed in Administrator mode.

The registry can get really messed up over time. Once every year or two, I back up all my stuff and reset my pc to factory settings. It fixes a lot of problems and it's like having a brand new computer again. As a last ditch effort you could try it.

For years and years and just about every version of MA3 never had this problem with Win98/XP. It was when I bought a new computer with windows 8.1 and installed MA3 that this problem started. So it can't be registry corruption, I even uninstalled MA3/deleted all folders/deleted all registry entries and reinstalled MA3 with the same results. I have always installed MA3 with administrative privileges by right-clicking the installer and choosing that option before installation.

It does seem to be a common issue with many users. I am currently copy/pasting my registration code each time it happens so not a show stopper, but it is a little irritating.

Thanks for replying Jim and Patrick

It has to be some other program interfering with something else that is screwing up MA3 or something really weird like that. Another shot in the dark is to "Try Re-installing Direct-X" as Cliff would say. It seems to cure most ails. :)

Just a reminder that some programs prefer the characters be typed in one-by-one rather than "copy/paste" method.

Harris,

Don't negate the "over working the plumbing" idea. Just because earlier versions of windows worked, it does not automatically follow that every version of windows will work. After all those versions were before all this admin crap was stuffed into windows to alleviate all the concerns of DRM. All that wasn't in the older versions..............

Harris - installing using the right-click method is a Microsoft function and is not exactly the same as using the real installer. It's possible that the 'backup' location in the Registry is not being written by that method.

That's interesting and confusing at the same time :). My login account is administrator, so I already have those privileges, right-clicking and choosing "install with administrator privileges" is redundant but is always done as a little bit of compatibility insurance with all the programs I install. I've never had this problem with any other programs that use registration/serial numbers.

If right-clicking is a Microsoft function and not the same as using the real installer, how do I (we) install using the real installer and get proper administrator privileges?

Thanks

I don't have Win8, and am no expert on the whole 'Administrator' thing, since I'm the only one who uses my computer.

Windows has always provided the 'Install' function when you right-click any file with an .scr extension. We don't really know the inner workings of this function, but long ago we noticed that when the Aquarium was installed that way, the program name would always disappear from the list of screensavers the first time a different one was chosen. I'm thinking there's a chance that this current problem is related to that.

I have windows 8 on three computers including a Surface Pro and don't have this problem now, though I did have it for a wee while early on after the Feathers were introduced but no problems now, so windows 8 aint the problem.

Alright, I'm finally throwing in the towel on this software. After numerous attempts at uninstalling and reinstalling this as administrator in all conceivable ways, it still requires the periodic reentry of the key code on my Windows 8.1 system. No other software I have exhibits this behavior. Sorry to say that this makes the use of this otherwise fine program a continual source of frustration which I find completely unacceptable. :sad:

Issue "paused"...?
 

After my last post here on August 9th, the re-enter code issue has happened twice, both times very early after that date and not again. Neither case seemed to be a result of an unusual event. Perhaps I am tempting Murphy by putting this in print, but.... so far so good.

I will also note that in the interim, there have been hundreds of megabytes of Microsoft updates to my Windows 8.1-64 bit.

Yep - spoke too soon. Had to enter code again today.

I'm still in awe at the lonesome feather sea anemone. He/she looks great standing there alone, by him/her self.

You never downloaded 3.3?

Nope. Never did.

confirming the problem once again
 

Hi All,

Just wanted to check in to see if anyone has ever gotten a resolution on this problem. Every time I install a windows update I have to re-enter my registration code for MA. I have a hotkey program with the serial number so it's easy, none the less its still a nuisance.

Nope, nobody have come up with a specific reason for the disappearing serial number :(, including according to Jim, Prolific who say they can't replicate the problem.

At this point in time a lot of users are just giving up and more or less saying it-is-what-it-is. I am leaning towards it being Windows 8/8.1 update causing the problem. However, I do also believe it is a specific file/program update that is the cause... which one I can't say but in the future I will be watching carefully to see what is updated when the serial number disappears.

At first I suspected the monthly "Malicious Software Removal Tool" update was the culprit, but I downloaded the manual version and did a full scan and it didn't remove the MA3 serial number. My next update possibility is the "Microsoft .Net x.x" updates. I'll be watching to see if MA3 serial number gets removed when a .Net update is installed.

Otherwise, it-is-what-it-is! :)

As I said in an earlier post, I am no computer guy. I buy one from Best Buy, turn it on and go. That being said, I am not a computer idiot either. So I have been messing around trying to figure out what it is that triggers having to enter your keycode. First thing I did was uninstall MA3 using add/remove programs which was sort of a bummer because it wiped out all of my saved fish lists but so be it. I then downloaded the current version from serenescreen.com. Whether this is the latest version, I don't know. I then installed it as administrator. I then looked and saw that my computer was eligible for updates, a few of them critical so I went ahead and installed them and following the instructions restarted my computer. Everything was fine. Over the course of the next week I would check to see if I needed to reenter my keycode but everything was good. I checked after I had put my computer to sleep, after an automatic update with restart and after just shutting my computer down and restarting it. The bug did not rear it's ugly head and I thought I had it beat. Then today I was just sitting here and thought I'd test it again. So I shut it down (just a regular shutdown without updates), waited ten seconds, powered it back on and voila, needed to enter keycode. I don't think I've ever had to reenter it after a shutdown or restart with updates, but that may be just luck. I can say that this is sooooo irritating. Anything you can do would be great.

