Unable to locate a ProVal license by any of these methods

Last updated: Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Applies to: ProVal and ProAdmin

Symptom

You’ve installed ProVal, including the workstation setup if ProVal is installed on your network, and you’ve double-clicked the ProVal icon but you get an error message that ProVal is Unable to locate a ProVal license by any of these methods.

Solution

If the key is a network key plugged into a ProVal License Server

1. Check that the driver for the hardware key is installed correctly using sdmedic.exe. See Running the Sentinel SuperPro Medic below.
2. Check that the key is plugged into the port on the license server.
3. Check that the license server is on and The WinTech License Service is running
4. Check that the LICENSEDIR= parameter in PROVAL.INI file is pointing to the correct folder. Then do a search on the network for PVLIMITS.DAT, PVMSG.DAT and/or PVUSERS.DAT, to check that the folder does in fact contain license server files.
5. Check that the user has read/write access to this folder.
6. Make sure that PVUSERS.DAT was created and exists in the license directory. (If this is the problem, the error message probably offered you an opportunity to create PVUSERS.DAT.)
7. If you have just one license, maybe a ProVal session was stranded; go into ProVal from the license server and kill the session to release the key.
8. If you’ve gotten to this step, let’s make sure the key is a license server (PVLS) key, not a single-user hardware key. (If you give WinTech the key’s serial #, we’ll check our records.)

If the key is a single-user hardware key plugged into the user’s PC:

1. Check that the driver for the hardware key is installed correctly using sdmedic.exe. See Running the Sentinel SuperPro Medic below.
2. Check that the key is plugged into the port on the user’s PC.
3. Make sure the key is a single-user hardware key, not a PVLS key. (If you give WinTech the key’s serial #, we’ll check our records.)
4. For security reasons, your USB port may be blocked – check with your IT administrator to verify if that is the case.
5. See the section of the Readme.pdf, ProVal Licensing Explained for additional suggestions.

Running the Sentinel SuperPro Medic
In order for Windows to recognize your ProVal hardware key, the Sentinel System driver must be installed. Typically, the driver is installed along with ProVal. Where possible, if you suspect that ProVal is having a problem interfacing with the attached key, you should first test the key on another computer to determine if it is a problem with the key or a problem with your computer. If the key turns out to be OK, you should determine whether Windows is able to communicate successfully with your key. To do so, install the Sentinel SuperPro Medic program by running Sdmedic.exe from the ProVal installation folder. Follow the program wizard’s instructions for installing the program. Click on the Find SuperPro button and check to see if no Superpro keys were detected (see below).

Cause

ProVal cannot find a License