rpmrm1
Member
How do I activate if I use the public library computers?
I use the public library computers here in las vegas,NV I can download GOTD all day long. But when it comes time to activate said software when I get home It will not work because I do not have internet connection! Please help me
Ps: your stuff is way cool when I can get it to work!
Messenger
Member
Depending on the library where you go to, most all have internet connections but not allow you to be able to install programs on their computers, but some will allow you to download onto a flash stick. The price of these little sticks are getting cheaper and the memory sizes are getting bigger. I have 3 that I use for various projects. one is a 1GB for certain software to help debug problems with some of my friends' and customers' computers.
The other 2 I have are 2GB a piece that I use for back up and various other projects including putting vacation photos to bore my relatives with on their computers during holiday gatherings LOL. One of my 2 GBs I just got for only $10.
You can with this program download it onto a stick and also install it on it too. On the stick make a new folder and name it "Program files" When downloading it you just need to know what the drive letter is that the stick is located and have it downloaded there. Also when you go to install it, the installation will also ask where to install the program, just click browse and go to the the stick drive letter and click on it and the drive letter should open and show what folders you have ever created on it and look for the program folder and click to install there.
Example let's say the stick reads as drive letter "E" then the directory would be e:\program files
After you click "ok" or "next" the install program will make a folder in the program files folder called "Liquid Story Binder XE" If the install program ask if you what a short cut on the desk top or task bar do not let it, make sure the boxes are unclicked. When installation is done, go into the drive stick and in the program files, go to the program folder "Liquid Story Binder XE" click on the file "Liquid Story Binder XE.exe"
The program will open and the go to about and register the code numbers that came with the download from GAOTD. If all goes well the program should work from the stick on your home computer.
Depending on the library or the way the computers are setup you may need to have the computer attendant or clerk who would be the administrator of the computers allow the download onto your flash stick. The clerks in my local library allow this and sometimes are more then happy to help out.
Of course this might be too late for this program by the time you read this but this is useful in the future. This seems will work for some but not all giveaways.
copmom
Member
Messenger.. one question in reading this. You're referring to rpmrm1 saving (downloading) to a flash drive/stick. But then when you said "register the code numbers that came with the download from GAOTD." .. not all of the programs we get have a registration number.. some just say 'activated'. Isn't that true?
Messenger
Member
Hi Copmom
It works with some. I just check one of my sticks and I have on it Aptedit pro, Photo Story Gold Giveaway Edition, Liquid Story Binder XE, Wise Disk Cleaner 3 Pro and ParetoLogic Data Recovery. All GAOTD programs that I wanted to be on a stick to use on the run. Not sure if it works on all GAOTD but these I tried and they do work.
Messenger
Member
Opps ment to mention that some that I have, just came with the setup and activation key all in one file too. Using the flash stick on another computer and it still will work. As long as it gets activated first online before using on another computer with the stick.
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru
Many of the games that have been offered especially since it went to weekends only are standalone games, so as long as they are activated on the day an be copied to your computer and work as full vrsions because they dont rely upn a registry key entry. Though I expect the library is closed a Sunday.
Messenger
Member
Hey suzzyqz...?
Hey what am I? chopped liver? I racked myself going into a long step by step explanation on how to install some GAOTD "Programs" on a stick at a library to help rpmrm1 and Wrabbit types a 2 sentence paragraph to agree on how some GAOTD "Games" do too and he gets the credit. LOL What a charming little Wrabbit he is. So much for the little guy. LOL :P
Messenger
Member
Wrabbit
I went to double check a few of the programs I do have on a stick and out of the ones I do, half have a registry entry on my computer, but using the stick they will work when I plug the stick into another computer. Not sure on the games but those programs that do have a registry key and work on the stick also, they seem to install info in its own folder a "ini" file to be able to work as a potable program too.
Buckleysmom
Member
Well gee Chopped Liver, if I'm understanding what you're saying, that means when there's a game giveaway I really like I can d/l & activate it to my stick instead of my hard drive (or to both), then, if my pc crashes I won't lose my games cause I can play them right from the stick, correct? Heck, maybe I'll just put them all on a stick, well, at least those that will work that way, then I don't have to worry about losing them again...like I just did a month ago in the "BIG CRASH". I just have one question.....why didn't I think of that????? ARGH!
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru
Thanks for your in-depth explanation messenger; but personally I didn't feel it necessary to go into great detail: P ;) Actually all the games do leave entries in the registry, but not registration entries. These are usually links to uninstall and installation files, but for the sake of argument, there are no {or few} of these games that install a registry key.
There are some applications that also work on this premise, but most do require a key. Thankfully many of those come with an actual key code (found in the read me file) and often the developers own downloads work with the key we are given, thus giving us some control over where we put the applications, and also helps community members that are limited to library downloads.
I don't know whether it is strictly allowed to discuss such issues in the forums though, so I apologize to the giveaway team for carrying on this thread. I'm sure if it's a no no it will be deleted.
Buckleysmom
Member
suzzyqz....Thanks, it's good to be back. Puter died, funeral was a few days ago. Replaced it with an Acer Aspire 17" laptop which arrived on Thursday and I'm lovin it! Of course it has Vista so I have to get used to......well.......don't even know yet....ha ha. Hubby's been using Vista for about 8 months so he's worked out most of the bugs and can help me with whatever I run into. Haven't tried installing any of my games yet, purchased or free so I'm just waiting to see what happens when I do. I think I'll be more choosey about what I d/l cause I had quite a few I didn't play.... and didn't even like but never bothered to delete which is kind of dumb.
