Mapping and GIS Solutions Community

Hi All --

New here, so please direct me elsewhere if this is the wrong group.

We've been using Pathfinder Office for projects for about 10 years, mostly doing post-processing of point features from a Trimble Geo7x unit with Terra Sync. I've gathered that these are both outdated systems, but they're what we've paid for and have available right now.

I have a single-use license that is valid and accepted by the Pathfinder license administrator. After going through all the steps to activate the license, which is does successfully, then suddenly Pathfinder "cannot find a license key" anywhere. I have checked all relevant folders and file locations with no success, tried different versions of the software that correspond to the time the license and GPS unit was purchased (in 2016), and scoured the ancient forums for any similar problems without success. We have a deadline at the end of March we need to meet, and I'm getting a little concerned.

Thank you in advance!

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Andrew Dunning, Portland State University Geology
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Hi Andrew,

When the License Manager at the Server Activates the license for your PFO software, it will allow the user to check out the license automatically assuming the path to the server from your PC running PFO via the License Administrator is correct.  Why your client machine is not getting the license may be due to internal network settings.
I have attached a support document describing the PFO License Manager and its setup and usage.  Should the issue you are having not get addressed in the note, please reach out to your local Trimble Dealer for assistance.  Should you not already know who your local dealer is, you may find them here using our Dealer Locator:  https://geospatial.trimble.com/en/where-to-buy 

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Ryan Scott
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Hi Andrew

I can't remember PFO just losing its license - but it's probably 6 or 7 years since I used it seriously.  My current PC has a single-user PFO license, PFO appears to have been installed in February 2020, and PFO still runs.

Have you done anything out-of-the-ordinary like changing PCs?  Uninstalled some other apparently-unrelated applications?  "Cleaned up" the hard disk or registry?  When did PFO last run successfully?

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Norman Smart
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Hi Andrew

I've just downloaded the PFO 5.90 installer from Trimble and installed it on a fairly clean Trimble T7 which had an internet connection.  I used a spare single-use license from a multi-seat pack.  The install proceeded normally but when I tried to run PFO I got "Unable to obtain a valid license. PFO will continue to run in viewer mode."  I have a suspicion there may have been some user error involved. . . 

I closed PFO and ran the GPS PFO License Administrator, that told me I was using a Single use license but the license code wasn't shown in the Installation code field.  I tapped the Activate button and copied and pasted the license code, the activation worked and PFO ran normally (i.e. not in Viewer mode).

So "it works for me".  All I can suggest is that you try a fresh install of your licensed PFO version on a PC which has never had PFO installed on it (with Internet access), and use your original license key, see what happens.  If you get a message that the key has already been used (which we'd expect unless you are using a multi-seat license), that's a different issue.

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Norman Smart
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Thanks everyone - I'll try these solutions out. I'm out of town the rest of the week, but I will attend to this when I return.

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Andrew Dunning
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