TimnShaz1 - thanks for all the effort, but the fact that it just randomly happened after doing all that doesn't really give us much to go on.

I have this same problem as well. Seems to happen on random occasions but usually after restarting Windows 8.1. I wonder if this has something to do with Windows 8.1 Hybrid sleep function? Apparently, Windows 8.1 does not go into a complete shut down when the computer is turned off. It goes into partial Hybrid sleep so the a reboot is faster when turning on the computer. I've noticed this from looking at my uptime counter on Rainmeter where the counter continues on after a power on from my computer. However, the uptime counter will reset to zero on a restart. This is the point where I may need to reenter my key.

What we really need is a reliable way to duplicate this. I'm looking for a repeatable series of steps like:

1. My configuration is (X).
2. I downloaded the latest version of installed MA3.3 and used the Installer while in Administrator mode (not by right-clicking and choosing Install).
3. Every time I do (Y), my Key Code gets erased.

http://www.bench3.com/2009/11/preven...key-avoid.html

I wonder if this might help as a more permanent workaround?

Interesting, Nicki. I'm not sure it would work in this case, though. From the description, it sounds like the whole Serenescreen registry key would be locked, which means that the program wouldn't be able to make changes in Preferences, etc.

In my opinion, that would almost always create more problems than it solves.

Jim is right to ask for repeatable test cases. However, his "3. Every time I do (Y), my Key Code gets erased. " appears to not fit the real situation, It appears that the problem happens because of some "external" event, and not something that can be easily done by the user.

IsoArt might have provided a useful clue that someone who is very familiar with the internals of Windows 8.1 could perhaps explore.

Or it may be that everybody who is having this problem (Using Windows 8.1) is also using the same added utility (antivirus or sync tool or browser or ?????).

Darn it all. Yes, I didn't think about that. The whole key would be locked and heaven forbid anyone trying to change it from a different user account than the one used to install it. Comodo Firewall used to offer an option to protect a registry key but doesn't anymore. Maybe that is why, it created more problems than it solved?

Hi all,

For anyone happy to tinker with their Registry settings you might like to try the following to prove/disprove a theory.

I suspect that the problem is likely related to MA3.1 perhaps not working well with Windows' Registry virtualization technology which I shan't bore you with but which you can read more about here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/libr...(v=vs.85).aspx

Using Sysinternals ProcMon utlitiy you can see that entering your Registration Code in MA3.1 creates a number of "RegCode" Registry entries, some within the "VirtualStore" and some within the HKCU (Current User) sections of the Registry.

For reasons I haven't been able to identify, sometimes the VirtualStore entries get re-written with zeros (effectively blanking out the MA3.1 Reg Code) and, as the VirtualStore takes precedence over the "Current User" sections of the Registry, this means that the next time MA3.1 launches, affected users will then be asked to enter their registration codes again.

So, what I'm trying is this:

1. Enter you Registration Code when next asked to do so.
2. Run Regedit and edit the Registry:
(a) Delete all VirtualStore SereneScreen Registry Keys
(b) Note the value of the SereneScreen "RegCode" entries that appear in the HKCU "Current User" sections of the Registry.
(c) Also note the value of the "VersionStr" entry. For the version of MA3 I'm using (MA33JBeta) the value is Y115.3.2.6373
(d) Now, copy the "RegCode" and "VersionStr" entries to the HKLM (Local Machine) secton of the Registry. There should also be a "Version" REG_SZ value here with a value of "3.1".

To summarize, after entering your registration code in MA3.1, delete SereneScreen from the Registry VistualStore. Copy the SereneScreen "RegCode", "VersionStr" and, maybe, "Version" entries from HKCU to HKLM.

Does this work for you?

Psychotic behaviour
 

Jim, I mentioned that I have a 32" HD monitor that runs 24/7/365. The only time it gets turned off is in a power failure. After a week or so of running, I notice fewer and fewer fish. Well tonight I went looking for them. I scrolled all the way to the right. Nothing. Then I scrolled all the way to the left, and lo and behold, there they were, just circling and circling. What do you make of that? See: http://youtu.be/pPstmIImmYY

Mike

Filter?
 

Mike, not that this is helpful - I'm just being a smart-ass here - but I'm pretty certain your fish are stuck in the filter!

Very entertaining, and an example of what is often referred to as "rounding error" or "precision failure".

It's a bug. Jim will have to sort out where it occurs and find a fix.

Not uncommon in financial software - and results in calculations that are "off by one cent". In this case, my guess is that the "problem" is that the horizontal position in the tank is not exactly representable in 32 bits (or whatever precision is being used). Over time, and millions of calculations, some error accumulates.

That's the general idea. I'm confident that Jim can easily fix the bug.

Stuck in the filter.... Good one. When they disappear, I usually just hit "esc" on the keyboard and then click on the Marine Aquarium shortcut on my desktop and I'm back in business.

That is fascinating! We've never seen that before on this forum. I can't wait to read Jim's explanation.

It's news to me. I've let the program run for quite a few days, and never noticed it happening. I'll look into it.

I posted the recent video on 10-20-14. It is now 10-30-14. Ten days have elapsed since the fish swirl in the video and now it is doing it again. So whatever the issue is, it has about a ten day repeat. I mean they seem happy enough.

A lot of programs have code to phone home. I think the SS fish may have a genetic go home gene, much like Pacific salmon. Or, there may be a hole in the virtual glass that contains the aquarium and the fish eventually find it and escape to freedom.. only to get trapped in a vortex.

This has been going on long enough!.....

It's not April 1st yet is it? ;)