After giving this issue some more thought.....I can see rpmrm1's dilemma regarding the library pc, but as for those of us who are online, I guess if you like the game enough to feel bad that you've lost it when getting a new pc or whatever, then you really should just buy the game. They're only giving them away so we can try them out, not to keep and carry forever with you. I tend to forget that.
Messenger
Member
Suzzyqz
No problem, I laughed when I first saw your post. I couldn’t help myself to make light of it. We have such a great group of friends in here that no matter how life throws them a curve, we all seem to find the time and to try to help each and others. Throwing in some fun along the way helps to make this forum less geekier then other website forums.
Rpmrm1
Sorry to hear that. In the city I live the only library happens to have available more then 50 computers all networked to be online. My daughter just before she graduated from high school 2 years back use to go there with her friends when ours would be tied up between myself and her 2 brothers. (till I finally built each their own) They have a computer attendant that’s all he/she would do, to help anyone with computer problems and if they needed a certain program for school work they would sit along side to monitor the actions to make sure that the program would only be allowed to go on a stick or floppy, and if it needed to be install to make sure it was a potable type of software and not one that would need to be installed on the computer’s hard drive.
I guess it all depends on what the cities budgets for the libraries are.
Today I know the price of dial up (though slow) is getting cheaper AOL, CompuServe and People P.C. are less then $10 a month now. I just got on DSL myself back in January because of a 13 month special for $10 a month. It goes up to $20 next February. But even the slowest DSL speed I’m using is 50 times faster then the same price CompuServe dial up I had. I would have preferred cable but I’m lucky I could even afford the 60 channel basic for T.V.
Copmom
Don’t feel bad, I’ve been at this now for some time and still learning something new here and there and just by being at this site I’ve gain some knowledge.
Wrabbit and Buckleysmom
I guess it all boils down too is trial and error to see if the program will work using a flash stick. You just need access to a 2nd computer to be sure.
Using the Paretologic Data Recovery program from my stick to help 3 different friends I don’t think I broke any rules because they were friends and I don’t charge friends for simple helping hand to recover a lost file. Besides just last week 1 of the 3 like the program a lot after watching me use it that he wants to purchase it and I showed him their website where to buy it. Like a salesmen I did brag about what a good program I thought it was and how handy it was to have.
Buckleysmom
Good luck with the new baby. I just shutter when I hear Vista LOL But I know 3 -5 years down the road I’ll have no choice when I go for another computer.
Samm
I know what you mean. I bought this computer last year with what I thought was a big drive 300GB big and in no time in one year filled it up with just software alone 150 GB. Any DVD movies get delegated after they get burned on a disc. Each movie can take up near to 8GB alone. 50 GB of software I have is from here alone from the last 3 months coming here LOL
I do have my eye on a nice 1 TB (1000 GB) external drive I’ve seen at Office Max nearby me. But maybe 2 -500GB drives would be better, I’d hate to loose so much if the 1000 GB crashed or just broke down on me. Still only wishful thinking right now, I’m lucky if I could buy an 80GB hard drive used LOL
suzzyqz
Member
Messenger..believe it or not, I got an external drive at Big Lots! WD at that! Only an 80g but works for extra drive! I am so used to WR posts being the longest on here..my only excuse can be that I didn't pay enough attention..sick with the flu this week. I wish you could have a cable connection..after you get used to it, you will never like anything else. By the time you pay for the phone line and the internet , be it snail dial-up or dsl..it is no cheaper than cable. We use our cell phones and do not even have a phone line hooked up...good thing too..Lightning hit a big tree in our back yard and took the line down anyway! LOL!
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru
Hi Buckleysmon, not all applications or games can be activated on a stick. It depends upon whether the game file holds the registration information or whether it's stored in the registry. It just so happens that most games given away over the past four months have been free standing games. So once you've activated them in the usual way they are transferable; whereas with the applications this is usually not the case. There are very few free standing commercial applications, though if you get an application that comes with a full registration code and it works with the developers own demos then you are able to transfer the application, but you can't use the application from a flash drive unless you've registered the application on each of the computers you want to use it on. Once there's a registration entry in the computers registry you can run any application from a flash drive and many from CD's or DVD's.
There is of course (as Buckleysmom points out) an ethical issue here. These giveaways are meant to be long term demo’s as opposed to life time full versions. I think I may have been wrong in pointing out the standalone nature of many of the games that have been given away; because that means you have a lifetime version provided you back it up. I personally have spent tens of thousands of dollars on games and try not to rip off developers. If I really like a giveaway game I’ll buy it from the developer if I can as opposed to one of the big game houses. Though most of the games I’ve really liked that have been given away I’ve already bought (Jets and Guns Gold, Atlantis Rising, Treasures of Montezuma and the RIP series to name just a few) I believe doing so just takes away from the development of games and thus we get fewer original game because of all the rip offs that occur through hacks, Warez sites and sharing games (the latter of which I am guilty of at times, so yeah I'm a hypocrite) I've been very lucky with respect to getting free games from developers. Through Beta testing I get free games and I've actively written to a couple of developers asking for discounts because I personally think the average price of arcade games is well overpriced. (Though I know that isn't a reason for ‘stealing games) and amazingly I’ve been given free unlock codes for several excellent games. (Arklight, System Mania {just about to be released}, Scavenger, Sunshine Acres, Treasure Masters and Unicorn Castle to name a few)
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