Select the product you need help with

When you try to start Games for Windows, MapPoint, or Streets & Trips products, you are repeatedly prompted (in a loop) to reactivate the product

Article ID: 969886 - View products that this article applies to.

SYMPTOMS

When you try to play any of the games that are listed in the "Applies to" section, you may experience one of the following symptoms:

The Activation Wizard prompts you to activate the product even though you have successfully activated the product before.
When you play Flight Simulator X, you receive an error message that resembles the following:
Thank you for trying Microsoft Flight Simulator X. The trial time limit has expired. Please activate Flight Simulator to continue playing.
Certain features in the product cannot be accessed even though you have activated the product. For example, the Flight Simulator Multiplayer option is not listed in the game.

Back to the top | Give Feedback

RESOLUTION

To resolve these problems, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Log on as an administrator

These problems may occur because your user account does not have administrative credentials on the computer. If your user account does not have administrative credentials, you will not be prompted to activate the game when the time trial period expires or when the game enters reduced functionality mode.

To resolve these problems, use administrative credentials to run the game. To give your account administrative credentials in Windows Vista, see the section. To give your account administrative credentials in Windows XP, see the Set your account to run as administrator in Windows XP section.

Set your account to run as administrator in Windows Vista

Right-click the game icon, and then click Properties.
On the Shortcut tab, click Advanced.
Click Run as Administrator.

Collapse this imageExpand this image
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
Start the game from the icon that you changed.

Set your account to run as administrator in Windows XP

Right-click the game icon, and then click Properties.
On the Shortcut tab, click Advanced.
Click to select the Run with different credentials check box, and then click OK two times.
Double-click the game icon.
In the Run as dialog box, click The following user, and then enter the administrator credentials for the computer.
Click OK.

Method 2 (for Flight Simulator X only): Run the Software Licensing System Reset tool

If you are logged on as an administrator and if the problem continues to occur, run the Software Licensing System Reset tool.

For more information about how to download, install and run the Software Licensing System Reset tool, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

928080

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928080/ )

Error message "1722" when you try to reinstall Flight Simulator X

Method 3 (for Norton users only): Add the program to Auto-Protect Scanning

Note The following steps may differ for different versions of Norton antivirus programs.

Open Norton Internet Security.
Click the Norton Internet Security tab.
Click Settings.
Click Virus and Spyware Protection Options.
In the options window, click Scan Exclusions on the left bar.
Under Which disks, folders, or files to exclude from Auto-Protect Scanning, click New.
Type the path to the program that you are trying to use. Here are (default) example paths:
Flight Simulator X: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator X

Streets & Trips: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Streets & Trips 2009\Streets.exe
Click to select Include subfolders.
Click Apply, and then click OK.

Method 4: Temporarily disable firewall or antivirus programs

Important These steps may increase your security risk. These steps may also make the computer or the network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We recommend the process that this article describes to enable programs to operate as they are designed to or to implement specific program capabilities. Before you make these changes, we recommend that you evaluate the risks that are associated with implementing this process in your particular environment. If you decide to implement this process, take any appropriate additional steps to help protect the system. We recommend that you use this process only if you really require this process.

The software may have problems connecting to Internet servers if you are using antivirus software or a firewall program. For example, firewall products such as Zone Alarm, MacAfee Personal Firewall, Norton Internet Security, or Black Ice Defender may block access to the Internet by other individual programs.

To determine whether the problem is occurring because of interference from antivirus or firewall software, temporarily disable the antivirus or firewall software. Icons for these programs may appear in the notification area in the lower-right corner of your screen. To disable the program, right-click the icon, and then click Disable or Exit. (For more help, contact the program vendor.)

Back to the top | Give Feedback